How to Foster Mental Health Through the Arts: The Fann Psychiatric Clinic StoryHow to Foster Mental Health Through the Arts: The Fann Psychiatric Clinic Story

Stories from the Hearth

Hearth Summit Thiès Session With:

Alassane Seck

Art Therapist, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de FANN
🌍 Dakar, Senegal

In Senegal, mental illness is a taboo subject. The Atelier d’EX-pression Artistique of the Fann Psychiatric Clinic in Dakar, created in 1999, offers a unique place where patients, visitors and artists can come to express themselves, relax, paint and drink tea in a warm and welcoming environment; a rarity in a society that strongly stigmatizes people suffering from mental illness. The association aims to make art a primary means of therapy, work and rehabilitation for people suffering from mental disorders in Senegal.

During Hearth Summit Thiès 2024, Tostan collaborated with the association to host an interactive session on art therapy. Learn more about the approach from arts therapist Alassane Seck and program participants.

Across the Hearth Summits, the arts play a central role as a therapeutic wellbeing practice and a lens through which we can explore social change.

Watch the session below.

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Discover the Arts and WellbeingDiscover the Arts and Wellbeing

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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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Dive Into Stories From Around the World

Discover the Wellbeing Movement in AfricaDiscover the Wellbeing Movement in Africa

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

How to Make Impact With the Wellbeing EconomyHow to Make Impact With the Wellbeing Economy

Stories from the Hearth

Hearth Summit Athens Session Featuring:

Lorenzo Fiaromonti

Former Italian Minister of Education and Founding Director, Institute for Sustainability at the University of Surrey
🌍 London, England

Conchita Galdon

Vice Dean, Instituto de Empressa
🌍 Madrid, Spain

In AthensLorenzo Fiaromonti, former Italian Minister of Education in Italy and Founding Director of the Institute for Sustainability at the University of Surrey, and Conchita Galdon, Vice Dean, Instituto de Empressa, answered the big questions around wellbeing economies: Are they realistic? Do they work? How can we build them in practice? Take a deep dive into a theoretical and practical discussion on what a wellbeing economy is, how it can drive sustainability, and how everyone can benefit from it.

Watch the session (in English).

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Discover Wellbeing EconomiesDiscover Wellbeing Economies

Meet and hear stories from the changemakers championing wellbeing in business and economics.

Wellbeing Has Ripple Effects: Shammin SultanaWellbeing Has Ripple Effects: Shammin Sultana

Stories from the Hearth

Interview With:

Shammin Sultana

Gender and Development Specialist
🌍 Kathmandu, Nepal

In this interview, meet Shammin Sultana, a gender and development specialist from Nepal, as she explains how her wellbeing has ripple effects to positively impact the entire community, and why wellbeing needs to be an important part of conversations about development. Shammin attended the first Asian regional wellbeing summit, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in March 2024, and was excited about the growing conversation on wellbeing.

Watch the interview below.

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Our Wellbeing Is Tied to the Health of the Planet: Jane NjugunahOur Wellbeing Is Tied to the Health of the Planet: Jane Njugunah

Stories from the Hearth

Guest post by:

Jane Njugunah

Climate activist, Climate Mobility Community Action Network; youth member, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
🌍 Nairobi, Kenya 

Jane Njugunah, a youth activist with Climate Mobility Community Action Network and member of the official youth constituency to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), attended her first Hearth Summit in Nairobi in July 2024. As the Summit weaved together the topics of intergenerational wellbeing, Ecological Belonging, and personal resilience, Jane was deeply impacted by the two-day gathering.

Read Jane’s reflections from the event and how the Summit has inspired further action in her organization to promote climate resilience and youth wellbeing.

Attending the Hearth Summit Nairobi was more than just an event — it became a catalyst for change in my personal, organizational, and community wellbeing. As a youth advocate passionate about climate diplomacy and international relations, I’ve always felt the weight of responsibility to contribute to sustainable solutions. However, the Summit provided me with a renewed sense of purpose and clarity, particularly in aligning my personal goals with the greater wellbeing of my community and my work with CMCAN (Climate Mobility Community Action Network).

On a personal level, Hearth Summit Nairobi expanded my understanding of how climate change deeply affects wellbeing — not just in terms of environmental health, but also mental and social resilience. It underscored the importance of self-care as an advocate and emphasized the need for sustainable personal practices as we work toward larger goals. I left the Summit with a stronger commitment to both my own wellbeing and that of my fellow youth advocates.

On a personal level, Hearth Summit Nairobi expanded my understanding of how climate change deeply affects wellbeing — not just in terms of environmental health, but also mental and social resilience.

