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


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Projects

Growing up in the performing arts sectors, I have seen theatre professionals shipping projects and plays every year, touring them and closing them for good. What I liked the most while observing the process were the conversations, the questions they asked to one another and the reflection. With One Question Comes A Great Story - A Story of Change - A Story of Transformation. Here are some of the questions I asked myself over the years: Why do people consume so much when they know that the rest of the world is in a pitiful state? How can design support What is the role of designers in supporting the transition towards a circular economy? What is the role of local government in supporting citizens in their sustainable journey? What is the role of grassroots communities in supporting people in reducing their carbon footprint? What is the effectiveness of a community-based approach in raising awareness about sexual violence in a set community? What can we do better to raise awareness about...
Post a Comment
Read more

King Kong Theory by Virginie Despentes and the Use of Language

What a pleasure to be shaken by the poetry of a person. Virginie Despentes poetry is raw, harsh, vulgar and abrasive. I discovered that we can write and speak like that, still, be whole - a whole woman that is loved and revered - or in the patriarchal world, a target to stamp on fingers, tongue or vision because it is not (a) lady-like-(we want in this world) - pure injustice. About King Kong Theory  on Wikipedia Language... Upbringing in different social classes and education give different opportunities for exploration in the depth and breadth of language.  When first arriving in the UK, I could not speak English fluently and worked with other foreigners in large warehouses full of computers and/or clothes: picking, packing and controlling stocks over day/night shifts. My uniform, a yellow vest, t-shirt, jeans and work boots. I even drove a PPT moving pallet across the shop floor. After a year, working in this environment, I succeeded an English test to start university. In ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Time to listen

Sometimes our own perspective on life may get in the way of what we understand when others speaks. Pause, breathe and really listen. You may learn something. if you are too busy with your own thoughts, you will not even realise what was said. You will probably misinterpret some important signal. So what to do, Pause, breathe, ask further questions before sharing an informed answer based on fact and not your own imagination
Read more