By Soraya Kassim, Palms Executive Director
At present, most of us are watching on in horror at the compounding disasters of domestic repression and war. There are a variety of responses to what is unfolding – from disbelief and rage, to profound sadness, to fear and a sense of helplessness.
As I look at both international and domestic developments, I have a sense of gratitude for the continued work of organisations like Palms, which are steeped in our commitment to cultural humility and intercultural understanding as a purposeful path. Our experience is that these building blocks of shared vulnerability are not only the foundations of effective mentoring and learning, but also fundamentally, foundations for Peace itself.
And so I wonder, how can we apply the learnings gained through placement to address the challenges we face today?
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- Solidarity is a distinguishing feature of a Palms placement. Unlike most, if not all, of the other volunteering opportunities which exist in the ecosystem, the Palms experience is one wherein volunteers are given the opportunity to live within the means and circumstances of their neighbours – not as privileged expats or some version of a FIFO worker. How different might the world be if Israelis spent a year living as Palestinians, or Russians lived as Ukranians, or IRG guards or Taliban officials lived confined to the home (as many of their female compatriots have been forced to do)? The perspective gained from such encounter is indelible and powerful.
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- Another hallmark of a Palms placement is that we intentionally seek the margins, including geographically. Before my field visit to Kiribati last year, I looked up the number of placements we had had to that partner country – with its total population less than that of Toowoomba or Cairns, isolated from the rest of the world by its limited 2 flights per week, and yet existentially threatened by the actions of the rest of the world through the impact of climate change. To this small neighbour we have sent 75 volunteers over the years. There would be very few other organisations who have made the sort of impact we have there, because most other organisations will just have dismissed Kiribati as a plane trip too far. And yet it is this sort of determination to attend to the small voices, and those who are usually ignored, that is crucial now, as we face the upswell of indignation – in Australia and across the ‘Western World’ – of people who feel that they have been excluded from the halls of power and are now prey to right wing extremism as a result. How different would our political landscape be today, if more people in power had learnt the Palms lesson of listening to those who don’t traditionally hold the reins of power?
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- A final quintessential element of the Palms experience is that of simplicity and an appreciation of the true value of community and personal relationships to build trust, and to afford the time and energy to work on values-driven priorities. Would the skies of the Middle East and Ukraine be so filled with the sound of bombs and drones, if the political leadership was less focused on domination as a means to private economic advantage, and more focused on building long term relationships of peace?
As we go through our daily lives of relative peace and prosperity, it is easy to forget the lessons of Palms placements. At times like the ones we now face, it is an opportunity to reflect on how crucial these lessons are.