For my organization, CMCAN, Hearth Summit Nairobi became a turning point. I brought back innovative ideas and strategies, particularly around youth-centered climate action, that we’ve since incorporated into our initiatives. We now focus not only on climate mobility but also on building community resilience and wellbeing, thanks to insights I gained from the Summit on holistic sustainability. The ripple effects are already being felt in my community: through workshops and dialogues inspired by the Summit, we are fostering a greater sense of collective responsibility for climate action. The conversations that started at Hearth Summit Nairobi are now shaping community-based solutions, empowering youth and marginalized voices to take leadership roles in local environmental actions.

The Hearth Summit Nairobi has become a foundational experience in my journey, reinforcing the belief that wellbeing — whether personal, organizational, or community — is tied to the health of our planet.

The Hearth Summit Nairobi has become a foundational experience in my journey, reinforcing the belief that wellbeing — whether personal, organizational, or community — is tied to the health of our planet.

The global network I connected with continues to inspire me, and I look forward to contributing even more to this shared mission. I am looking forward to more Hearth Summits. Thank you for having me!

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Dive Into Stories From Around the World

Discover Ecological Belonging FurtherDiscover Ecological Belonging Further

Meet and hear stories from the changemakers exploring our relationship with the planet and nature.

How I Discovered Wellbeing Through the Arts: Rakhe RahmanHow I Discovered Wellbeing Through the Arts: Rakhe Rahman

Stories from the Hearth

Guest post by:

Rakhe Rahman

Community Affairs Coordinator, Heroes for All
🌍 Dhaka, Bangladesh

Rakhe Rahman, Community Affairs Coordinator at Heroes for All, was a key partner of the first regional wellbeing summit for social change held in Asia in March 2024. In her home country of Bangladesh, Rakhe had a transformative experience learning about wellbeing, the arts, and mental health at The Wellbeing Summit Dhaka.

The mission of Heroes for All is to support children and youth to become morally responsible and conscious global citizen by realizing their fullest potential and building a purposeful life through active civic engagement, informed life choices, and global connectivity. Heroes for All envisions transforming communities through conscious, purposeful and engaged global citizens. It promises to engage its youth to become the best version of their selves through developing their moral values and sense of civic responsibilities; believing in their own potentials; and cultivating positive mindset to improve and build their intellectual, emotional, creative and physical abilities.

Read Rakhe’s reflections from the event and the last impact the arts program had on her wellbeing.

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In March 2024, I had the incredible opportunity to attend The Wellbeing Summit Dhaka, a transformative experience that marked my first foray into such an event. My organization, Heroes for All, was a strategic partner, allowing me to engage directly with the summit’s activities and discussions. In the midst of my own struggles with mental health, I felt compelled to reflect on this experience, hoping it might provide some solace.

Mental fitness is a vital aspect of our lives and society, and the Summit emphasized this importance through various activities designed to promote wellbeing. One of my favorite moments was participating in art activities. Despite not being an artist or painter, I discovered a passion for playing with color. This newfound outlet has become a source of joy for me, especially during difficult times. Whenever I feel low, I now turn to colors, and the simple act of creating brings me happiness.

The Summit also featured engaging sessions like an open talk show, where participants shared their stories and insights. These conversations were enlightening and fostered a sense of community, reminding us that we are not alone in our struggles.

Despite not being an artist or painter, I discovered a passion for playing with color. This newfound outlet has become a source of joy for me, especially during difficult times. Whenever I feel low, I now turn to colors, and the simple act of creating brings me happiness.

A highlight of the event was the folk song performance during the final segment. I danced with all my heart, embracing the joy of movement and connection with others. Those two days were filled with learning and exploration, significantly impacting my perspective on life and wellbeing.

I sincerely hope The Wellbeing Summit Dhaka becomes an annual event. It has the power to bring people together, foster creativity, and inspire a collective commitment to mental fitness. Reflecting on this experience has helped me navigate my own feelings, and I encourage everyone to seek out moments that uplift and rejuvenate them.

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Meet and hear stories from the changemakers exploring social change through the arts.

AT THE HEART OF IT – EPISODE 3

KIM POLMAN AND

ANTHONY BENNETT

Values for a Life Economy

In this thought-provoking episode featuring Kim Polman and Anthony Bennett from Reboot the Future, we explore the timeless principle of the Golden Rule to foster social change and collective wellbeing. Mixing ancient proverbs, modern science, and imaginative stories, we discuss how humans are hard-wired for connection and the lessons nature can teach us about sustainable development.

