I started my day with a joyous check in with our wonderful client, now friend Janice Ikeda of Vibrant Hawaii. We worked with them all through COVID (virtually), as they established their community development/resilience/flourishing programme on the Big Island in Hawaii. We learned so much from them.
A big thing: that the language, the words we use are indicative of our approach and our identity. I've been on a one woman crusade since (with a lot of resistance from just about everyone) to stop using words like foundations, concrete, pillars when we are talking about organic, community and partnership interventions. "Lets ensure we have solid foundations" - should we? The more solid they are, the less movable, yet we are expected to be agile? "We need concrete solutions" - do we? According to some studies, concrete is responsible for up to 50% of climate change, and cement strips our rivers and increases erosion. Surely we can't write a strategy that aims to mitigate climate change and use metaphors that are part of the cause?
"We need to integrate the pillars of our stratgey" - can we? If we integrate pillars, don't we just get walls? How are we transversal iand systemic f we have first to breach impenetrable barriers?
With Vibrant Hawaii, we negotiated that we would replace pillars with 'streams' flowing, at times stronger and at times weaker, capable of forging new routes, joining, gaining benefits from overlaps and sometimes separating again to continue alone.
When participants chose a role to play in a team, one that we offered was an 'enabler' - the team chose instead to use 'weaver'.
The words we use define the way we see ourselves and others - our connectedness to current times and issues. In SA, where there are so many wonderful languages, we can surely do better than falling back on . Having the conversation about naming things is also a great opportunity to get to know one another and how we think.
I won't get started on 'bullet points' in safety strategies - metaphors for war and battle are also prevalent in conservative work .... but am happy to engage with anyone who has ideas about how to move away from the knee-jerk - and might I suggest testosterone driven terminologies, in favour of something healthier - and happier!
Injury Management, Ergonomics, Activity Analysis
5moHow can I become a Provider in the Employee Assistance Program? I guide dynamic ergonomics, decompression stretches, and in depth injury reduction classes via www.PainFreeOutdoors.com