Dear friends,
Happy New Year. I wish you much kindness and calm as your year unfolds before you.
My colleagues and I spent yesterday morning recalling experiences at work that we are grateful for and articulating milestones we aim to reach for the year ahead. Importantly, it was an occasion to honour each other’s efforts because it is so easy for such a “stock-taking” exercise to turn into a performance appraisal where presentations become a show of strength.
As community workers, we are a commitment to journeying with those on the margins toward a meaningful and fulfilling life. This journey is filled with ups and downs and the experience often leaves us vulnerable, disappointed, or helpless. Hence, to continue the journey we must be genuinely grateful for our failures as they keep us grounded, authentic, and realistic. If efforts that do not meet their intended outcomes are not honoured, they are unlikely to surface, and we will never have the benefit of learning from our failures.
A colleague shared that she was grateful for the opportunity to work alongside a group of 5 neighbours who expressed an interest to serve their community but initially did not have any clear ideas. While they live in the same vicinity, they were not exactly friends either. Without any clear expectations of what they could do, she simply set out to honour their intentions by agreeing to meet them monthly to explore what they could do.
When the group came together for the first-time last February, my colleague was a little surprised by how forthcoming everyone was with their personal challenges even though they hardly knew each other. There seemed to be a strong yearning for connection and the opportunity to be listened to without feeling judged.
Izah who is 54 years old, is an Assistant Teacher at a child development centre. She shared that teaching children gives her much joy, but she finds it rather challenging to fulfill other duties at work that require her to utilise a computer. While she fully understands that computer literacy is a required basic work skill, she cannot help feeling very discouraged by her lack of competency and often contemplates leaving her job even though it is an option she can ill afford.
She then expressed a wish to teach children in her neighbourhood and immediately the others thought that it would be a wonderful way for her to contribute in a way that gives her joy. These neighbours have now named their initiative “Power Families” as parents and caregivers are encouraged to attend the session comprising reading, art, and craft activities as a way to bond with their children.
All of us felt very encouraged by the sharing and in our minds, this positive experience was the result of how a community honoured the efforts of its members in concrete practical ways. The Kebun Baru Bestari Residents Committee for hosting the programme at their premises, the neighbours who took a leap of faith in supporting Izah, the children and their care-givers for valuing Izah’s contribution.
Thank you for listening and we gratefully honour your friendship.
For peace and community,
Gerard