Building on what Kim shared at the first regional wellbeing summit for social change in Belgium alongside Satish Kumar, we reflect further on how respect, reciprocity, and kindness can be the foundation of our wellbeing future. What are the universal values that connect us all and can empower our social change mission? Let’s get to the heart of it.

Let's dive right in!Let's dive right in!

LISTEN TO EPISODE 3

ResourcesResources

From This Episode

Full episode transcriptFull episode transcript

This transcript has been edited for clarity

Welcome to At The Heart Of It, a podcast where we explore issues at the heart of our world’s biggest challenges and their solutions. We’re on a journey inward going into ourselves, reflecting on who we are, listening to humanity’s collective story. Our guides are the visionary leaders, activists, scholars, and practitioners who are changing the world and whose own inner journeys of wellbeing inspire their welldoing.

Have you heard of the Golden Rule? There are a couple different ways you can say it, but maybe you’ve heard it like this. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Today’s guests are taking this simple idea of reciprocity, respect, and kindness and using it as a lens for social change. 

Reboot the Future, where Kim Polman is co-founder and chair, and Anthony Bennett is CEO, is envisioning a world where we treat others and the planet the way we want to be treated. Guided by the ancient essence of the Golden Rule, their educational and advocacy work invites us to reflect inwards on our values so that we can envision the outer world we wish to create.

Whether in speaking to business leaders, school teachers, youth activists, or artists, the universal message of the Golden Rule resonates with everyone. We sat down with Kim and Anthony to hear about how the complex nature of social change can really be boiled down to this simple phrase: treat others the way you want to be treated. Let’s get to the heart of it. 

Madelaine VanDerHeyden (MV): All right, here we go, welcome back to At The Heart Of It, the new podcast from The Wellbeing Project. I have the distinct pleasure today to be joined by our friends from Reboot the Future, Kim Polman and Anthony Bennett, who are here to speak with me about all things related to values for life economy, The Golden Rule and collective wellbeing. Kim and Anthony, it’s great to have you here. Why don’t you introduce yourself and tell our listeners about your work? 

Kim Polman (KP): Hello, I’m Kim Polman and I co-authored a book called Imagine Yourselves, Visions of Transformation at the end of 2016, and that led to the formation of our charity, Reboot the Future. 

Anthony Bennett (AB): Hello, Madelaine. Nice to be with you. I’m Anthony Bennett. I’m the chief executive of Reboot the Future, which was my real honor and privilege to do so. And yeah, I joined Reboot the Future just four years ago and I joined Reboot the Future on the first day of the pandemic. So it was the first day in lockdown, and it was also my birthday, and also I had COVID. 

MV: That’s definitely a triple whammy there. But what a nice birthday gift to be entering into a new job, a new organization, of course you met Kim.

AB: So, when I first came for an interview with Kim, Reboot the Future sounded like a really good name for an organization, but I think in COVID it definitely became a really good name for an organization.

MV: Well, Kim we met you at The Wellbeing Summit in Brussels last November. And you shared a little bit about your work with Reboot the Future, but really spoke to us about the fundamental concept that Reboot the Future is based on, which is the Golden Rule. So first, why don’t you both tell us a little bit about the mission of Reboot the Future and what do you do, and what needs in society at large are you looking at with your organization? 

KP: Well, I started to think about the Golden Rule seriously, it was probably 2014 or so as a guiding principle that everyone should really be aware of. 2015 was an important year for the world because that was the year the Sustainable Development Goals were agreed upon by the UN and it was also the Paris Climate Agreement, which had finally reached some sort of serious level of international agreement. And it was also the year that the Pope published his encyclical on climate change. And, even though I’m not Catholic, I did read this encyclical. It was very interesting document in which he asks every citizen of the world to think more about the planet, about other life on the planet, and not just human life. And because we live in such a hugely complex world, I’m probably a simpleton, but I thought, you know, the world needs some simple idea as a motivational principle. The SDGs are very technical. But what’s the motivation behind them? And so this Golden Rule is quite universal. It’s in all religions, at the root of all religions. A Christian version of it is “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. The Jewish have another version which is “don’t do to others what is hateful to you”. And so, recognizing that this is thousands of years old and then listening to what the Pope asks of the world’s citizens, we added the planet to it. So it’s “treat others and the planet as you would wish to be treated”. So the need that we’re addressing is, increasing polarization and division in the world, serious mental health issues, and kind of a lack of values, an awareness of what our common values are as humanity. So, this simple principle really summarizes the basic values that tie us all together. That was really what I started to want to do: to spread that simple principle, try to reduce the complexity of the world to something that people can grab onto easily and remember easily, no matter what age, no matter what anybody is doing in their lives. But it’s a kind of a daily guide for making the decisions that we make every day and how we live our lives.

