Ann Hayden is a Community Employment Supervisor in the Darndale/Belcamp area, where she also lives. At age 50, Ann returned to education, completing a two-year Community Development course and later earning a four-year B.A. in Sociology and Social Policy.

During her time volunteering with Le Chéile, Ann was introduced to the film Resilience. Inspired by the film, she reached out to Eithne NicDomhnaill, a local primary school teacher in Darndale, to discuss its findings. This led them on a journey to educate themselves about the long-term effects of childhood trauma and to bring this critical knowledge into the community.

Ann’s mission is to share this understanding of trauma within her community—at both organisational and individual levels—with the ultimate goal of influencing policymakers to ensure that all social policies are trauma-informed.

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