Manager's Message

As we currently operate under the unusual circumstances created by COVID-19, we yearn to go back to the familiar and older ways of living, working and connecting with one another. While the struggles with COVID-19 continue to emerge and unfold, we want to tell the Corona Virus and the world around us that we are determined to stay, to grow and to contribute to the well-being of our communities as a collective. Our present circumstances require us to slow down and pay attention to how we are managing our lives and how others are managing their lives.

In my case, I am grateful that I am invited to share spaces with people as they make sense of their lives and learn to live with the unfamiliar while supporting others. There are profound learnings occurring for me as I listen to my colleagues and community partners who relate their stories of working and living under these strenuous times. For instance, I have heard a community partner express deep concerns over the well-being of others including their own colleagues, and show genuine appreciation for the courage of their colleagues who continue to support people with whom once they shared face-to-face interactions and laughter. On many occasions, I have been reminded what it feels like to see people on Zoom after experiencing isolation and disconnection amid fear and anxiety. It seems we have come to value people and human connections in our daily lives. However, we need to remind ourselves that while serving other people’s needs, we have to learn to care about our own needs as well. I have seen people become emotionally more vulnerable as they re-experience trauma while supporting others in need. Therefore, in this time of crisis and uncertainty, we need to demonstrate kindness towards ourselves as we continue to receive kindness from others.

Life continues during this pandemic. In my own world, I have encountered my community members getting sick for reasons other than COVID-19, marriages taking place on a smaller scale and telecasted over the web, and family reunions occurring through relocation and travels. My admiration for people’s competences, skills, sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and dedication has increased manifold. These are signs of love in action as we listen to each other cope with our new reality and show willingness to support one another. My humanity raises the question as to “Am I doing this right?” This is an emerging learning for me. I do not know if this pandemic is a curse or a gift but it has created a shared experience of stress, anxiety, vulnerability, kindness and resilience locally and globally. And we have to continue with our collective social justice work to address the disparities and inequities that have become starkly evident during this pandemic.

Hence, we continue to create spaces, including virtual and digital spaces, where we can come together and engage with one other. The digital space creates certain degree of normalcy and a sense of hope, especially when we see familiar faces on Zoom and receive emails or phone calls from people we know and love. We are again taking risks and becoming innovators in the process. One way of taking a risk is to initiate this Newsletter for the Family Centre where we can have a digital space to sharing our thoughts, ideas, feelings and new learnings. We are going to publish this Newsletter quarterly where our colleagues and community partners will have an opportunity to express their voice with an intention to create meaningful dialogue, to build stronger partnerships, and to enhance the collective impact of our work at the Family Centre and beyond.

Santiago Grande