MV: Thank you so much, Kim, for that background, that story. Anthony, is there anything else that you wanted to add to that?

AB: Yeah, so just to pick up on what Kim was saying there. So we live in a very information-dense world. And it seems that even though through our devices and the internet and our technologies, we have more access to data, to culture, to content, to all kinds of information. And yet trying to pick a route through that is really, really difficult. And it’s a really dense thicket that people have to traverse morally and ethically and sustainably. So,  from when I first met Kim, when I came to Reboot, it seemed to me like a really elegant precept, a really simple tool, which can lend itself to all kinds of complexity if you so choose. But the key aspect of it is that it is embedded in every culture. So it’s not about you know kind of western ideology that’s being imposed. You can find it in Confucianism, you can find it in Ubuntu, you can find it in multiple secular traditions as well. So the beauty of it when I came upon is it wasn’t that there was something new discovered here. It’s actually super old, super timeless. And you can see that some version of this idea of reciprocity has been embedded in every place ever that has had a civilized society. And so you can say that the Golden Rule is the original operating system of civilization. And what do you do when your operating system crashes? You reboot it. So this is the simple point of, re-engagement that every society can default to this this kind of factory setting. So as soon as I heard it, I recognized it. And the beauty of doing this work is we hear, you know, multiple people, multiple institutions and organizations who are coming at this from their own trajectory, but aligning upon the same realization, this idea of reciprocity. And then by extending it to the earth, I think we’re doing something really important as well. There are 17 SDGs. As Kim said, they’re very technical. And I think to give people that kind of simplicity of tool that they already recognize in an effort to pick their path through what is a very polarized world, is fundamental. In the United States and in the UK, irrespective of one’s political sympathies, you can recognize that we are deeply polarized just now as a society, and that large swathes of our communities have simply lost the ability to talk to one another. So this idea of putting other communities, other people first, but also putting the earth and its resources as part of that dialogue is, I think, just a deeply useful tool to take forward.

MV: What I find so interesting, and thank you both for those two explanations, but one of the things that feels really profound to me as you explain one, the universal human values that are held within the Golden Rule, whether you say it in one phrase or a different phrase, or whether it’s repeated in one side of the world or the other, it’s something that’s universally human. And you’re explaining that the sort of inspiration for coming back to the Golden Rule and having this be the guiding light now is in response to the polycrisis we’re facing today. In the 21st century in the technological digital era, do you see any sense of irony that, you know, the key that you’re looking at using to unlock a new future is actually something so old and so ancient that predates all of this? What are your thoughts on that?  

KP: Well, I think because of this technology and how materially focused our society is, the consumer society has a promise of happiness, but it’s actually not bringing us happiness and contentment. It only brings divisions. We’ve lost that connection with what is really the most important thing. And fortunately there’s this awakening going on right now. Many of us, we’ve been meeting a lot of these other people who were trying to get people to get back to the basics of what is really important to life. And it’s as simple as love really. And that’s what we all need and want. Obviously we need to have enough to eat and shelter on our heads, but beyond that basic level of needs that are met, we get lost in all this technology and everything. And so what we’re really trying to do is get people to get back. So we have a story called the map about the imaginal cells, and it’s a metaphor with what’s going on today that gives it perspective. And so the caterpillar represents an old way of doing things. Which is the economy as we have developed it very exploitative, very competitive, very focused on me, my, what I want and I’m told what I want as well. So that caterpillar eats and eats and eats. And then he goes into his cocoon and starts breaking down. But inside the caterpillar, dormant are these imaginal cells that hold the identity of the butterfly. So, when the caterpillar is decaying, that ignites this imaginal cell, which is innate, as I said, but the caterpillar doesn’t like it, the old way doesn’t like this new way, and so starts to attack this new way, these imaginal cells. But the imaginal cells, they emit a common frequency and they cluster and find each other and then the caterpillar disappears and out comes the butterfly. So it is this idea of this butterfly is innate, just as the Golden Rule caring for others is innate in all of us. And we just have to tap into that core part of humanity. In fact, it’s a quality of all mammals because we give birth to babies that are helpless. They don’t survive more than a few days without their mothers nourishing them, nurturing them. So it’s that caring part is so fundamental to who we are. And what we’re trying to do is really activate that.  

