Creating spaces for open dialogue.
One of the key areas we want to invest in this year is creating more spaces for open and frequent conversations with our community. One of the ways we are doing that is through our monthly newsletters, which not only provide updates on our various projects and programs, but also give us the opportunity to share our reflections and learnings. We love to hear your feedback, and learn more about what inspires and drives you.
Preparing for tomorrow - A Vision for youth resilience and success
31 January 2024 - Eleanor Burton, Relationships and Training Manager @ en.v
At en.v, we have learned to never underestimate the knowledge, curiosity and ability to self-reflect and create change that resides in youth. We are consistently impressed with the hunger that young people have for challenging their assumptions and learning new ways of navigating their experiences. We have also found that the most transformative learning happens when we focus on fostering so-called “soft skills”, such as empathy, interpersonal and intercultural communications, critical thinking, self-regulation, and the ability to collaborate. While they are traditionally referred to as “soft skills”, some are renaming them “core skills” or “durable skills” – that is, the skills that form the foundation that allows us to adapt, learn and grow in different and changing environments. Recent research has also shown that these are the key skills that employers now look for in the workplace.
It is because of these learnings that we have partnered with the Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO) in co-creating their latest flagship initiative, Enbat. “Enbat” is an Arabic term symbolizing growth and adaptability, and encapsulates KIPCO’s commitment to fostering core skills and competencies of young professionals across diverse sectors and from different backgrounds. Together, we have designed an inclusive program which seeks to equip young professionals and university graduates with skills for work and for life, while also empowering them to navigate the world with increased agency and compassion. The 8-week immersive program encompasses critical thinking, communication, design thinking, and work culture, providing a well-rounded understanding of what it takes to thrive in modern workplaces. We know that we cannot predict our participants’ future work settings, particularly in our rapidly changing world, but we can contribute to the success of these youth as deep thinkers and confident team members and leaders within their respective fields, as well as in their communities.
Enbat is more than just a program - it's a testament to our shared belief in the potential of our youth and our commitment to building a more inclusive, responsive and resilient Kuwait.
Building bridges for peace - Exploring tools for intercommunity dialogue
21 December 2023 - Giuliana Lomonaco, Learning Facilitator @ en.v
Data consistently shows that intercommunity dialogue helps promote tolerance, reduce stereotypes, and resolve conflicts. Now more than ever, we are reminded of the urgency of creating spaces where this dialogue can occur, and where we can envision new ways of not just coexisting but flourishing together. AWAKEN in the Desert is our attempt to create this space for people in Kuwait. This year’s theme ‘Once Upon a Time’ was an opportunity to explore our sense of belonging through childhood nostalgia, using memory and reminiscence as a tool to connect more deeply with ourselves and others. It was also a space for communal healing, allowing individuals and communities to express their emotions, support one another, and collectively navigate their grief.
During our communal lunch, hosted by Namak, we were able to break bread with strangers while learning about the culinary traditions of the Dawoodi Bohra community and sharing our own with our thaal mates. After this experience of collective nourishment, we embarked on a journey into the depths of our personal, cultural and social identities through storytelling, art, theater, play, dance and heartfelt conversations. Mapping Belonging, the research tool that our Community of Practice co-created and implemented throughout the year, allowed us to explore our emotional relationship with the different places and areas of Kuwait and reflect on the ways we navigate them according to who we are and who we encounter. We also exchanged childhood pictures with strangers while telling them stories about what made us what we are now. We found spaces for creative expression (both through art and poetry) around the memories that we carry in our minds, bodies and hearts. We played games that reminded us of the joy of childhood afternoons when we would create whole worlds of meaning through interpersonal connection. We sang the lullabies that were sung to us by our caretakers in the different social contexts where we grew up. We danced together, we cooked together, and we witnessed the beautiful cultural traditions of some of the communities that we interact with on a daily basis but whose voices are often silenced.
If you were part of this year’s AWAKEN, we thank you for spending the day discovering parts of yourself and others that would otherwise remain hidden. Every year, AWAKEN is proof that - although we live such separate lives - belonging is a feeling that we can find both with those closest to us, and those we’ve just met. Our eternal gratitude to every character who played a role in the story of ‘Once Upon A Time’, we’re already excited about next year!
From Insight to Impact - PAR's actionable approach to inclusion & justice
28 November 2023 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
You may have heard us talk a bit (or a lot) about participatory action research (PAR) over the past few years. That’s because we think it is an amazing tool in fostering inclusion, solidarity, and justice. PAR actively involves community members in research and reflection, ensuring that diverse perspectives are heard and valued. This collaborative approach, rooted in solidarity, breaks down traditional hierarchies, allowing for collective empowerment and shared responsibility. Importantly, PAR doesn't just identify systemic inequalities but actively seeks to address them, serving as a catalyst for transformative action. In a world where the scale of injustice can feel overwhelming, PAR becomes a beacon of hope, providing a tangible way for individuals to engage, make a difference, and collectively work towards a more equitable and just society.
Last month, we hosted a lessons learned workshop for our Aswatna program, which aims to promote inclusion in the education system through student-centered PAR processes. This coincided with the launch of our Aswatna online portal, the culmination of months-long, painstaking work by our team and our wonderful partners @Data4Change. On this portal, you will not only find information about all the phases and aspects of the program and our White Paper including learnings and recommendations for stakeholders in the field, but also ALL the key insights and data from the student-led PAR projects which were implemented last year. Yes, it’s a lot of reading, but we promise you it’s worth it! Whether you are a teacher, an administrator, a parent or a student yourself, we are sure you will be enriched by these diverse perspectives, and hopefully inspired to take action - no step is too small.
Thoughts? Reflections? Please share them with us!
Brave conversations - Women as community peace-builders
01 November 2023 - Eleanor Burton, Relationships and Training Manager @ en.v
Last year we worked together with a group of women who were willing to interrogate their own histories, values, and experiences in relationship to the women who work in their homes. What we learned through this very intimate dialogue is that the relationships between women in households, between employer and employee, are complex, intertwined, and often challenging. Most women feel they lack support in knowing how to navigate them. Further complicating this is that, unlike in an average workplace, a woman working in a household cannot go home. She must live within close proximity of those who hold power over her. Women employers generally rely upon strong cultural norms handed down intergenerationally from grandmother, to mother, to daughter. Problematically, these norms exist separately from an understanding of the protections and rights of the domestic worker.
