Creating Counternarratives on Trauma Informed Care Through Student Podcasting

This research explored how participatory action research (PAR) could be utilized to help inform and bring change to an alternative high school’s trauma informed care. The study was informed by Critical Race Theory (Yosso, 2005), Trauma Informed Care (Day et al, 2017), and Participatory Action Research (Halliday, 2019). The PAR project was conducted at an urban/suburban alt-ed high school in Marin County with nine 11th and 12th graders, who engaged in a series of subject-themed forums and then created a one-minute podcast informed by an interview they conducted with a community member. Students held a symposium in which they shared the podcasts with administration and other adult leaders and successfully petitioned the school administration to add after-school programs. The research found that PAR is a culturally responsive way to cultivate student agency around school policy, and support meaningful exploratory dialogue that informs engaged practices in the delivery of trauma informed care. These findings have important implications for how teachers can provide the space for students to create change in their school environments, support one another in navigating life challenges and create connections to mentors in the larger community. Key Words: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Counter Narratives, Critical Race Theory, Trauma Informed Care, Participatory Action Research, Podcastin