AB: I’ll give you some examples of how this manifests itself in real time. There’s a professor of neuropsychology at Rockefeller University in New York called Donald Pfaff, and he wrote a book about the Golden Rule in neuropsychology. And he was on the New York subway one day, and he saw somebody fall onto the tracks. And, you can imagine the scene and he and most other folks there just froze. In the sense of what would you do in that situation? And then in the split second where he froze, somebody else jumped onto the tracks and recovered this individual and dragged them back onto the platform. And at that moment, Pfaff realized that we are hardwired for cooperation. We’re hardwired to look out for each other. There was no rational reason why that individual would completely disregard their own self-preservation, put themselves in harm’s way in order to look out for somebody that they didn’t know. There’s something very important that is inherent to our survival as a species where we look out for each other, but we can forget that. Again, especially in this period of history, it seems like we are atomized and completely thinking about our own, selfish individual needs and desires. But actually the basis of our survival is about cooperation and about looking out for each other. You can take a very simple act in order to look out for the wellbeing of others. And in the big macro level I would extend that to the idea of the just transition. The idea that the Global North and the Global South are in this together and that there is every danger that we try and move to, a new paradigmatic shift for a sustainable planet in which people in the Global South, as ever, are expected to do most of the labor. And they’re also meant to not dig or tunnel or extract the carbon and fossil fuels under their own territories and to sacrifice that. So in order to move to a genuinely sustainable planet, we have to rebalance and recalibrate the relationship between the wealthy North and the poorer nations of the South, and rethink what that relationship looks like. And I think that’s a genuine example of treating others on the planet as you wish to be treated. A lot of the presumptions about where we go next on this thing are about people in the Global South making all the sacrifices in order to preserve the standards of living that we acknowledge and accept here in the West. So I think, again, it’s about trying to envisage the needs and the wishes and the lives of the people in every part of the planet as being equal and that we are co-pilots and partners in this thing. So for me, the Golden Rule is something that you can bring in on a very personal, intimate level to your own kind of, you know, family life, your own kind of personal relationships, but it’s also something that affects on the bigger level, big macroeconomic institutions too.

MV: Well, thank you both. And Anthony, at the end of your last response, you were hitting the magic word of wellbeing that we love here at The Wellbeing Project. But both of you were leading into part of the conversation I’d really like to have, which is how the Golden Rule is deeply interconnected between concepts of individual and collective and planetary wellbeing. And as you’re talking about, how, for example, the caterpillars transition into the butterfly or the baby that’s being cared for by its mother or the future of humanity and cooperation between the global North and the global South in a just manner, it’s all about relationships, and the dynamic in between the relationships, whether that’s on an interpersonal level, or on a more systemic macroeconomic or political level. And just for the benefit of our listeners here, I wanted to read two things from your book, Values of a Life Economy. Of course, you both know these two things that I’ll share, but I wanted to make sure that our audience have them as well.

One you’ve written that, “The Golden Rule leads us to recognize the sacredness and fragility of the world and to treat the earth and its species with compassion. Ultimately, it leads us to promote a life economy. A system that works towards the wellbeing of all life on our planet.”

And then you’ve listed ten values that you explore in the book that I guess you could say, maybe are the foundation or help create the space in which this life economy can thrive. And I’ll just read them very briefly, but it’s to love each other; to have compassion and empathy; to love the earth and be good stewards; to find balance; to listen and empower the youth; to promote education and good citizenship; to act as a good ancestor; to build a life-centered economy; and to work in partnership. So looking at all of these values and looking at what you see as the deep meaning behind the Golden Rule, and that’s on a more emotional level, maybe more spiritual or philosophical level, but then also on a more practical level: how do you see the Golden Rule guiding us when it comes to wellbeing for social change, where do you think it’s taking us?

AB: So I would point to one of those values. There is balance. And as I was thinking about this word, wellbeing, what does it mean to be well, and there’s obviously different applications of that word, but the ones where it seems to be most readily applied is the idea of wellness as sufficiency. So if I say to you, I’m doing well, it means I’m doing well enough. And similarly, if I say to you that somebody is known well, it means that they are known to a kind of sufficient level, and I think this idea of sufficiency is key, that we’re acting within an appropriate level of boundaries. It makes me think of Kate Raworth’s Donut Economics. And wellness is something about having a balanced appetite for life and balancing of one’s own personal appetites and desires versus those of sufficiency. The obvious, direct example of that would be not consuming resources, either food or energy or anything else to a point where it becomes destructive for yours or oneself. So I think for me, that’s the key concept where there’s an optimal point that we can hit in terms of what’s best for our own spiritual and psychological growth and nutritional growth and biological growth and everything else and what’s optimal for everybody else in the rest of the planet.

