Charity founded to support early response to trauma

BELLINGEN-based educators Deborah Neale and Suzane Polaris are extending the reach of Emergency Pedagogy, a registered charity that is part of a global network spanning 41 countries.

Ms Neale, a past teacher at Chrysalis Steiner School and former Principal of Casuarina Steiner School, has founded “Emergency Pedagogy Without Borders – Australia”, a not-for-profit educational initiative that provides pedagogical support, resources, training, and advocacy in emergency and crisis contexts.

Throughout her career, Ms Neale had always worked with children affected by trauma.

What changed was the scale, she told News Of The Area.

The 2019 bushfires played a role in her decision.

“Like many Australians, I witnessed the devastation – not only the physical loss, but the emotional and psychological impact on whole communities,” she said.

“It highlighted for me that while we have strong emergency and recovery systems, there is often a gap in the psychosocial support offered to children, families, and educators in the immediate aftermath.”

Ms Neale was living and working in Victoria during COVID lockdowns where she witnessed a significant rise in youth suicide, an escalation in domestic violence, and a growing sense of fragmentation and distrust within communities.

“When children returned to school, the level of dysregulation, anxiety, and relational breakdown was unlike anything I had experienced before.”

She said the work of Bernd Ruf, particularly his book “Educating Traumatized Children”, was a turning point.

“What stood out to me was the clarity of the approach,” she said.

“In the early stages after a traumatic event, we can actively support recovery in ways that prevent longer-term trauma responses from becoming entrenched.

“That trauma, in those early months, can be understood and treated as a wound rather than an illness.”

In 2024, Ms Neale travelled to Germany to see Ruf’s work at the Parzival Zentrum in Karlsruhe, an experience she found deeply moving.

She observed a structured, intentional approach that enabled the children to regulate, engage, and learn despite their experiences.

It gave her a clear sense that this work was effective and essential.

She felt a responsibility to bring the approach to Australia, which led to her founding Emergency Pedagogy Without Borders – Australia.

When the Bondi attack happened in December 2025, the charity was ready to respond.

“Bernd Ruf flew over on Christmas Day to bring his huge amount of experience to support,” Ms Neale said.

“He delivered talks to over 300 people in Bondi, and we worked with children, youth and community members who were directly impacted.

“It was miraculous to see children, teens and adults transform from shock and [being] completely traumatised to becoming stable, calm and experiencing joy again.”

Ms Neale also led a team of 11 to support the recovery following the catastrophic bushfires in Victoria in January 2026.

In October, Ruf will return to Australia to deliver training in Adelaide and Melbourne as part of the Postgraduate level Certificate in Emergency Pedagogy Crisis intervention.

“We are also organising a talk in Melbourne on 17 October at the Hawthorn arts centre… called Youth Trauma and Suicide.”

For more information, visit emergencypedagogy.org.au or email info@emergencypedagogy.org.au.

By Andrea FERRARI