Zoe Garnett, Kalista Roling, Libby Stechmesser, and Kira Straub, “Interrupting the Carceral System- A Pedagogical Framework for Trauma-Informed Movement”
Mentor: Maria Gillespie, Dance
Oral Presentation Block 1

Intrinsic to the prison industrial complex, recidivism is a product of underfunded juvenile prisons lacking educational and therapeutic programming. The cycle of intergenerational trauma that originates from systematic racism, and is sustained through under-resourced communities, is further impacted when individuals enter the isolating carceral system. Parts of the Whole, a movement- based educational program for system-impacted and incarcerated youth, offers somatic workshops which cultivate creativity and healing. We developed a teaching framework for self-expressive movement practices while considering the cycle of trauma that incarcerated youth suffer due to the prison system. Our research involved gathering resources by attending conferences, studying other prison art initiatives, case studies, and evaluating fieldwork from time spent teaching at a Milwaukee alternative school, Project Stay. Experiencing trauma has lasting physical effects on the brain and body which leads to difficulty regulating emotions, stifles creativity, and alters the lens used to interpret and interact with the world. Research shows that healing trauma also occurs within the body. Somatic practices are proven to aid in immediate and long-term relief of trauma responses by regulating the autonomic nervous system, releasing tension, and activating the parasympathetic nervous system, among others. Further, we found that teaching methods and content must allow for a conversational and dialectical relationship with students so that teachers are informed by, and work with students, rather than speaking and acting for students. By implementing trauma-informed teaching methods that acknowledge current oppressive systems, we developed a framework to create a validating learning environment that offers a space for students to explore their voice. Our practice seeks to build students’ confidence, agency, expressivity, and reignite creativity suppressed by trauma. Through implementation of this pedagogical framework, we offer art and creativity as a method for empathy and expression, helping students impacted by the punitive practices of the carceral system.