KP: Yeah, so for me, the Golden Rule takes us to something even simpler, which is every day whatever we’re doing, are we being helpful or are we being hurtful? Just a very practical example, let’s just talk about vaping: vaping is the exact opposite of anything we should be doing for the life economy. It was not designed with any environmental understanding the effects that it has on the earth and the production of it with lithium batteries, and then the disposability of it, and then the colors and marketing of it to young people. It was built as being safer than cigarettes, healthier than cigarettes, but it’s actually not, it’s more toxic because of all the chemicals in it. So it’s completely opposite of wellbeing on all aspects of this particular product. So, we have to ask ourselves in any one of those capacitors, the investor, the designer, the factory, all of these, what is it that I’m working on every day that is helpful? And what is harmful? We must be honest about this question. And it requires a completely different set of questions that businesses should be asking themselves. For example, not only businesses, but businesses are responsible for producing everything that we use in this world and consume, so they are very, very responsible. But it’s also how we behave in our daily life, how we relate to each other. So, that for me is really the key question. Are we being helpful or harmful?

AB; Yeah, I’d add to that. I mean, I think that the vaping thing is really interesting because if you think of tobacco in its natural organic form, tobacco was used as a sacrament by Indigenous peoples in North America. And it was used on a very occasional basis for rituals and traditions and ceremonies. And it was used as a meditative process with other members of the community. So compare that against how the big tobacco industries have ruthlessly extracted harvest and accelerated the addictive qualities of that substance. You could point to a similar history of, cocoa and chocolate, right? Which was again, originally, a kind of religious sacrament to be used sparingly and at certain times with certain purposes amongst the people who cultivated it. Which has now become, you know, an ubiquitous product which is harvested at a completely ecologically dangerous level and you know, modified with vegetable oils and sugars in such a way as to turn it into actually quite a destructive consumer product as well. So the substances themselves aren’t inherently iniquitous. It’s about how people deploy them, harvest them, cultivate them and market them.

MV: Well, I think the path that you’re going down to talk about the environment is really interesting and I want to come back to that, but maybe just one final question on the interplay between the individual and the collective. Of course, you know, the Golden Rule is beautiful and it’s aspirational. And for example, Anthony, in your example, you gave up the person who fell on the subway track in New York is an example of how humans are hardwired to be in community and be connected. But I’m sure we can all look at our own lives and think of shifts and changes we want to make in our own lives that we know might be for the benefit of others, but might cause us to be a little bit out of our comfort zone, or we might have to spend a bit more money, or we might have to humble ourselves a little bit. What’s the dynamic there between the individual and collective then when we maybe come to a wall and think, my life would really have to change if I wanted to do something or if I wanted to act in a way that’s really, really helpful and not harmful?

AB: Well, first of all, I don’t want to be pejorative about New York. But I’m reminded of, a movie called “Crocodile Dundee”. And at one point somebody comes to New York and asks how many people live in New York. And he gets an answer, 8 million people. And the guy says, well, 8 million people in New York must be the friendliest city in the world. And of course, that’s the joke, right? Because nobody thinks of New York as being so nice, but when you think about it, for any number of people to live together in a community like New York or London or anywhere else, there have to be a billion acts of kindness embedded into the system every day. That actually these are places of real flourishing of kindness, which is so commonplace actually becomes banal and invisible. And I think that’s, a useful way to think about, how many of those acts of kindness have just become so commonplace that we embed in it in our operating system just to get by. So I continuously remind myself with gratitude about that, that the big visible acts of cruelty are so egregious. And seems so exceptional because they are exceptional. 

KP: Actually, I agree with you. It is the exception to be violent it just gets a lot of attention and it can be so destructive. I’m always trying to find the answer to why, it is so hard to build something up and so easy to destroy it. But because it is so easy to destroy it, it’s just a cautionary note that we need to be even more careful and do ask this question more often, am I being helpful or hurtful? And I’ve gotten very interested in farming lately and the health of the individual is just really important for a collective health. And so this little analogy is I’ve learned a lot about soil lately. Dirt, in fact, dirt has a bad connotation, you know, like washing ourselves and cleaning our clothes and we don’t like dirt. But in fact, it’s soil that is growing our food. And you need to have really healthy soil and the healthier the soil, it is, the more undisturbed it is the more it holds moisture and all kinds of things. So you plant your seeds in this healthy soil and you get a healthy plant. And that plant is then durable, sustainable, and it can withstand the heat and the challenges that come to it. So a pest can come in there. They can withstand it. Trees even have this power to produce a chemical that will ward off the pests that would attack it. And then, it produces, of course, a much more nutritious fruit or vegetable. And that then is given to the animals to eat, given to us humans to eat, and so the healthier the food is, the healthier we are, not just individually, but we all become healthier. It’s collective health. That’s what I mean. All connected. That’s what we really need to understand. And this is the inspiration of nature. At Reboot, we talk a lot about nature and our connection to nature and how we can be inspired by nature.  