The women who participated in our first training of trainers (TOT) were truly amazing. They have continued doing the work by organizing women’s circles within their communities to open up these uncomfortable conversations. Following the implementation of the first round of women's circles, we designed a toolkit with input from both our trainers and circle participants, so that other women could also initiate and facilitate these kinds of conversations within their own networks. The toolkit - available in both English and Arabic - includes facilitation notes, all of the activities and materials required, and an additional resource guide. The approximate time to hold a circle is 3 hours, and the recommended size of a circle is between 3 and 5 women. Due to the nature of the conversation, facilitating this with intimate groups allows participants to engage vulnerably with themselves and one another.
We encourage women who are interested in being a part of this movement to also apply to participate in our second TOT, which will be taking place in November. For more information and to apply, fill out this application form.
Students driving change - Raising awareness through data
27 September 2023 - Mohammed Marafi, Program Coordinator @ en.v
Dear friends,
As many of you already know, as part of Aswatna, our education reform program, our participants came up with and conducted research projects in their schools about issues that they care about. These youth-led and run teams sent out surveys to Indian schools about body shaming; explored issues related to mental health across educational systems; put together focus groups for both students and educators to talk about whether they feel included in their university’s culture, and interviewed employees at the ministry of education about how/why they pick textbooks for public schools (among many other things). They truly did an amazing job, and we’ve spent the last few months sifting through their research and creating a social media campaign to share bits and pieces from their work. If you’ve got a minute, take a look at our Instagram to find out more.
Next month, we are also planning on releasing a white paper with recommendations on how to develop more responsive and inclusive spaces in schools based on our learnings from the program, as well as a dedicated online portal which will include more details about all of these great projects. So make sure you stay tuned!
Looking back to move forward - en.v progress report 2021-2022
30 August 2023 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
We are so excited to (finally!) share with you our 2021-2022 progress report. These were years of incredible growth for us, both as individuals and as an organization, and we feel so grateful to our community and partners for trusting us, believing in our work and in our process.
As many of you know, joining one of our programs often turns into a much more long-term commitment than what you might have anticipated. You may show up at one of our events out of curiosity, and end up as partners, participants or co-designers across a number of our projects over the years. You end up embarking on a journey with us - one that is often uncomfortable or challenging - yet always deep and meaningful. And that is because systems change is long-term work. This is not a time for quick fixes. If we want to truly create a more united, compassionate and resilient society we need to start at the root, understanding why things are the way they are, unpacking power and privilege, questioning our assumptions, and reconnecting with each other on a more authentic level. Only then can we begin to (re)build relationships that are grounded in equity, care and solidarity, and work towards a better future. This work is not easy nor safe - it is brave, and it is slow. But we are hopeful. We feel so validated by the response we have been getting from everyone, and are so excited for what is yet to come.
You can read the full report here.
People and stories - Embracing Kuwait's diversity
30 July 2023 - Giuliana Lomonaco, Learning Facilitator @ en.v
The possibility of deepening our understanding of this melting pot we call home is something that will never cease to excite us at en.v. With its rich fabric of life stories and lived experiences of people from many different backgrounds, Kuwait is constantly offering us the opportunity to learn from cultural diversity and appreciate its beauty.
Project Sidrah, one of the pilot projects developed by the participants of Aswatna’s Ideathon, is an initiative designed to explore the relationship between urban space, memory, identity and belonging. The amazing team composed of students, professors, and researchers, is reaching out to people from different communities to gain more knowledge about how they have related to the neighborhoods, areas, and spaces of Kuwait over time. Through the implementation of an online survey and some in-depth interviews, their intention is to learn about people’s sense of belonging to the city, while also getting them to reflect on which traits of their identities and spatial/cultural memories have impacted it. The ultimate goal of the project is to create an interactive educational game (in the form of a memory map) that will showcase Kuwait’s cultural diversity by giving visibility to the voices that we don’t usually tend to hear.
Coffee, croissants, and heartfelt conversations - Planning for change
08 June 2023 - Khadija Rangwala, Operations Manager @ en.v
Finding time for reflection can be a challenge, but we know it’s important. Picture this: Our team whisked away to a quaint seaside chalet, huddled over freshly brewed coffee and buttery croissants. It's our time to disconnect from the chaos of daily tasks and dive into the heart of the matter. We know that real change begins within ourselves and ripples out into the community, so these regular check-ins are important to make sure we are showing up for the work, for one another and for the community in ways that align with our values.
When we gather, it’s not just as colleagues, but as friends willing to be vulnerable, sharing stories of how our work has impacted us deeply. The room fills with heartfelt moments of connection. Our strategic planning sessions are full of laughter, deep listening, occasional tears, but above all, gratitude for the work we do. It's incredible to witness how our values resonate with this work and with one another. If you’re curious to know more about our priorities and our approach you can check out our Strategic Action Plan (SAP).
As our team grows, so do the opportunities that lie ahead. We're on the lookout for a proactive individual eager to develop their financial skills and contribute to our dynamic and expanding organization. It's a chance to be part of something special, to make a difference and grow alongside us. Check out our call for applications and reach out to us if you're interested.
At the core of our work, we believe in the power of relationships and the magic of collaboration. That's why your input and engagement are not just important, but vital. So let’s keep the conversation going. We're here, ready to listen, to learn, and to make a difference—together.
Individual wellbeing and collective care
27 April 2023 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
As we have been exploring what it takes to become more resilient as a community and as a society, the topic of wellbeing - or psychosocial health - has been coming to the fore across our programs. Whether it’s in relation to our capacity to support others as activists; to our ability to question, feel accepted and communicate effectively with others, or to our responsibility to ensure both the physical and emotional security of those we work with as part of a more holistic understanding of the concept, it is becoming clear to us that wellbeing is an integral part of social justice work. Which is why we are very excited to have been invited to join the WISE (Wellbeing, Innovation, and Social Change in Education) network. WISE is a coalition of richly diverse, leading higher education institutions and organizations that are committed to catalyzing a culture of inner wellbeing within the social change education field. We are looking forward to sharing our explorations on the topic with this amazing group of thinkers, and to continue to learn together.
Almost two years ago we conducted a participatory mapping that highlighted the dire need for safe spaces for migrant workers to relax, de-stress, and socialize. Since then, we have been working with our partners to increase access to services for this community, and we're so excited about the launch of an ongoing yoga and stress management program for migrant workers and organizers this month. The sessions - made possible thanks to the support of our amazing community partners and a local fitness center, FitnFab - will be held every Friday and provide a much-needed opportunity for migrant workers to take care of their minds and bodies. We're currently expanding our network of yoga and stress management instructors to lead future classes. If you're interested in getting involved, please contact us.
Mapping our emotions
30 March 2023 - Giuliana Lomonaco, Learning Facilitator @ en.v
The spaces where our lives take place are full of memories, and these memories tend to be bearers of many different emotions. When thinking about the map of Kuwait, would it be easy for you to identify the places where you usually experience a higher sense of safety? And the ones where you usually feel more joy? How about emotions that we tend to consider negative, such as anxiety or anger?
