Self and collective care: a strategy for movements and civic organisations working on democracy,environment and social change

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2021 10.00 - 11.30 AM CET - ONLINE DISCUSSION

The Youth Delegates of the Conference of INGOs invite you to take part in an online dialogue in the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe.

The COVID-19 pandemic put huge pressure on our societies and democracies withinequalities roaring and restrictions of fundamental rights multiplying. The healthemergency quickly exposed and amplified the crisis of a system that is revealed to havebeen socially, politically and environmentally unsustainable. The disruption of our dailylives and the uncertainty and fears raised by the pandemic have great mental healthrepercussions on all of us.

Activists and civic organisations that are in the frontlines to tackle the consequences ofthe pandemic in the field of democracy, social justice and environmental protections arenot immune from the psycho-social repercussions of the crisis. Already before theoutbreak of the pandemic, research found that human rights advocates were at risk ofPTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression and burnout.

Causes are numerous: shrinking civic space, precarious conditions of work, excessiveworkload and stress, direct contacts with survivors of abuses, fatigue due to lack ofprogress in the field of work… Findings also point to the fact that organisations often donot provide the support needed to tackle them.

Self and collective care are key components to a strategy to improve well-being insideour democratic civic organisations and movements. Additionally, this is a political issuebecause civic actors should be doing for themselves what they want to do for others.Civic organizations and movements should organise themselves to reflect the changewe want to see in society. Social movements can also be spaces to address and healcollective trauma linked, for example, to systemic racism and gender discrimination.

The aim of the webinar is to provide a space for dialogue and exchange on theseissues where all voices can feel welcomed. Some questions we would like toaddress are:

  • How to ensure care and empathy are at the centre of our workplaces andsocial change strategies? Where do we start?
  • What are the obstacles? What prevents us from talking about these issues inour workplaces?
  • What examples of self and collective practices by civic actors andorganizations working in democracy, social change and environmental protection do you know and can be replicated?

Participants are invited to share perspectives, ideas andexperiences in small group facilitated discussions, for a durationof approximately 45 minutes.

We want to create a safe space for you. So, please come ready toshare your experiences, and to hear the stories of others!

 Concept note

For more information, contact us at rares.craiut@ingo-coe.org

About the Youth Delegates program

In line with its “Roadmap for youth participation”, the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe invites through a public call, each year, young persons, representingmember INGOs, to take an active part in its working sessions, and throughout the year in activities of theConference, as well as to propose activities and initiatives of their own choosing. Their activities andparticipation is made possible with the support of the Association OING-Service.