Never have I ever

I have been reflecting on my decision to move towards researching and advocating for refugee rights while being part of a think tank that works more on geopolitics and so-called ‘hard security’ topics, such as defense. I had to come up with my own strategy, my own messages, and my own network and tap into a slightly different set of stakeholders than the ones we traditionally work with. I have seen it done so many times, but I found it really hard to find the right people and build alliances across the political spectrum to reflect on existing nuances. The Women’s Peace Leadership Programme (WPLP) really spoke to me - largely due to its focus on networking. But even coming here was very uncomfortable. I thought, what if I am not good enough? Now I see that imposter syndrome affects us all.

One of the projects we run at the think tank brings together women activists and peacebuilders from Yemen and Iraq. For that, I had to find participant candidates, interview them and make decisions on whom to enlist. Doing something you have never done before is hard, but then I look back and I see how I went through with it and it worked. This is the most rewarding feeling.

In a position to learn

The fact that I am not coming from the geographic area I work on sometimes still makes me feel like I can offer less than others. I truly believe in working at the grassroots level, but I also believe the value of my work is at a policy level – in Brussels, European capitals and beyond.

I’m learning so much from the others in the programme, even simply by talking to my fellow participants. Observing how others within the group approach similar issues made me realize that in my day-to-day work, I would sometimes push for something that is actually not important at all for my overall career or wellbeing. Being able to compare experiences with these wonderful women peacebuilders has been really grounding

Values that matter

For me, making sure that the way I do my work and that my work in and of itself speaks to a higher purpose and doesn’t get compromised along the way is really important.

I also believe  that empathy is a critical component of advocacy work. Part of that means trying to get into the minds of those you seek to influence and understand how they operate. But it’s also about empathy towards those affected by the policies we work on, like someone who may be affected by conflict. And then, finally, also being empathetic in my workplace and at home: trying to find out what can I do to better understand those around me.

To me leadership is finding strength in other people and in myself and leveraging that strength.

I imagine that some men in my field may approach working on these issues very differently than me, perhaps with more confidence – assuming they already know much more than I do.  In my work, I always got the feeling that men  are more self-assured and this may result in them having better access to these spaces. They would come to the table thinking ‘I got this, I’m doing this’. They wouldn’t put much effort and time towards self-reflection. I don’t know whether this conversation would be happening if I was a man.