AB: I can add to what Kim’s saying here so there’s a guy called John Higgs who talks about how in the 20th century, you had two dominant models of ideology, right? And one was the West and the individual. And the other one was communist Russia and the idea of the state. So you had the individual versus the state. And you either were the triumphant hero of your own story or you were part of the collective. And those were the two binary opposites between which we have bounced for much of the 20th century. And then in 1989, Soviet Russia fell and it seemed like it was the triumph of the individual that that ideology was now triumphant. And I think we’ve seen over the last 20, 30 years that simply putting the kind of selfish concern of the individual foremost isn’t sufficient. It’s kind of leading us off the edge of a cliff. And what Higgs proposes is that there’s another model, which is one of the network, and actually, you realize that your power what makes you powerful, is your ability to flex those networks. And to Kim’s point about the ecology and the mycelium networks, the idea is that if you look at where these underground embedded symbiotic networks exist, it seems to me a much more healthy and also agile way to think about our relationships as individuals and our families and our communities and our working lives. so it needs more work. It’s not quite as reassuring as knowing that you’re either, you know, Superman or part of the collective. But I think there is something in there, that these networks start to emerge and you can recognize people across them and start to build a different kind of structure that brings forward a wholly more sustainable and attractive paradigm. 

KP: Yeah, I think, I think just to emphasize that point, Anthony, that you are never alone.  Even if you’re just one person living on an island, you know, all by yourself as a human being, you are connected with that environment because you need to eat and sleep somewhere safe. But you think of also the drops of water that make up an ocean, every drop is important. Because if you didn’t have all those drops, you wouldn’t have an ocean. So parts of that imaginal story is that the cells, when they’re innate, they are dormant in the caterpillar. They have different identities. So one’s the wing, one’s the color, one’s the eye, you know, that kind of thing. And they form the whole. So we may be just one, but we’re one important one next to the next important one and the next important one. And we’re all part of this system.

MV: Well, it’s amazing to me that I think every single metaphor you’ve shared so far during this conversation has been a metaphor connecting human relationships with existing relationships in nature, whether that be between organisms or just the life cycle of a plant, for example, that to me is also proof that we are all connected. That mirroring of behavior is one in the same. And we’re exploring at The Wellbeing Project, we’re exploring this concept of reconnecting and remembering how the earth does not belong to us, but we belong to the earth: Ecological Belonging. And in a very similar way that you are looking at the Golden Rule as unlocking something new and innovative in the future, we also see sense, how going back to square one, reconnecting with this intuitive organic relationship we have had with the earth is then one of the major levers in solving or getting out of this poly crisis that involves such environmental and ecological destruction. And what you say about the network approach, I think is really interesting as well. That sense of adaptability gives you flexibility and creativity and innovation for how we might be going about doing that. We’ve seen as you touched on both of you touched on that. There’s been a pattern of behavior, of binary set of way of thinking in the past that’s led us to where we are today. So having that openness to try new things and to act in a different way, look at the world in a different way is really, really important now. So I wanted to ask you what are you working on now that aligns with this idea of  going back to the beginning, going back to square one, reconnecting with that relationship with nature that we, for the most part as a society have lost. 

