The Power of Teeny Tiny

Beverley Costa, www.pasaloproject.org

When one of my sons was very young, he was fascinated by power: magic power, Power Rangers, power over his parents. He would think about this for days on end asking himself this question out loud: ‘How do you get power?’ Eventually he came to me and said he had found the answer. I was expecting a magic spell or a potion, but his answer was rather different. ‘By thinking and doing. That is how you get power.’

Over the years this formula has served him (and me) well. It serves me, for instance, as an antidote to the feeling of inertia that can overpower me when I feel inadequate in the face of an enormous social justice issue. My immediate pull in that situation is towards thinking, ‘Let’s write an article about this.’ Or towards doing, ‘Let’s just do something, anything.’ But I have learned, just as my son did, that real power comes from a combination of thinking and doing—reflection and action. The following is an illustration of what I mean.

In 2013, when our screens were filled with pictures of people fleeing their homes in Syria, I felt overwhelmed by impotence and inadequacy. I desperately wanted to do something although I knew that whatever I offered would only be as useful as a sticking plaster. I berated myself for not having trained to do something more useful in a crisis. I watched films of people like Dr David Knott who were providing emergency training and support via Skype to surgeons in places like Aleppo. Why hadn’t I trained to be a surgeon? When I had finished berating myself, (it took a while) I asked myself the question ‘What can a therapist like me do with my sense of powerlessness and inadequacy when I read, watch and listen to the news?’

First of all, I didn’t do something, even though I felt pulled to act. I stopped myself from immediately donating money. Of course, financial aid is hugely important, but I knew that if I made a donation at that moment it would assuage some of my guilt and sense of immobility and I could tell myself that this was the best I could do. But instead of giving myself that relief I let myself sit with the uncomfortable question ‘What can a therapist like me do with my sense of powerlessness and inadequacy when I read, watch and listen to the news?’ To a significant extent, if I am honest, the question was actually ‘How can I get some relief from how bad I feel about this situation?’ Then came a supplementary question ‘Is there any way that doing something that gives me relief might also be of benefit for others?’

Slowly, through sitting with the discomfort, an idea began to take shape. I thought that there must be plenty of other people like me who were experienced psychological therapists, supervisors, and interpreters, far from the frontlines, who were also looking for that kind of mutual relief.

And so, the idea of reciprocal, collegiate support, reflected in the title of the project Colleagues Across Borders was born. Colleagues Across Borders, was set up in 2013 and it is currently a small project within Pásalo, UK. At any time, there are about 10 of us who are active–all counsellors, supervisors, psychotherapists or interpreters–based mainly in the UK. We partner with other organisations based in places like Egypt or Palestine or Bosnia. Each pair of colleagues consists of one of the UK based practitioners matched with a refugee-worker from a partner organisation. We provide pro bono professional support for the partner organisations’ workers who are themselves refugees and who are working in supportive capacities with fellow refugees in the countries where they are currently settled. Since leaving their country the refugee-workers have trained as interpreters or as psychosocial workers through programmes such as those offered by the World Health Organization. The workers, who are themselves refugees, support people with their psychological and social needs, often in very harsh environments. Many of our refugee-worker colleagues have been affected by their traumatic experiences in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The conversations between the pairs of colleagues are conducted via remote platforms. They include some elements of supervision, mentoring, and emotional support and sharing of information about the local contexts and the creative application and adaptation of Western models of psychological support. Some of our colleagues who have trained as psychosocial workers and interpreters may have been doctors, engineers, or architects in their previous lives. Others are very young and have had no professional training. They are now trying to work in a new profession in a new land. In order to continue to do this work, these workers, who are refugees, need to be supported themselves.

Our input is at the level of offerings based on the principle that ‘less is more’. Clinical responsibility is held by the partner organisations who match us with the colleagues.

The underpinning philosophy of the project is of colleagues sharing ideas, support, and conversations with each other. There are no finances, no payment of expenses. No money is involved at any level. We are committed to taking ethically-framed action with integrity and doing it modestly. Clearly there are time costs for all involved but colleagues decide for themselves whether their life circumstances permit this, and if there is sufficient benefit for them from participating. All interventions take place remotely so for ethical reasons that rules out working directly with clients. The pairs of colleagues meet once a month or so to talk about their work, to re-charge, and stay fit to do what is often gruelling work. Sometimes we meet with a colleague once or twice. Sometimes the collegiate relationship continues for a year or two. We have clear but light procedures and management structures. We meet regularly as a group and we are accountable to each other.

There is much appreciation from those at the frontline of this work for the ongoing support from Colleagues Across Borders and the fact that we stay alongside them when the media has moved on to a new world drama and they are left behind dealing with the undramatic, tedious, everyday misery of being a refugee.

Almost needless to say, it also means a great deal to colleagues in the UK to have the opportunity to walk alongside others in this painful, exhausting, and lonely work and to offer something that may be of use. It is an offering that we have made year after year for 10 years.

Even though I still feel inadequate in the face of the crises and disasters that surround us and I know that a sticking plaster is no kind of solution, I also know that a sticking plaster can help to prevent infection. It is not enough. But multiple ‘not enoughs’ can make a difference. What we do at Colleagues Across Borders is teeny. It is teeny tiny. But the effect is powerful.

What can you do?

We would be very happy to hear from you if you would like to get involved with our Colleagues Across Borders project at Pásalo. Just send an email to: beverley@pasaloproject.org

But we would be even happier if you wanted to set up your own Colleagues Across Borders project. Colleagues Across Borders can act like the cells of the body which turn food into energy and perform specialised functions. Cells can also make copies of themselves. Our project supports refugee-workers. But there are countless other ways that colleagues in other contexts can reach out to each other. Colleagues supporting each other within a supporting circle of a project is a powerful way of creating solidarity, fuelling and enacting change.

This observation made by Margaret Mead has been quoted widely. It doesn’t make it less true.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

Please contact us on the email above if you want information or support to set up your own Colleagues Across Borders project.

Acknowledgement

Photo by Dulcey Lima on Unsplash