This year, the general quest of AWAKEN will be about exploring these emotional connections. We want to dig deeper into the feelings that we associate with the lands that we inhabit, and hear about the stories behind these feelings. We aim to develop and implement tools of emotional mapping with the members of our Community of Practice, that we can all take out into other groups and communities to learn more about our conceptions of identity, belonging, difference and otherness as residents of Kuwait.
Why are exercises of social cartography like this one so powerful? Because when we stop and take a look at the spaces where our lives take place with a sense of curiosity, to then sit with ourselves for a moment and tune in with the feelings that these places evoke, we are faced with the possibility of gaining deeper insights about our lived experiences and about our patterns of interaction with other members of our society. On the other hand, when we do this exercise collectively and share our stories and feelings with others, we increase our ability to understand them better and empathize with their perspectives and values. Collective emotional mapping takes us out of the bubble of our individual worldview and shows us that we are part of a larger system where many different people find many different sources of meaning. A higher sense of self-awareness as well as a higher sense of social awareness are both key ingredients in the process of strengthening community bonds from a place of compassion and resilience, and they establish the grounds for positive interpersonal interaction.
Want to meet a few of the wonderful, passionate individuals who are part of our Community of Practice this year? Check them out here!
Exploring relationships within Kafala - When our beliefs and actions compete
02 March 2023 - Eleanor Burton, Relationships and Training Manager @ en.v
Think carefully about the three main things that you think about daily, which occupy most of your attention… What do they reveal about what’s important to you? Do they reflect what you believe you value or prioritize? Is there anything about your preoccupations that is surprising? When the values that we believe we hold do not match the things we give attention to, or how we act in the world, this creates cognitive dissonance, an internal disconnect between our values and actions. This often leads to a sense of unease or discomfort and an inability to look at these contradictions.
Cognitive dissonance has taken center stage at en.v, as we research the complex relationships between female employers and female domestic employees with our visiting Fulbright scholar, Meg Reamy, in collaboration with the International Labor Organization (ILO). Through a series of in-depth interviews conducted with both female employers and female domestic workers, we are learning more about the socio-cultural and power dynamics at play in these intimate relationships and routinely encountering cognitive dissonance among employers. The Kafala system, by its very design, creates an inescapable power imbalance between employers and employees. This is most salient within the privacy of a home—a female householder’s typical domain. Although an employer may value privacy, independence, equity, or justice, these values remain difficult or impossible to enact in a relationship with someone they employ, let alone someone they live with. The effects of the employer’s frustration or discomfort on the rights of domestic workers remain to be seen.
Sharing what we are learning, we are currently conducting a training of trainers for a group of female community leaders. After this training, our partners will launch a series of community dialogues centered around navigating these relationships and addressing how employers can enact the values they hold in their relationships with employees.
People change, systems change - The power of individual choice
22 Dec 2022 - The en.v team
While the challenges we face as a society can sometimes feel overwhelming, we at en.v believe that change is possible, and indeed, happens all around us, all the time. While we may not be able to directly affect complex and bureaucratic systems, we do have the power to make our own choices. And we can choose to listen; we can choose to reflect on and shift the ways in which we engage with others. We can choose to work together and experiment with ideas that make our community more inclusive, more responsive, more resilient. And as more people make these choices, the systems and institutions they are a part of also begin to change.
That is the choice our Aswatna Ideathon participants made. Over the course of three days, over 80 students, educators, parents and administrators came together and reflected on the lived experiences of young people from across different backgrounds and educational systems in Kuwait. In response, they co-designed spaces where our youth can feel safe, supported and accepted in all their beautiful diversity. We are so excited about all that we will learn and the possibilities that will emerge as we move to implement these collaborative experiments, and even more people choose to be part of this journey.
Growth and diversity - Meet the new us!
30 Oct 2022 - The en.v team
The past year has been quite the journey for us! We have designed and facilitated many different types of encounters and activities within the framework of our multiple (but interrelated) projects. This has allowed us to grow our team and bring in new perspectives and lived experiences. Many of you will already be familiar with Mohammed, our Aswatna lead and in-house youth empowerment advocate. Ben, an educator and organizer originally from the Philippines, has been leading our network-building work with migrant community groups across the region. More recent additions, Alaa, Meg and Giuliana, have been supporting us across our community-building and behavior change programs. Alaa has a background in community psychology and extensive experience facilitating transformative learning in Kuwait. Meg is our amazing Fulbright scholar from the US, who is conducting research on gender-related dynamics within the context of domestic workers in Kuwait. Giuliana is a sociologist whose main field of expertise is the design and implementation of strategies for social change. And last but definitely not least, this month Ann Abunda, founder of Sandigan Kuwait, has also joined our team to lead our work increasing the resiliency of grassroots community initiatives. We are so happy and excited about the new skills and insights that they all bring to our work!
In other news, this month our long-term partner Service Hero is conducting an important research project dedicated to measuring Kuwait’s mental wellbeing, and we are delighted to be supporting them in the process. Please take a few minutes to fill out and share their survey (English / Arabic) that will help them gain insights on the status of mental wellbeing in Kuwait and explore the dynamics of access to mental health services in the country.
The unusual suspects - Educating for inclusion
05 Oct 2022 - Mohammed Marafi, Program Coordinator @ en.v
Like all of our current programs, Aswatna was developed in response to the foundational work that we had done in our previous youth empowerment projects as well as in our collective impact coalition for educational reform. Together with our partners and stakeholders, we have been thinking for years about what truly transformative education could look like in Kuwait. After collectively coming up with the guiding values and aspirations we had for learning and community-building, we developed a program that would immerse youth in exploring critical thinking, systems theory, equity, storytelling, intercultural communication, grounding them in Participatory Action Research and empowering them as agents of change.
We are excited to have just wrapped up all three of our Aswatna training cohorts, which included over 60 students from both public and private schools and universities. We are now supporting the participants as they go out and engage the wider community in data collection and reflection.
The Aswatna trainings, both the process of designing and delivering them, has been some of the most passionate work we've seen in our community. Over and over, we were inspired by how excited and dedicated the participants have been for both the material and the opportunity to meet and work with people outside of their schools. This was especially thrilling to see in public school students, who we had been told for years would not be interested in the kind of education we aspire to deliver. All of our Aswatna participants have amazed us with their heartfelt work. Please click on this link to listen to some of the reflections of the Aswatna folks that Fateam Alali (one of the participants) very generously put together!
