Psychosocial Peacebuilding Approach of International Association for Human Values (IAHV) - now, the first step is available online

Abstract

Aim. The aim of the study is to provide an overview of online workshops of the International Association for Human Values (IAHV), Healing Resilience Empowerment (HRE), which can be the first stage of intervention in dealing with trauma in refugees, in the context of the uniquely integrated psychosocial approach implemented by IAHV in war zones, refugee camps, and refugee centres.

Methods. IAHV materials and resources available on the Internet, which constitute a repository of the actions of the European Union outside Europe have been searched concerning the resilience and peace-building initiatives of IAHV in Jordan and Lebanon. The method of critical literature analysis has been incorporated and a review of the scientific literature available in the English language has been used to present selected issues. For this purpose, scientific literature databases accessible on the Internet have been searched, i.e. Google Scholar, Web Of Science, Ebsco, and Elsevier.

Results. The analysis shows that, nowadays, the use of online technologies in HRE workshops is recommended to the people affected by a crisis, i.e., a war, even in Afghanistan, Ukraine, or South Africa. HRE is the first/low threshold step of the psychosocial approach of IAHV towards trauma relief. It constitutes a low-cost program that transcends strictly cognitive effects into all the layers, from the physical to the deeply existential.

Conclusion. The study considers the pioneering online interventions by IAHV in the first stage of their unique, integrated, psychosocial, peacebuilding approach for refugees and victims of wars and conflicts. Thus, the HRE intervention can reach a large number of victimised individuals.