Skip to main content

Jump In

 "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


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What did I learn from analysing my expenditure after a year

In the following blog post, I share the results of two analysis. The first one is an analysis of my spendings by categories after a year, the second is analysis of what I want to achieve by category. The analysis contribute to my main aim which is to achieve financial independence. I am currently trying to pay a debt - 12K for a student loan. To do the first analysis, I downloaded all the statements from my current account in an excel format. I assigned a category to each entry. What are the results? I  allocated 18% of my resources to my loan and the same amount to travel to France and have a couple of trip in the UK. I spent more money on conspicuous consumption than food. I did not have many outings that involved financial expenditure. What am I missing? I haven't got a good idea of what all the cash I have taken out was used for. A part of it must be to commute to work, then it is a mix of food shopping, outings, shopping and more outings. For the second analyy...

About Marle

Elsewhere on the web I write under various names and do projects. I am employed by Quetzal , a Leicester-based charity supporting female survivors of childhood sexual abuse developing artistic direction and supporting the delivery of various initiatives, and freelance. Look me up on Google Some Appearances on Podcasts and Radio Shows I completed a doctorate in Design at Loughborough University looking at the factors influencing people to repair small electrical items. Here are some academic resources Bio Hello. I am Marle. I am a writer writing under various names and I do projects . In the last 10 years, most of my work has been around refining and grasping my purpose, and the meaning of my work, and mastering my skills as a researcher and project manager. It has also been about trying to offer a different perspective on the role of citizens in facilitating the transition towards a sustainable system of consumption and production, inspiring people and guiding them in whatever mast...

Caged animals

The man opens the cage to throw a big cat in there. I look at him intrigued. I look closer and see other animals caged including gorillas and orange outan. To my horror, one of the cage I'd open and a big cat is about to escape. I look for help and I see two mens disguised as gorilla taking care of the animals. I told them about the escape. When they look the animal is no longer there. Before I knew someone comes to find us asking us to go as if something terrible just happened and we started running to all our might.