Transforming relationships - Seeds of hope
27 June 2022 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
Over the last couple of years, we have been thinking a lot about how we can help create more supportive, meaningful relationships between members of our community, particularly between individuals from different backgrounds who have been traditionally kept apart (for example, citizens vs. migrants or “expats”). Through our educational outreach and community-building events, we have been laying the foundations for shifts in our perceptions of ourselves and of each other, increasing our understanding of different lived experiences through storytelling, and collectively exploring alternative futures. In the latest (and very emotional) community meet-up we held at the beginning of the month, we brought together leaders from civil society, private companies, public institutions and youth initiatives to listen to the real recruitment journeys of diverse migrants who have been making Kuwait their home.
Since we started this series of meet-ups late last year, we have already seen so many amazing collaborations grow organically. These have included yoga sessions, nutrition workshops and livelihood projects for domestic workers; mental health training and support for community volunteers; medical missions, cultural celebrations, and more!
In partnership with the International Labor Organization, we also conducted a workshop for the Public Authority for Manpower, supporting them as they explore how they can develop better relationships with - and become more responsive to the needs of - the migrant workers they serve.
In collaboration with Humanity United and the Freedom Fund, we have also been researching and piloting asset-based community development approaches, exploring how transformative and empowering relationships can lead to grassroots-led social change.
Everywhere we look, we see seeds of hope. We feel so privileged to be watching them grow.
Connecting the dots - Where we have been, where we are going
29 May 2022 - Layan Al Dabt, Program Manager & Design Lead @ en.v
Last week, we invited our friend Dr. Nadia Abu Zahra, Associate Professor and Joint Chair in Women’s Studies at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University for a conversation about learning and emergence.
To open the session, Nadia invited us all to think about our own learning journeys, and shared her personal experience with different learning styles including classic, rote learning which is based around memorization, and other less traditional models which use imagination and creative thinking. Together, we reflected on which approaches resonated with us as learners, and how they influenced our development. We talked about what helped support and restrict us—from teaching styles, to learning environments, and explored emergence as a learning model—what it looks and feels like in practice, and what could become possible if we designed and taught differently. Click here to find out about some of the things we discussed.
We as a team at en.v also committed to a lot of deep unlearning and experimentation in order to arrive at where we are in our approach, and in our embrace of emergence as a model. Curious to know what the journey looked like? Checkout this beautiful visual created by the talented Blanche Ellis.
Whether it’s in our youth empowerment, movement building or community development work, we are guided by the belief in people’s knowledge and agency, and in our ability as a collective to leverage our resources to create sustainable societal change.
Want to join the movement? Reach out to us!
Can we connect? - Learning to unlearn
14 April 2022 - Layan Al Dabt, Program Manager & Design Lead @ en.v
We feel so grateful for our wonderful new and old friends who showed up at GUST on March 30 for the kickoff of AWAKEN 2022; the fifth iteration of our beloved community-building program. During our evening together, we journeyed through some of the questions that underpinned every festival, training, and project we have co-designed and hosted over the past four years, and what we learnt along the way.
What we realized was that at every point, the program echoed the questions we were asking ourselves (personally and as a team) – in what ways are we disconnected from one another and why? How can we connect to others outside of our own experience? How do we create room for more genuine dialogue and self/ group reflection?
One of the things we found is that in creating real change, there is no end point or clearly defined path. It is a process that is almost always new, and which requires you to be experimental. It is riddled with risk and grounded in imagination. And the outcome is never consistent, in fact, it constantly morphs and changes, because it always reflects the people in it. And that is why it is transformative; it is embodied—a living, breathing design rooted in community. And as such, it is also deeply pragmatic, reflecting the actual connections and resources we can share to create a more mutually supportive society.
Where do we go from here? Carving space for transformative learning
We know that the experience of creating shared meaning and learning reduces fear and prejudice, and moves us into relation with one another. We are trying to foster genuine, heartfelt relationships between people through collaborative projects, dialogue, listening and storytelling, while tapping into our collective aspirations. We have learnt a few things along the way, and want to pull this rich knowledge and relationships into intentional communities of learning, inquiry and practice for this new year. We hope that together, we can explore how to emerge as a more resilient and connected community, one that isn’t operating out of assumptions but out of a commitment to one another, and a sense of responsibility towards our shared future.
Read here for more on what this process might look and feel like. Sign up here if you are interested in joining this experience with us. Everyone is welcome, we would love to have you!
Learning our lessons - Building resilience, increasing responsiveness
10 March 2022 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
What we learn through our work, and how we choose to grow from it, is as important as the work itself. Over the past few years as a team we have intentionally been reflecting on the outcomes and challenges of each one of our programs, in order to better respond to the needs and priorities of our community. Whether it’s about how to navigate challenging but powerful co-design processes, developing flexible hybrid online/offline formats to respond to shifting COVID-19 circumstances, or proactively addressing unequal power relations to enable meaningful dialogue between diverse groups, all the lessons we’ve learned have made us stronger, and the impact of our work so much deeper.
Because this has been such a powerful process for us, we have decided to start documenting and sharing these learnings with the wider community. The BUILD program has probably been one of the most insightful experiences we have facilitated to date, and we are excited to be releasing this first Lessons Learned report, written by the brilliant Melissa Langworthy (PhD).
You can also read here for updates on the projects that were developed through the program. Whether it’s by facilitating the work of community case workers supporting vulnerable migrants (eBuddy), providing an online and offline space of belonging and learning for people across nationalities and backgrounds (Baladkum), or by shedding light on the lived experiences of one of the most invisible communities in Kuwait, shepherds living and working in the desert (Desert Days of the Forgotten), all of our teams have proven once more that together we are stronger, and that real change starts at the grassroots.
We are thrilled to see how far they’ve come, and can’t wait for what we will all learn next!
People, Places, Stories - Enabling authentic connection
08 February 2022 - Layan Al Dabt, Program Manager & Design Lead @ en.v
Who belongs where? Which spaces nurture us, and which ones divide us? What are the systemic challenges and root causes of these divisions? Can we envision a more inclusive city?
The open house we held at Yarmouk Cultural Center last week-end was the culmination of a six month process and the result of intensive group and self reflection carried out with the participants and facilitators of our AWAKEN youth fellowship program. The relaxed and festive space offered different creative avenues for the public to engage in meaningful dialogue around the key themes of the program, including migration, belonging, identity and public space. It was exciting for our team to once again be in the physical presence of our community, and to have so many people from all walks of life decide that they wanted to join us in (un)learning from our fellows and celebrating their work.
