The sector needs more opennes

Loop Voices: Chapter 6: Introducing Justyna

Justyna Wi?niewska, originally form north-west Poland is a communications specialist that brings 5 years of marketing, social media, and graphics experience. As Loop's communications Lead for Poland and Ukraine, she contributes significantly to Loop's visual identity locally and globally.

As she reflects back on her journey with Loop she says:

I think that apart from money -the sector needs- more openness. Just openness. Loop has huge potential and we have proven that communities need such a tool. And there is no problem here because communities use (or now have used) Loop. It's about the openness of other organizations, and the willingness to learn, listen, and implement something new. Not just confining themselves to their business and activities. This is what is missing and what is needed. Openness.

Navigating the humanitarian sector, Justyna acknowledges has its unique challenges:

Direct or indirect help, or the willingness to provide help, requires a lot of work and determination. However, seeing that something you do can help someone makes the work worth it. It is difficult to promote a feedback tool in countries where natural disasters, earthquakes, hunger, droughts, or other phenomena do not occur on a daily basis. It is also difficult to promote a feedback tool among people who are not used to doing it (unless they didn't like the food at the restaurant). It is difficult to promote a feedback tool in a humanitarian sector that is not willing to be transparent and accountable. So, to answer the question, Loop taught me not to give up, and to strive for my goal, because between me and my team at Loop, even though there are thousands of collocations and reluctances standing in the way, there is still a person at the end who is waiting for this help.

Justyna shares her unexpected entry into the humanitarian sector during the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Her background with Loop's technological partner and a personal commitment to helping others led her to embrace the challenge:

My story with Loop began in 2022 when Russia attacked Ukraine. However, going back a few months, I would never have thought that I would work in the humanitarian sector. A few weeks earlier, I started cooperation with Elite Crew - Loop's technological partner who created the Talk to Loop platform from the beginning. At Elite Crew, I was responsible for social media marketing. So I knew about the existence of the platform, how it works, and what technological solutions it uses. However, everything changed on the day of Russia's attack on Ukraine. I was then asked if I would like to get involved in the launch and promotion of Loop in Poland and Ukraine in connection with the crisis that broke out. It was another challenge for me, so I agreed immediately. I've never had anything to do with the humanitarian sector. The phenomenon of war is known to every Pole of my age, but we have never experienced it firsthand. My father was a soldier, he took part in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and this is my only contact with this phenomenon, but I was too young for it to "affect" me much. However, I have always been open and willing to help anyone. I owe this to my parents' upbringing and their decision to send me to a secondary school with an integrating field. I had children in my class with various physical and mental disabilities, hearing impaired, blind, dyslexic, etc. I learned a lot from these children. I appreciate this period very much and I'm grateful to my parents for this life lesson. I think it developed my desire to help and pushed me to decide to cooperate with Loop. I also knew that Loop was innovative, necessary, and determined to fulfil its mission. The first few weeks of the Loop launch were very tough for us, we were preparing promotional materials, social media, TV and radio interviews, meetings, and everything else. A lot was going on! However, we had great support from Loop teams working around the world, who guided us and shared their experience.