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 "You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water" 

Here are the beautiful words written by Rabindranath Tagore, painter, poet, composer, playwright, philosopher and social reformer.

I read them in the preface written by Albert Chaitram Persaud, Founder CAREIF for the report "Improving the Mental Health of South Asian Populations in the United Kingdom" written by Gnanapragasam S.N. and Menon K.V. (2021) on behalf of CAREIF and Ethnic Inclusion Foundation.

One of the key recommendations in the report is to ''provide a culturally competent workforce with appropriate cultural competency training so that care provided appreciates cultural (religious/spiritual/faith), historical and gendered influences of South Asians''.

While further training is always welcomed, it should not stop organisations to jump right in engaging with communities from various ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds. As humans, we have the innate ability to create connections with others regardless of their characteristics. 

When starting Quetzal Breaking the Silence Initiative, a project that aims to raise awareness about the trauma of childhood sexual abuse and the value of counselling in Leicester South Asian Communities, I had to go through a process of decolonisation using the ABCD framework and develop critical thinking to recognise as much as anyone else that I am part of the South Asian Community as a representant of an institution. From there and by reiterating our main goal which is to support the mental health of our beneficiaries, we were able to collaborate and develop an initiative. In 2019, we had 11 referrals from South Asian Female Survivors - In 2021, we had 51. 

Yes, I had to learn on the go about cultural differences. It was a fantastic opportunity to appreciate another person culture and to share it with people who probably never engaged with South Asian communities in Leicester before. We always brought back our focus to a shared vision where female survivors of childhood sexual abuse and their families would know about our support. It is about bringing people together and reminding them that we have these innate abilities to connect with one another with the heart.

So stop, staring at the water, jump in, create a bridge between yourself and others


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