In their feedback on the experience, one attendee expressed “the sharing sessions, the mini-activities I got to take part in, the people I interacted with, and the live music at the end was tremendous. Looking at the live installations as well really got me to think about myself, my level of privilege and how things truly are in the country. [...] Everyone was themselves, everyone was vulnerable, everyone was honest, and that is, I would say, a highlight of a great event that truly had an impact”.
Our team has learned so much from our fellows and their mentors, as well as from all of the people working alongside us as we push ourselves to be better allies, better community members and to have the courage of our convictions. And as we continue on our mission, we would like to invite you to read this beautiful piece written by our long-term community partner Batul Sadliwala, as she explores the invisible intersections between gender and disability in Kuwait and in her own identity.
Until we meet again.
Turning mirrors into windows
12 December 2021 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows” - Sydney J. Harris
What do we want from our education system? While we can all agree that academic skills and knowledge are important, we believe that enabling students to see the world outside of themselves is even more crucial, particularly in this age of interconnectedness and shared global challenges. The need for greater empathy and understanding is obvious everywhere we turn. However, before we are able to see through the window, we must look deep into the mirror. Students need to see themselves in their education, in all their uniqueness and diversity, before they are able to look beyond.
Our new education program - Aswatna - aims to do just that: enable young people to create a foundation for a more inclusive society by equipping them with the self-awareness, knowledge and tools to build more inclusive schools. Together with our amazing partners, Data4Change and the Center for Teaching, Learning and Research at GUST, as well as our network of collaborators within the fields of activism, design and academia, we will be providing our participants with training as well as support and resources to develop and implement collaborative, innovative and responsive initiatives within their schools and communities. Applications are now open - to find out more and apply, click here.
We’ve also recently launched our reading and listening guide for our Neighborhood Tales collection. This guide is meant for educators, book clubs and others interested in finding out more about the experiences of diverse communities and individuals in Kuwait during the pandemic, and reflecting on issues related to belonging, agency, access and resilience. The guide includes facilitation guidelines, discussion prompts and exercises - check it out and let us know your thoughts!
Our (not so) secret recipe - Growing hope
17 November 2021 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
There is one thing we consistently keep hearing from participants and community members who engage in our programs and events - it’s that the work we do gives them hope. It gives us hope too. And we don’t think hope is actually that hard to find. It may not happen while waiting for “experts” or institutions to come up with “solutions” to our multiple and complex social, political or environmental challenges. But we always find it when we are truly listening to our community. When we get caught up in the discovery and creativity of youth. Or when we bring together diverse stakeholders to share their lived experiences, leverage their resources, and explore community-based and collaborative approaches to social and systems change..
We are full of love and appreciation for all the beautiful souls that joined us for our community-meet up this week, as we explored how we can increase access to mental health resources and community support for the most vulnerable amongst us. The conversations were grounded in data we collected as part of a community mapping carried out in collaboration with migrant community leaders in Kuwait and in partnership with the International Labor Organization. The survey touched upon various aspects, including people’s migration journey, working and living conditions, access to services and more generally their mental health, well-being and connections within the local community.
In our wonderfully diverse meet-up, we reflected on how migrant workers’ living and working conditions impact their mental health and well-being. Are they able to access mental health support and connect meaningfully with others? What strategies are they employing to cope with challenges? What innovative programming have they created, and what more is needed? Most importantly, how can we come together as a community to ensure greater support for all?
We will keep sharing insights from our mapping and discussions in the weeks to come, and are excited about the new connections and possibilities we know we will find...
Can you design inclusion?
30 September 2021 - Layan Al Dabt, Learning Manager @ en.v
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle, because we do not lead single-issue lives.”- Audre Lorde
Over the past few weeks we have been thinking a lot about design. And as we continue to explore and experiment with new ways of connecting and learning with the community, we have been centralizing the practice of reflection, as a way to deconstruct and demystify the stories and assumptions we make about one another, and our communities at large. In training, what that looks like is creating more room for dialogue-- for us it means carving out more space for conversations and meaningful participation at every point in the process, from design to facilitation to approach.
This year, AWAKEN introduced a new track. We responded to the hunger we repeatedly came across in university classrooms and spaces we stepped into, and decided to co-host a twelve-week fellowship for young, curious minds, to think more critically about public space as it relates to our identity and experiences of it. Who are we? Which histories led us to this moment? In what ways do we experience space differently and why? What kinds of emotions do certain spaces provoke and how does it relate to your sense of safety or belonging? We designed this fellowship iteratively, to leave room for more and all types of (un)learning, discovery and practice. And what we realized is that especially in our conversations around inclusion and space, that we must first take ten steps back, to deconstruct the layers in our identity, personal and collective histories, assumptions and privilege which influence the way we move through our cities and community. And when we can do that collectively, and openly, we meet infinite possibilities.
If you are curious, try for yourself this light exercise we did earlier in the program with our participants, which will help you to start thinking more critically about the spaces you inhabit, and the stories you might hold.
Learning together - Understanding the power of process
29 July 2021 - en.v team
As an organization, we are always trying out new processes and models that will help us more effectively reach our goal of a more united, resilient and compassionate society. One of the most enriching processes we had the pleasure of facilitating last year was the BUILD Ideathon, which aimed to promote creative, inclusive and empathetic solutions to challenges faced by vulnerable migrant communities in Kuwait. Over the course of 8 days, 87 participants across 20 nationalities and 12 different time zones came together every day to listen, share and co-create. Here is a sneak peak into our key learnings and take-aways.
As it supports the development of initiatives empowering migrant workers, BUILD continues to foster the creation of a community of practice grounded in solidarity, collaboration and learning.
Celebrating resilience
22 June 2021 - en.v team
In celebration of International Domestic Worker’s Day, we share the story of Anwar (pseudonym), an inspiring and resilient woman working to support her family while dealing with the curve balls thrown her way by the COVID pandemic. Like many other working women, Anwar has encountered her share of challenging employers and toxic work environments. But as a domestic worker, the difference is that her workplace is also her home...
Anwar's community is what keeps her going, and she herself volunteers to support other vulnerable domestic workers whenever she can. Because solidarity is how we change things. Because no one should be left behind.
Anwar’s story is part of the Neighborhood Tales Project. There are many more stories like hers that need to be heard. Stories that allow us to better understand the nuances and complexities of others’ lived experiences. We are looking for people to help us creatively express these stories. If you'd like to contribute, get in touch! We’d love to hear from you.
