Inspiration for Resilience: November 3rd and Beyond
What do you do when the world changes overnight? From the onset of the pandemic in the spring to a summer of violence and unrest, our lives have taken turns this year in ways we never saw coming. Now, with tomorrow’s U.S. presidential election, tensions and concerns are at a peak and, like the election results themselves, unlikely to be settled Tuesday night.
Preparing students (and quite frankly everyone) for an uncertain future will require the same curiosity and creativity we have advocated for since day one. We know this isn’t the first time communities have faced a situation of widespread unrest or uncertainty, and we’ve found that one of the best ways to find hope in crisis is to connect with people around the world who have faced similar issues and experiences. In hearing their stories, we can see that the challenges we face are by no means insurmountable, and together we can understand the hard work before us.
Throughout 2020, we’ve called on friends, students, and educators across the globe to think about how communities build resilience. This was true during the first lockdowns of the pandemic, and it’s true again now on the eve of a contentious election. We have heard from people who had experienced major uprooting events in recent history - from the fall of the Berlin Wall to environmental catastrophe in Haiti; from election violence in Kenya to a lockdown in Sarajevo. Each case study helps us better understand how people get through trying times.
Takeaways from our Resilience in a Pandemic: Studio Program
March & April 2020
With the election, we reached out to our friends at Over Zero, an organization that harnesses the power of communication to prevent, resist, and rise above identity-based violence, and worked to compile a short resource packet for teachers and students looking for constructive ways to engage this week. In addition to these resources, the lessons we’ve learned about resilience around the world this year are essential for tomorrow’s election, and for the weeks and months ahead. From those ongoing discussions, our three biggest takeaways are:
Taking Care of Ourselves
History is flooded with examples of people overcoming challenges just like (and far worse than) those we face in the United States today. We are stronger than we know, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Individuals and communities need to invest in their own mental and emotional wellbeing in order to confront problems in the world around them.
This truth was most recently made clear through conversations with aid workers and refugees on the island of Lesvos, Greece. Migrants who have arrived there seeking asylum face constant uncertainty about everything from how to meet basic needs to maintaining their legal ability to stay in Europe. While some aid organizations provide food or legal aid, an equal priority for refugees is mental health. Programs that offer gardening, art, and music provide a sense of hope and restored humanity that allows refugees to take a breath from the issues in their lives.
As individuals we are not defined only by the problems we are facing - we are more complex than that. We can acknowledge this complete humanity in ourselves and in those around us by intentionally taking time for joy, rest, and enjoyment even as we remain conscious of ongoing challenges. This week, that might mean playing games, watching a funny TV show, or going on a hike. For teachers, it might mean giving students more leeway to take a break from classwork. For students, it might mean checking in with friends, or alternatively, giving them space. We don’t want to disengage from the issues in the world, but we know we cannot fully engage without taking care of ourselves as a foundation.
Communities Helping Each Other
When we are ready to hit the ground running and tackle a major issue in the world, we need to do it together. When our friends in Haiti wanted to rebuild after a devastating earthquake, they started in their own neighborhoods. Local communities came together to prepare damages, raise funds, build new homes and community centers, and provide food and other support to one another. They did not wish to wait for help from distant authorities or benefactors; they chose to act rather than wait.
Similarly, old friends in Kenya were navigating a violent election response in 2007/8. This group of local technologists and community organizers realized that maps and crowd-sourced applications could help manage the crisis and especially the misinformation in their community. Overnight a group of people in Nairobi came together online and the award winning Ushahidi software (and NGO) were born
In the face of a heated election, OverZero recommends tapping into existing community networks to share resources, hold critical discussions, and rally around shared principles. At a school this might mean taking time to have students research and discuss election-related issues in teams. It might also mean opening up to the parent community by providing resources or spaces to come together in conversation. Open and honest dialogue founded on mutual values (like democracy, community, fairness, honesty) can build the resilience of the group and empower members to develop ways to move forward together.
Crisis Breeding Creativity
When Sarajevo was under siege for nearly four years in the 1990s, leaving your home meant risking sniper fire and mortars blasting in the streets. Residents had to stay inside nearly all the time, and food, water, and other necessities were scarce. But while daily life was dangerous and difficult, Sarajevans found ways to overcome many obstacles. Since they couldn’t always get their typical groceries, many created new recipes with whatever was available. When it wasn’t safe for schools to open, small groups of neighbors held classes in their homes. And as the siege dragged on, citizens and volunteer soldiers even built their own tunnel to dig under enemy lines and reach much-needed aid outside the city.
We have seen similar innovation throughout the pandemic. We are now going to concerts on Zoom, designing new models of masks for people with special needs, building candy chutes for Halloween, and so much more. Some of these new developments might stick with us even when the crisis is over, and the silver lining is that we have all learned to think a little more broadly about what is possible in the world - about what COULD be. And the same is true for the election. We have a choice to be passive and downtrodden, or to continue seeking possibilities for improvement and change. If we treat this moment like an opportunity, the world we imagine for the future can be better thanks to the challenges we have learned to navigate.
Resilience Beyond November
At Atlas Workshops we are standing by throughout this year to support students and educators through continued engagement with the world and all its challenges and opportunities. Please contact us for anything from a quick brainstorm to an in-depth program. For election-related issues, again, please check out our concise election toolkit and other resources from Over Zero and if we can help connect you to them directly, please let us know.
Tomorrow is the beginning of another important chapter at our home here in the United States. Regardless of who wins the election, we know that our community here and around the world will need to work together, take care of each other, and look for creative ways to respond to the crises in front of us. We want to continue to play our role in supporting questions and ideas, curiosity and creativity, in shaping an adaptable future.
Andrea, Adam, Sean, Ilias and the wider Atlas Team