Trauma impacts all aspects of a childs life.  Their social, emotional and physiological development, as well as their abilities to learn, trust and form meaningful relationships are all compromised.  It is almost impossible for a child with this background to make any sense of their world.  Anxiety, fear, and isolation become integral in day-to-day interactions.
Additionally children with a trauma background tend to have:
•   limited socialisation skills
•   poor self-esteem and self concept
•   a propensity of unhealthy risk taking behaviours.
If left unaddressed, these tendencies can stay with them for their entire lives.
Engaging in recreation and activity is an essential part to healthy emotional and social wellbeing. It encourages curiosity which in turn leads to learning opportunities.  It promotes achievement, thereby supporting positive self confidence and self esteem.  It motivates us to take on greater challenges.  In short, recreation and activity is good for us.
When we are fully immersed in an activity, we are said to be in a state of ‘flow’.  Maybe it’s best summed up by the saying “Time flies when you are having fun”.  The idea of ‘flow’ was first posited by Csikszentmihályi, although the concept has been around for many hundreds of years as practiced by, for example, Buddhist monks.
‘Flow’, and its benefits, are centred around three tenets:
• there must be clear goals – setting goals adds structure and direction to the activity
• the activity and the challenges they present must be in balance with the skills of the individual
• succinct and immediate feedback should be provided to allow for skill development.
Undertaking recreational pursuits and activities has been shown to have positive impacts on self esteem and self confidence.  Additionally, it has been demonstrated to have beneficial influence on behaviour, mood and anxiety.  Participating in recreational activities with others is also a safe method of developing social skills and socialisation.  When directed and supported, activity and recreation can be a powerful tool with which to address the impacts of trauma on a young persons development.
At Red Road Horizons, we understand that trauma in early years can have long lasting ramifications of the world view of young people.  We aim to use recreation and activity as a non-threatening, safe means of addressing these effects to bring about positive change and growth.  Utilising a simple Feedback Loop model, we guide the young person through learning opportunities to promote a greater sense of understanding of themselves and their world.