Embracing emergence
26 May 2021 - en.v team
It feels as though over the past year, and in particular in the last few months and weeks, there has been a succession of crises requiring our urgent and full attention – whether it’s dramatic instances of violence against women at home, the onslaught of COVID’s second wave in India, or more recently, the escalation in Palestinian people’s daily struggle to stay alive and to fulfill their basic human rights. While it can definitely come to feel overwhelming and overpowering, we have also been witnessing a hopeful and strong turning point in the ways that people have taken to social media - bringing together cross-border online communities and effectively mobilizing the grassroots for change and justice. These movements have been more inclusive, centralizing the lived experiences of the communities and individuals for whom they advocate, and have succeeded in lifting the curtain from the eyes of many who had been unable to see beyond what the dominant narrative was showing them. They have also successfully exposed, once again, the power of language and its potential to subjugate, vilify, empower or liberate.
So what do we do? We make space. We make space for criticality, for active listening, for understanding, and from there, we make room for unlearning, and for the emergence of alternative paths and visions. We open our hearts to the prospect of change, no matter how unattainable it may seem. We learn new tools from different movements to reassert the power of the silenced, to reframe the discourse and promote dialogue, restorative justice and hope.
Embracing emergence. That’s the title of our article of the month, but also the most apt way to describe what we’ve been focusing on across our programs. As we strategize our way forward and incorporate new partners in our coalition for educational reform, we have also been making room for exploratory and reflective conversations, allowing space for change to happen beyond the confines of our pre-determined action planning. Within our BUILD program, we are excited to see so many thoughtful, responsive and creative approaches come to life, as the teams that were selected for funding after our Ideathon have begun to implement their participatory and collaborative initiatives.
Together with this amazing network, we will continue to make space - for connection, discovery, and transformation.
We see you
18 March 2021 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
In our webinar series On stories, crises & community, Dr. Mai Al Nakib says: “If people aren’t allowed to tell their stories, their stories won’t be heard. Without a voice, you remain unheard and unseen. If people's stories are unheard and they remain unseen, their points of view, their urgencies, their rights, can’t be acknowledged or addressed. So most significantly, if one or more sides of a story remain suppressed, then there can never be mutual understanding between groups”.
Our Neighborhood Tales project was born out of an urge to ensure that ALL voices were heard and ALL people seen, as we as a society navigate and learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. After an intensive mapping, interviewing, editing and copywriting process, first-hand testimonies from all thirty of our diverse and brave interviewees are now available on our website.
These include people such as Castile, a Filipino nurse who, after doing double-shifts at his clinic, worked with three different volunteer groups to get aid into lockdown areas; Farhan, an Indian professional who found himself living through a 36-day institutional quarantine odyssey; Helen, an Ethiopian sales associate who cried the first time someone asked her for rouba dinar on the streets of locked down Mahboula. Or Noora, a Bedoon entrepreneur who lived on bread and canned food while planning her financial escape; Meena, a long-term resident who unexpectedly found herself separated from her young daughter for months; Margie, a Filipina beautician who dealt with her own mental health struggles by providing support to others on a suicide hotline.
While each of the individuals we spoke to were going through various levels of financial and emotional struggle, we were overwhelmed by the resilience, the hope, and the random moments of joy they reflected on. These stories are not meant as an indictment of Kuwait’s response to the pandemic – in fact, several of our narrators point out the many ways in which it worked. But in many others, it didn’t. And as we move forward and try to find each other again, we want to make sure that we are all heard and that we are all seen, so that our “new normal” is more inclusive than our old one.
Coming together, however we can
04 February 2020 - Eleanor Burton, Relationships and Training Manager @ en.v
We are so thankful this New Year for our community showing up to yet one more Zoom meeting at the end of long days to take risks, meet new people, and work hard together to connect and create community-driven solutions.
In the spirit of highlighting our shared community in Kuwait, we invite you to explore Neighborhood Tales: Kuwait under Lockdown. This oral history project captures the pandemic experience through the eyes of people of all walks of life. In these moving tales, people speak of love of family and home, gratitude for small blessings, lessons on humbleness and the generosity of people in crisis themselves. But these tales also reveal the bare bones of our society, illuminating the inequities, loss, and insecurity of many, pointing us in the direction of the work that we still need to do. Please reach out to us if you would like to take a deep-dive into our stories and co-host one of our online Exploration Circles in your community group or school.
So, how can we begin to address faulty and inequitable systems? We believe the key is education - it has the potential to change our world, promoting greater compassion, inclusion and innovation. If you agree, our Collective Impact Coalition for educational reform might be where you belong. We are currently interviewing and accepting nominations for new members in preparation for our annual on-boarding session. If you are an educator, student, administrator, parent, researcher, decision-maker, or are otherwise interested in developing shared strategies and measurements to promote inclusive and learner-centric education in Kuwait, now is the time to get involved!
If you are interested in some reading on the importance of process in promoting truly inclusive and sustainable solutions to community challenges, we highly recommend this great article by our friend and collaborator Batul Sadliwala, where she discusses our response to the pandemic as an organization.
While these are indeed bleak times, we are filled with hope and optimism for what we can achieve together, and we hope you are too. We look forward to continuing to introduce you to one another, (and another and another…) on our next zoom call!
All we have to celebrate
24 December 2020 - en.v team
As this crazy year draws to a close, people around the world are trying to focus on the positive, the learnings, the glimmers of hope. The truth is, this comes easy to us. Not because it hasn’t been a tough year. Many of our team members, friends and program participants have gone through exceptionally hard times, with lives disrupted and loved ones lost. However, we truly feel that this shared experience and crisis has brought our community closer together. We have seen examples of incredible solidarity, strength and compassion, with people pulling through to support each other in spite of all the obstacles.
In our Collective Impact Coalition, with full-time educators and parents dealing with stressful 14-hour work days, still taking the time to work with us to develop a shared approach for a more accessible, inclusive and transformative educational system in Kuwait.
Or in the testimonies shared in our Neighborhood Tales project by front-line workers, community volunteers, fighters and survivors who keep getting up when they get knocked down, and make it a priority to share the little they have with others in need.
Or in our BUILD program, which recently saw close to 90 migrant workers, local activists, academics, students, designers, developers and others come together to co-design innovative and practical solutions to problems faced by the most vulnerable migrant communities. As citizens worked alongside long-term residents and expats, new connections, shared solutions, and friendships were born.
As one of our participants put it, “I [had] lost hope […] but en.v's programs give me hope. That there are people with this kind of intentionality gives me hope”. All of you give us hope, every single day, and for that we thank you.
We’d like to leave you with some personal stories of self-growth and resilience from our 2019 AWAKEN festival participants which you can listen to on our new website. We look forward to reconnecting soon, and wish you all happiness and health in this new year.
Reimagining our future together
28 Oct 2020 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we have been listening to and working with those whose lives have been most impacted by the pandemic, already vulnerable migrant communities. What we have learnt is that, in the midst of loss, hardship and fear, there is also so much courage, solidarity and resilience. There is so much for all of us to learn from these experiences, and we will be sharing them with you through our AWAKEN Neighborhood Tales project in the coming months.
