Our Part to Play

Intergenerational trauma has become more acknowledged and its impact starting to be better and more generally understood in recent years. This has been particularly driven through movements and processes around the world (to name a few: Black Lives Matter, Me Too, South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Aotearoa/New Zealand’s Waitangi Tribunal and Treaty Settlements, Australia’s referendum on constitutionally recognising the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice). It is a topic fraught and laden with emotion – for those suffering the trauma, and sometimes for those linked in some way to the powers inflicting the trauma.

It’s a topic that one of our Humans At Work podcast guests Enver Samuel focuses on through his multi-award winning documentaries. Growing up and living in South Africa, his passion is giving a voice to people who suffered through the apartheid regime, many of whom lost loved ones in terrible circumstances. In our recent PS Moment podcast, I talked with Enver about the importance of giving time and space for those stories to be told and for new generations to hear them.

We also talked about the promise that many people suffered for – the promise of greater equality, better lives for their children, a fairer world. A big question of course is, has that promise been realised? What does it take for someone’s sacrifice to be ‘worth’ it?

Whether someone has escaped being touched by this kind of soul-defining trauma, there is the definite possibility that future generations will feel it – if not by continuing forms of social inequity and ill-treatment, then almost certainly by climate damage and the conditions that our children and their descendants will have to survive in.

This is something I battle with – the guilt, fear, helplessness and anger at the possible future that my children may face.

It's why I feel so strongly that systems have to transform, organisations need to rethink, communities need to collaborate – starting now, not waiting for perfection or someone else to do it.

Hard choices need to be made right now – to do what we can do to minimise the future trauma that we are currently all bound up with in some way, by dint of being adults living and working within the current paradigm.

Whether or not we are part of the ‘power’ inflicting the damage, or recipients of the latest in a constant stream of climate-driven catastrophes – we have a voice, we can influence and persuade within our circles of connection, and we have consumer and (often) voting power.

Listen to more of Enver and my conversations on the Humans at Work podcast below:

Postscript Moment: Forgotten Stories Matter More Than Ever, with Enver Samuel 

Episode 1 — Baking, running and seeing behind the façade, with Enver Samuel

Thank you for reading our blog post! We hope you found it informative and engaging. If you enjoyed our content, we have more to offer through our podcast and monthly newsletter. Here's how you can stay connected and get even more value from Humans at Work.

Book Jules as a speaker: you can book Jules to speak at your event, be a panelist or to come and talk to your organisation - either online or in person.  Book a free initial conversation via Calendly. 

Support us: consider supporting us on Ko-fi here if you liked this content.  This will help us continue celebrating diverse humans and our collective ability to improve social equity and environmental regeneration through individual, organisational and system-level change!

Check out our Podcast here: Listen to other human stories and hear how their unique personalities and experiences have shaped them. These fireside chats illustrate how joyous it is to engage with another person, to be curious, and to recognise the value they bring just by being there.

Sign up to the Human Hub: Stay up-to-date with the latest Humans at Work newsletter. By joining the human hub, you'll receive regular updates delivered straight to your inbox. We value your privacy and promise not to spam you! To sign up, fill out the subscription form on our website.

Connect on LinkedIn: Follow Jules via Jules' LinkedIn.  And don't forget to join the conversation by following Humans at Work on Linkedin, to get real-time updates and engage with other like-minded individuals. 

Jules and the Humans at Work team greatly appreciate your support, and look forward to connecting with you!