Not a Goddess, Not a Little Woman: Poetry From Shamim AzadNot a Goddess, Not a Little Woman: Poetry From Shamim Azad

Stories from the Hearth

The Wellbeing Summit Dhaka Artistic Experience With:

Shamim Azad

Poet
🌍 London, England

British-born Bangladeshi poet, Shamim Azad, joined the first regional summit in Bangladesh in March 2024, bringing with her a beautiful poem to inaugurate the Summit, which also took place on International Women’s Day. Her new poem, entitled “Debi nohi… nohi shamanyo meye” (“Not a Goddess.. Not a Little Woman!”) shares a conversation between a mother and her daughter, providing an intergenerational reflection on feminism and gender roles in Bangladesh.

Shamim Azad is one of Bangladesh’s most prolific contemporary bilingual poets. In 2023, she wone the Bangla Academy Literary Award in the poetry category.

Watch the recording below.

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Healing Trauma Through MusicHealing Trauma Through Music

Stories from the Hearth

The Wellbeing Summit Dhaka Session With:

Asif Iqbal

Musician and activist
🌍 Dhaka, Bangladesh

Asif Iqbal, the front-man of the music band Kaaktal, joined the first regional summit in Bangladesh in March 2024 to share the story of his life and how he overcame struggles through leaning into his music as a part of the Summit’s central conversation on Intergenerational Trauma. Listen to his story and music to be part of the journey from struggles to strengths. Watch the recording below.

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Youth Are the Architects of the Ideal Society: Sobel NgomYouth Are the Architects of the Ideal Society: Sobel Ngom

Stories from the Hearth

Interview With:

Sobel Ngom

Executive Director, Consortium Jeunesse Sénégal
🌍 Dakar, Senegal

According to Sobel Ngom, Executive Director of the Senegal Youth Consortium, it is essential to involve young people in defining wellbeing and in finding innovative solutions to address well-being challenges.

African youth face many complex and interrelated challenges, making them vulnerable to violence, migration, depression, and many more. The economic situation and the consequences of the climate are endangering their livelihoods, leaving them uncertain about the future. The physical and mental health of young people and their overall wellbeing are negatively affected by these challenges.

It is essential to take into account young people, who are the protagonists of social transformations for a more equitable and just world. Young people, who represent most of the African population, are the architects of the ideal society.

The regional summits hosted by Tostan in Thiès aim to encourage youth engagement and intergenerational dialogue to address the challenges facing our communities.

Watch the interview below.

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It’s Time to Break Taboos Around Mental Health: Fatou Dieye FallIt’s Time to Break Taboos Around Mental Health: Fatou Dieye Fall

Stories from the Hearth

Interview With:

Fatou Dieye Fall

Founder, Safe Open Space
🌍 Dakar, Senegal

In this interview, Fatou Dieye Fall, Founder of Safe Open Space, tells us about her journey with mental health and Safe Open Space, the first active listening platform in Senegal, which she created in 2019. Safe Open Space offers spaces where every young person can talk freely about their mental health, without fear of judgment.

During Hearth Summit Thiès 2024, changemakers addressed the growing mental health challenges among African youth and explored community solutions through sessions and workshops. A particularly impactful workshop taught changemakers skills on how to express their emotions and listen to others with empathy, promoting psychological safety and connection.

Fatou emphasizes the importance of intergenerational dialogue and the interest in destigmatizing mental health issues in the African context, including the role played by the family in this process.

The regional summits hosted by Tostan in Thiès aim to encourage youth engagement and intergenerational dialogue to address the challenges facing our communities.

Watch the interview below.

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Building Relationships Is the Key to Creating Wellbeing: Birima FallBuilding Relationships Is the Key to Creating Wellbeing: Birima Fall

Stories from the Hearth

Interview With:

Birima Fall

Senior Program Manager, Tostan
🌍 Dakar, Senegal

The first regional wellbeing summit for social change in Africa, hosted by Tostan in Thiès in 2023, was an opportunity to reflect on wellbeing from a perspective rooted in African values. The conception that one can have of wellbeing differs from one place to another, from one culture to another; it is therefore important to hear the African perspective on the different aspects that affect well-being.

According to Birima Fall, Senior Program Manager at Tostan, although the notion of wellbeing encompasses a holistic dimension, one of its main foundations according to Tostan’s approach lies in relationships. It is thanks to an approach based on the relationships that communities are able to discuss, work together and make important decisions in order to accomplish their vision of an ideal of wellbeing.

Watch the interview below.

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Meet and hear stories from the changemakers championing the wellbeing movement in Africa.

Cycles of Trauma and the Journey to Wellbeing

A Framework for Trauma-Informed Practices and Positive Social Change

In 2023, the Think Tank released the executive summary of “Cycles of Trauma and the Journey to Wellbeing: A Framework for Trauma-Informed Practices and Positive Social Change”

Written by the Think Tank’s multidisciplinary, cross-institutional Research and Design Team, guided by 12 leaders in academia and the social change sector, the framework offers a synthesised view of trauma, healing, and social change, and invites changemakers to reflect on how they can adopt a trauma-informed approach in their work.

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