In the meantime, we decided that it was the right moment to try to bridge the gap between our various communities - CSOs, students, social entrepreneurs, creatives, migrant leaders and allies – to harness our collective power to create positive change. In partnership with the Swiss Development Cooperation Agency and Grey Area Collective, we are launching our BUILD Ideathon, which will be taking place virtually from November 14th to the 21st. Through the design thinking model and a combination of presentations, brainstorming, teamwork and mentorship, we want to enable our participants to develop innovative solutions that are centered around the experiences of the most vulnerable amongst us and make us all stronger as a society. The most promising initiatives will be receiving up to $75,000 in funding, and many more fun prizes.
We have all been going through tough times lately. If you are looking for something that can restore your hope in the future and redirect your frustration into something constructive, this is the space for you. Find out more and apply before the deadline of November 5th.
You can also reach out to us directly if you have any questions. We hope to see you there!
Are you actually listening?
23 Sep 2020 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
Everywhere we turn, we appear to be witnessing more polarization and conflict. Whether it’s about the coronavirus response or politics in general, we seem to be increasingly entrenched in our beliefs, and unable or unwilling to engage with those who disagree with us. Whilst we all know that being vocal and passionate is a positive and even necessary force when it comes to promoting social change, what we often don’t realize is that it can also limit our ability to contribute positively to our communities or to effectively solve and respond to some of the local challenges we are facing.
As our article of the month points out, active and empathetic listening, a core element found in both conflict resolution and design thinking, “requires us to put aside our learning, culture, knowledge, opinions, and worldview purposefully in order to understand other peoples’ experiences of things deeply and meaningfully. It requires a strong sense of imagination for us to be able to see through another person’s eyes. It requires humility so we can seek to abandon our preconceived ideas and biases. It requires that we have a heightened awareness of other peoples’ needs, wants, motivations and goals.” It is through active listening that we can begin to build bridges, and identify practical solutions and out-of-the-box strategies that support the whole of society.
Our Collective Impact Coalition for educational reform is aiming to do just that, by bringing together students, teachers, parents, school administrators and other members of the educational community to share their experiences and challenges with online education, as well as tips and ideas for how we can improve the experience for us all. You can join us for our first conversation on “coping with school” next Monday, 28 September at 6pm (Zoom link below).
In other related news, we have recently completed 30 oral history interviews as part of our Neighborhood Tales: Kuwait Under Lockdown project, in which we invited people from diverse backgrounds and communities in Kuwait to share how the pandemic has affected their lives, health and work. As we prepare to share these stories with you, we would love your input on how best to do that – please take two minutes to fill out this (very) short survey.
Want to get involved in any of our projects? Get in touch!
At what point do we give up?
18 August 2020 - en.v team
As our hearts are full watching the crisis unfold in Lebanon, we are also moved by the power of citizen action as well as the communal response which has emerged, and are being reminded, once again, of how and why Lebanon continues to be resilient. We see communities joining hands across cultural, ethnic, sectarian and religious divides to welcome strangers into their homes, and to take the initiative to heal wounds collectively, showing that compassion and empathy make us stronger, together.
So then, you might ask, in the midst of the crises and the degree of uncertainty we are each facing, at what point do we just give up? THE ANSWER IS THAT WE DON’T. We must first listen more intently to the experiences of others, and actively choose to practice hope.
We saw this in action in our BUILD program in Kuwait, as we invited representatives from the private sector, civil society, youth initiatives, legal and social welfare societies, international organizations and doctors to listen to the on-the-ground testimonies of migrant communities across Kuwait - communities which are absorbing the shock of the pandemic that has devastated their food, housing, health and wage security. The coalition supported the migrant community-led project which has served 17,000+ people to date.
We are so inspired by intentional and localized efforts which bring together people with a shared purpose to tackle systemic issues. With individuals all around the world raising their voices in the pursuit of meaningful change, especially in the face of COVID-19, our Collective Impact Coalition becomes even more relevant. The coalition has been working hard over the past few months, preparing to tackle education reform. Whilst we don’t have easy answers, we do know that, like our friends in Lebanon, we cannot wait for the system to change itself.
P.S.: Our community partners, Service Hero, are interested in hearing your opinion on Kuwait’s response to Covid-19. This (confidential) survey is run by them in collaboration with the Supreme Council for Planning and Development and Kuwait Public Policy Center. The results will be shared with the government and the public. Let’s share our inputs and show our support.
The time for change
09 June 2020 - en.v team
We have all been watching as the pandemic has made visible systemic social injustice across the world, whether through its disproportionate impact on BAME communities in the UK, African American communities in the US, or on laborers living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in Kuwait - often losing their jobs, housing and wages overnight. We saw that our most vulnerable communities were the most susceptible to COVID-19 because they were already disadvantaged by systems that benefit from cheap labor - individuals keeping our food supply, hospitals, schools and city infrastructure operational, and also providing care for our children and elderly are most at risk.
On a more positive note, we are also starting to see a more vigorous popular response to this systemic injustice - as well as an outpouring of solidarity – worldwide. In times of crises, there is an opportunity to reframe, reorganize and challenge the status quo. We must all work together to be ready with compassionate, innovative solutions to address these systemic failures and recognize our role in them—how can we step up, show up and make a difference?
Listening is probably the most important first step, listening to our community to understand how to be effective allies and partners. As highlighted in our article of the month, “locally designed and collaboratively built acts of solidarity—which view the vulnerable as participants in their survival rather than passive consumers of assistance—inform a model of community resilience and collective empowerment with implications far beyond their immediate impact”.
Over the next few months, we will be working to make sure we listen, document and share the experiences of those most impacted by the crisis in Kuwait, whose voices remain unheard. Through our “Neighborhood Tales: Kuwait Under Lockdown” project, we hope to not only paint a more representative and inclusive picture of how we are living this moment as a society, but also to help inform appropriate community responses. We are currently looking for a number of community collaborators, including multilingual transcribers, translators, designers, artists and more! If you would like to get involved, you can find more details in the link below.
How does all of this relate back to our long-term vision and goals? Find out by taking a look at our Theory of Change, beautifully visualized by @blancheillustrates. Got any feedback? We would love to hear from you!
How resilient are we?
30 April 2020 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
It looks like resilience is finally on everyone’s agenda, as it becomes clear just how important it is for people and organizations to be able to adapt and respond in times of crisis.
Community resilience in particular is being celebrated around the globe, as civil society steps up to address pressing needs that existing institutions are not able to respond to. We have seen some amazing examples of community resilience in action here in Kuwait, particularly amongst emerging and informal civil society groups working in and with our most vulnerable migrant communities.
