Elation, then gunfire
The first day of the new term holds special significance in Russia. In Beslan, children were dressed in their finest outfits, holding aloft colourful balloons and showing off their musical skills. But the festivities were cut short that morning by a series of explosions and gunfire as the terrorists surrounded the throng and herded them into the school's gymnasium.
In the initial mayhem many of the fathers were killed by the terrorists. The gym was booby-trapped with bombs to prevent anyone escaping and Russian troops and local people massed outside the school grounds creating a siege.
For the next two days officials tried to negotiate with the terrorists and prospects for a peaceful conclusion rose when some of the youngest children and their mothers were released. For those left in the gym conditions were horrendous. Children had to drink urine to remain hydrated and the heat was so intense many were stripped to their underwear. And all the time they were forced to remain sitting on the floor in silence with their arms in the air. Guns were constantly trained on them and they watched terrorists execute some of the adults.
Midway through the third day of the siege a bomb exploded in the gym. No one is sure whether this was deliberate or accidental, but it prompted Russian troops to storm the building. The gun battle that ensued was intense and went on for much of the day. Many of the hostages escaped, but 330 - half of them children - died.
Like many of us, Stan Godek watched on television as the Beslan school siege reached its bloody conclusion on 3 September, 2004.
The images from that horrific day in southern Russia's North Ossetia region are still fresh in the Edinburgh social worker's memory.
"I remember children running from the school in their underwear past dazed onlookers. One young boy was carrying another in his arms," he says.
A few months later Godek would be using his skills as a social work training consultant to help the Russian professionals deal with the aftermath of the tragedy.
His journey started when he was asked by Duncan MacAulay, Edinburgh Council's social work general manager, about devising a training scheme for the teachers and psychologists working with the trauma victims. It followed an approach to MacAulay, who had previous connections in Russia, by Antonia Lyshenko, director of the Moscow Centre for Psychological Support of Children and Families, who explained the difficulties they were facing in Beslan.
"Duncan approached me because of my 25 years' experience working with traumatised young people," says Godek, who also works part time for Edinburgh Council. That experience included work with people dealing with loss, death and abuse and the conflict, anger and aggression that can result. Within weeks Godek and his wife, Liz, manager of a young people's centre in Edinburgh, had put together a two-week training programme and in May they flew to Moscow.
Beslan is the third largest town in North Ossetia with a 33,000 population. Situated near the border with the troubled republic of Chechnya, it is three hours' flight from the Russian capital. Its location made it an easy target for the Chechen terrorists fighting for independence from Russia but few would have predicted them turning their attention to School Number 1 where, on 1 September 2004, 1,000 children and their parents had gathered to celebrate the start of the new school year before the horrific scenes unfolded.
The repercussions of the tragedy touched nearly everybody in the town. The initial aftermath saw many families grieving over the loss of children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters - in one day alone there were 170 funerals. But, as the physical wounds began to heal, the psychological ones started to become more apparent.
Moscow sent teams of psychologists and psychiatrists to Beslan to try to help survivors come to terms with what had happened. But without any recognised social care infrastructure, services and professionals - many of whom were young and inexperienced - were put under enormous strain by the long hours and harrowing stories they heard. Many of them attended Godek's training programme.
Godek says the symptoms displayed by many of the 3,000 people who needed help were the classic after-effects of a traumatic experience. "The physical reactions include no feelings, low energy and eating disorders, while emotionally they can suffer panic attacks, fear of leaving their home and compulsive obsessive disorders."
The Godeks delivered eight seminars to 36 psychologists, combining theoretical perspectives and case studies. The intended format was for a one-hour presentation followed by 45 minutes for questions and discussion. However, such was the interest that each seminar lasted four hours.
As well as developing professionals' understanding of dealing with traumatic loss, they also discussed managing anger and aggression and working with adolescents who reject help.
Godek says: "For children, one of the reactions of something like this is to mistrust the adult world and see the world as being out of control. There are some young people who haven't returned to school and it is difficult to get them to not think it will happen again."
There were instances where young people and adults had begun misusing drugs and alcohol, something seldom seen before and which authorities had little experience of addressing.
"One of the areas they wanted us to talk about was how to re-engage fathers with their families," says Godek. "Beslan has a traditional culture where the father is the breadwinner and some felt guilt and shame for being unable to protect their families. You have fathers who wished it had been them.
"Some of the men have turned to alcohol because they found it so difficult to re-engage since the purpose had gone out of their lives."
Resilience theory - developing the idea they are survivors - was also an important concept in the seminars.
Godek says: "If we can identify the characteristics of individuals that cope we can form an approach to working with those people who are less resilient and help promote resilience. You need to emphasise they are survivors and not victims."
Painting and music therapy play a major part in this, he adds. "There was an exhibition of the children's paintings while we were there. A key factor in resilience is confidence: seeing people appreciate their paintings and music helps to build this. It is an important part of the healing process."
The Godeks have been asked to return to Russia but Stan says the key to recovery lies with the community itself: "The professionals are doing their best but mothers, uncles and older children have to be helped to help each other. Professionals have worked with parents to help them understand their children's behaviour and try to engage with them positively."
The first anniversary of the tragedy will be a time for the people of Beslan to remember those who died. But life is beginning to move on - two new schools have been built - but the charred shell of School Number 1 remains. Locals want to flatten it and put a chapel in its place, but authorities cannot afford the £40,000 needed to do so.
Godek is doing his bit to help with this too - he has just raised £6,000 from the proceeds of a concert - to add to thousands already raised.
"That's where I think we need to help as much as possible. They
are doing so much with so little," he says.
