Sports and dance in trauma processing
We believe that every child deserves a safe place. A place where you can be yourself, where you can relax and where there are people who support you. In the Netherlands there are several secret shelters where girls stay who have had a traumatic experience and therefore cannot live at home. To protect them, they are closed off from the outside world in shelters.
Teenage mothers, victims of domestic violence and victims of loverboys and human trafficking live in these shelters. For many girls in the Netherlands this is a safe place, their only place. The help they receive and the isolation from society do not always have the expected impact on the girls' mental health. Trauma specialists recommend staying busy after a trauma and not isolating yourself. That is why we have set up the new Hidden Girls project together with Move Forward: weekly training for girls who have experienced domestic and sexual violence and who now live in safe houses.
When you follow an activity in a group, this has an immediate positive effect on brain connections. With Hidden Girls we use dance and sport as an accessible and effective first step in the process of trauma processing. Our goal is to improve the mental and physical health of girls in shelters, especially in closed youth care. This way, these children also have a safe space and a physical outlet. They feel heard, seen and supported, and can ultimately be their powerful selves again.
"I think the impact of our program is primarily the guidance. We're always there for them. That continuity in training is very important. They can get out of their bodies by dancing. It's not just talking for a while, but moving."
Iris - coach
Participating in a group activity has an immediate positive effect on brain connections. At Hidden Girls, we use dance and sports as an accessible and effective first step in the trauma recovery process. Our goal is to improve the mental and physical health of girls in shelters, particularly those in secure youth care. This way, these children also have a safe space and a physical outlet. They feel heard, seen, and supported, and can ultimately be their empowered selves again.
Want to know more? Then visit the Hidden Girls website of our partner Move Forward.
Before dance classes, I often feel tired, but I'm also full of energy because I know I'm going to dance again. After class, I often feel completely refreshed. I need these dance classes to clear my head and clear my mind. Then I can really get through the week.
- Hidden Girls participant
Deelneemster
“I am less angry and feel
more relaxed thanks to these sports lessons.”
Coach
“Being traumatized girls
insecure, make little eye contact and have little courage. During the project I see their personalities emerge. They are more powerful, look at me and tell me personal things. They come loose.”
Deelneemster
“I notice that I am stronger and
that I continue. It gives me a good feeling, it gives me energy.”
Together against loneliness
Donate and help combat loneliness in children