Now is the time for brave spaces

Many people are starting 2025 depleted, disillusioned or distressed. Are you one of them?

?The Christmas holiday may not have given you the break you needed.

?Perhaps your job is exhausting, and you feel you are fighting too hard for a particular cause, with too few gains or rewards.

?The new regime in the US is hardly reassuring either, with each day bringing more disturbing statements of oppression and marginalisation. And whilst there may be a glimmer of hope for some, with the ceasefire in Gaza and return of hostages (on both sides – see this LinkedIn post); yet the humanitarian effort in Gaza will be huge, Israeli forces continue their attacks on Palestinians, and I know that many NGO staff feel deeply disappointed by their organisations’ failure to take a tougher stance on ending the genocide.

?I understand all of this with my whole heart. I see and hear it around me, I have my own moments too where I feel almost a sense of paralysis at where the world is going. And I see also how so many of the actions taken by international NGOs fall short: either because of limited resources, or because they are not fully ‘walking the talk’ on particular values they claim to uphold, or because the actions themselves are simply not effective in achieving the desired results.

?(Side note: if you are feeling an intense sense of disillusionment, you may be suffering from moral injury – a condition that is becoming increasingly recognised in the aid sector. Read more about it here.)

?With all of this arising as we start our year, ?I believe we need brave spaces more than ever.

?I discuss brave spaces in my book, and also in this podcast: these are opportunities for intentional connection that go beyond simply moaning to a colleague at the water cooler or in the pub after work. They require some commitment to show up with courage and honesty, with an open mind and curiosity over what people will bring, and a willingness to sit with discomfort if difficult conversations arise.

?They require good facilitation – whether by an individual or as a caring and kind collective effort. And they require a sense of psychological safety: a feeling that we are allowed to share our ideas and our experiences without fear of judgement or recrimination.

When we have this psychological safety, we are able to be brave. And when we can be brave, we can start envisioning a better future. We can restore our belief that another world is possible. And we can start living it, in that moment. ?

?Is such a space available for you? If not, here is a course that can support you:

Sacred Activism: Courage, Mindfulness and Wisdom for Navigating these Times of the Great Turning

This 8 week online course is being offered by Joel and Michelle Levey, two loving and generous teachers with a deep commitment to how we can bring mindfulness and compassion into our social justice efforts. Through their gentle approach, informed by decades of study and practice of Buddhism and other traditions, you will feel held to open your heart to whatever pain or suffering from the world needs to be felt, and to dream into a different way of showing up in your humanitarian and human rights efforts. The course starts on 7th February.

?In addition, come along to my Circle of Practice. Our next session, on either 11th or 12th February (according to which time you prefer) will be focusing on brave spaces. So there will be the opportunity to explore this topic further, and to build a brave space together. I hope you can join us.

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