As part of our recently launched BUILD program, en.v has been supporting coordination between these groups, international organizations and allies within the corporate, legal and health sectors, and the results have clearly demonstrated what can be achieved when we share information, ideas and resources.
We have also been starkly reminded of something else we’ve been on about for a while: that social and humanitarian initiatives can only be effective if they are designed in collaboration with the communities that they are meant to serve. Unfortunately, we are seeing so many efforts and resources go to waste because planning and implementation processes are not informed by beneficiaries’ real circumstances and best interests.
Which brings us to the first of the six foundations for resilience mentioned in our article of the month: PEOPLE. Resources and innovation are important, but you cannot change a flawed system without the input and buy-in of the people who make it up. That’s why it is essential to invest in participatory and inclusive processes which allow diverse stakeholders, not just “experts”, to share their experiences, insights and aspirations.
It’s the kind of process we have been piloting with our Collective Impact Coalition, which is celebrating its first year anniversary this month. Over the past few weeks, our members have been working to develop shared measurements, which will hopefully allow them to start collecting data and learnings that will inform both their collective and individual efforts. Follow the link below to hear from some of our youngest coalition members as they engage in this process.
Curious about our programs or our approach? Don’t hesitate to get in touch to share any questions or thoughts – we’d love to hear from you.
Can stories fix a broken system?
05 April 2020 - Layan Al Dabt, Programs Coordinator @ en.v
What do the stories we tell about ourselves and others say about us as individuals and as a community?
When we were deep in the planning of AWAKEN, our community-building program (and my favorite program) back in October, we spent weeks unpacking and unraveling this question. In asking it, we challenged our own personal truths and myths, as well as those we held about one another and the communities we each represented. We asked this question in our team meetings, in conversations with our community partners, friends and families, and almost unfailingly, it deepened our bonds and made us more compassionate towards each other, and also ourselves.
In times of such uncertainty and chaos, I find myself revisiting and thinking more deeply about this question. As our article of the month illustrates, “stories shape how we understand the world, our place in it, and our ability to change it”. Over the last few weeks, our reality has been turned upside down, and since, many narratives have been unleashed, reposted and retold in a desperate attempt to make sense of it all. As we reflected on these narratives, the team and I were once again reminded of the powerful and central role which storytelling plays in our communities; and its ability to build bridges or walls between us.
And so, we decided that it was time to bring back the very question that we started our search with, by extending it to all of you, in a joint virtual conversation. This is not only a search for meaning, it is also an invitation to a more critical conversation around the stories we tell in crisis, and what they reveal about our community. So please join us and our partners for the final two episodes of our online series (details below) and be a part of this exploration.
What are you afraid of?
05 March 2020 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v
The impact of the disease itself and the measures taken to contain it are understandably causing panic and fear worldwide. What really scares me though, is how quickly these crises can be and are exploited to disseminate hate and discrimination towards “the other”.
Populist leaders around the world have jumped on the opportunity to further attack minority groups or migrants, and try to convince people that they are better off in isolation. However, as our article of the month (featured below) highlights, “pandemics are perversely democratic”, and as the WHO general-director reminds us, “any country [or person] that is the first to be struck by a disease is not some form of pandemic boogeyman, but a victim of viral chance”.
We are all already connected – whether we like it or not – and we are all vulnerable. Not only to COVID-19, but also to the effects of climate change, wars, famine, inequality. Sooner or later, the shockwaves will reach us, no matter where we are, and the one thing we at en.v believe we can do is to focus on our shared humanity, and try to respond with compassion.
Indeed, promoting compassion is at the core of our AWAKEN program. But what do we mean by compassion? According to the international Charter for Compassion, a compassionate community is one where “the well-being of the entire community is a priority, and all people and living things are treated with respect”.
A community where compassion thrives is a community that is able to confront crises with innovative solutions, and is resilient enough to bounce back readily from natural and man-made disasters.
Below you will find a short video we developed during our 2019 AWAKEN festival, where we brought together people from different backgrounds and perspectives in a shared celebration of community, with all of its challenges and complexities.
This year, we will be doing more targeted interventions across educational institutions and community groups, and hosting a series of public events, including the AWAKEN Living Library- where books are represented by people who are assigned labels that are commonly used to define them.
This format allows people to share the personal, often complex stories that lie beneath the labels we are given by society, helping to break down barriers and challenge stereotypes in the process (you can find out more and get involved below).
We were going to announce a number of upcoming events this month, but obviously things have been put on hold for the moment. We hope we will be able to update you with revised dates very soon.
In the meantime, take care of yourselves – and each other.
You showed up!
20 February 2020 - Eleanor Burton, Relationships and Training Manager @ en.v
As the new year progresses we are feeling so hopeful.
We are reminded again and again of what an exciting year we had, and all because of the warm welcome given to us by all of you amazing people in the community. You do the work that inspires us, and you show up! You contributed by sharing resources and creating an abundance of ideas, spaces, and connections.
Slowly but surely, we are collectively building the inclusive structures, networks and alliances that foster compassionate and resilient communities. And, by the way, the data supports us! Collaborative and compassionate models create innovation and build strong communities, so we really do become greater than the sum of our parts.
We spent the year talking to you, finding out what was on your minds, what you wanted to work on, explore, and the ways you wanted to connect. Our team was able to meet with small groups from across diverse communities in Kuwait to hear about what brings you joy, what challenges you face, what you want to grow in our community, and what you want to change.
We visited university and high school classrooms and community groups for fun story slams, and restorative work exploring people’s experiences of belonging, exclusion and personal courage. And what an amazing group of people you are—you were brave, taking risks to speak from the heart and to help us learn what we need to grow in our work to create a safer and compassionate society. We took your input and used it to design our community-building festival AWAKEN 2019—but through these conversations with you, we were also awakening ourselves, and creating deeper ties amongst us.
All throughout the year, you told us that the most pressing issue in Kuwait was the state of education. Everyone we spoke to, whether it was our younger friends, our friends in the private sector, or in the civic space—all wanted to work on creating a better educational culture. What does that mean? Well, we reached out to people across Kuwait, and once again, you stepped up! A group of you were invited to join the Collective Impact Coalition and are working on creating shared meaning and goals.
As we gather together some of the most innovative minds from different lived experiences to tackle education reform, we create new alliances and generate new ideas collectively. We cannot know what the future holds for our youth, but we do know that they will need to be resilient, responsive and creative in the face of challenges.
A big thank you to everyone that continues to say “yes” to us, to explore meaning and take risks alongside us. We cannot wait to see what we can make possible together in the coming year!