AB: Well, we center on education, culture, and leadership, and we embed our values in the Golden Rule across all these three different programs essentially recognizing that as we say, the SDGs, they work with the hemisphere of the brain, which is rational and technocratic, and we want to look at the ways in which we communicate the golden rule and the SDGs through the empathetic way. And the intuitive and to some extent or not, though the word always comes back is spiritual. So we have a network of 18,500 teachers and educators, the majority of whom are here in the UK, and we publish a platform called Global Dimension in which we provide free to air resources for all those teachers around how do you smuggle sustainability and values practice within to whatever your discipline is, and we ran a survey of  members of that teaching community, asking them  what kind of teaching practice do they need?  How do you want to prepare your students for a sustainable economy? What kind of lesson plans, what kind of jobs do you want to direct young people to? What was clearly evident was that teachers really want to talk about values. They want to prepare young people for a sustainable vision of the planet, but they don’t feel that they’re resourced. So we published that report, we took it to COP in Dubai. We took it to Anthropy and other events as well. And for this year, we want to work with that teaching community to see, how can we drive that reform within the national curriculum? We are embedded here in the UK, but we also work with partners around the world who are doing similar work in their own curricula, because, of course, you can’t talk about this stuff in isolation, and we have partners now in India, Saudi Arabia, in Paris, we’re not the only people working in this space. Looking at what are the motivations for current classroom practice, but also what will we need in 5, 10, 15 years. My own conviction, not necessarily Kim’s or Reboot’s, but my own feeling is that it’s going to be really tough for us to stay within 1.5 and we probably need to start to prepare for that. And  if we’re not going to stay within 1.5, the next best thing we can do is to start to prepare young people for the world that’s going to come. And I don’t want to couch language or use word that’s apocalyptic or negative or pessimistic. I think we have every technology and every resource we need to create that sustainable vision for the future. We just need to get busy with it right now. And students and schools and the teaching professions are the way that we’re going to do that. I say we have 18,000 plus teachers, that every one of those teachers is a conduit to 30 young people. So we take that point that looking after the interests and nurturing that community of teachers is absolutely central to preparing the world for a  sustainable planet. 

MV: Well, I just absolutely love and admire what you are focusing on with preparing the future generation. Empowering the youth to be aware and involved in what’s happening and giving them the resources as well to take action is also very important and it reminds me of Kim’s metaphor as well with the plant growing in the healthy soil the environment in which we act is really, really important. And we’re getting to the end of our conversation here with both of you. And it’s been so illuminating and I just wanted to end by asking you going beyond what I know is already at the heart of your work, which is the Golden Rule for each of you, what is your main motivation, inspiration, or message for the world. Anthony, I liked what you said about not wanting to use language that’s so negative and both of you sharing that there are billion acts of kindness happening around the world, but it’s just maybe the scary things or the really negative things that get the most attention. But coming from a place of hope, or of inspiration, what is driving both of you to do the work that you’re doing?

KP: A deep caring. And my message would be just be grateful, grateful for all the goodness that is around us and that we have in our lives. I would also say if you see something and you’re really moved by it and that’s kind of epiphany, like, wow, I really want to work on that, act on it, have the courage to act on it. We do all have a responsibility to do whatever we can in whatever way we can to improving ourselves first, and our families, our friends, our communities, and then that ripples out to the world.

MV: Another natural metaphor there with the ripple effects! Anthony, over to you.

AB: So I would 100 percent subscribe to Kim’s gratitude, we are super empowered in a way that previous generations could never have dreamed of. And we should be grateful for that. And the last thing I would say is that what will lead us to catastrophe is the idea that we are isolated and disempowered and we don’t have agency. And there’s a, there’s a Scottish environmental campaigner called Alistair McIntosh that I like to quote and he’s been active for a great many years in this space and his phrase is, “you dig where you stand,” which means you look at where you are in the universe and realize that your contribution is just as vital as anyone else’s and you have to, to use Kim’s farming metaphor once more, you have to dig on the land that you stand and make use of that with the tools that you’ve got.

MV:  Incredible though. Thank you so much, both from a sense of gratitude from me, for coming onto the podcast but also just for the work that you’re doing and for the message that you’re spreading in the world and for the seeds that you’re sowing in the minds of young people and in other organizations as well, as you continue your work to help us come back to, as you said, throughout our conversation today, something that is truly universal, something that unites us beyond culture, beyond language, beyond religion beyond country or nationality, something that is truly a fundamental human value. So thank you very, very much for joining us today. Before we go, are there any last words, anything else you’d like to share with our listeners?

KP: Well, just remember, treat others and the planet as you wish to be treated!

AB: Yeah, I’ll be even more I’ll act in self interest here and just say go to www. rebootthefuture.org or globaldimension.org.uk for more information about everything that we do. And thank you so much, Madelaine.

MV: Yeah, thank you. Thank you very much.  

Thank you for listening to this episode of At The Heart Of It. For more news, research, and stories about wellbeing and social change, visit wellbeing-project.org. The Wellbeing Project is the world’s leading organization advocating for the wellbeing of changemakers and for wellbeing in changemaking. We believe wellbeing inspires welldoing. Thanks for listening and see you next time.  

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.

EXPLORE THE REGIONAL SUMMITS FURTHEREXPLORE THE REGIONAL SUMMITS FURTHER

Dive Into Stories From Around the World

Discover the Wellbeing Movement in AfricaDiscover the Wellbeing Movement in Africa

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

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.

EXPLORE THE REGIONAL SUMMITS FURTHEREXPLORE THE REGIONAL SUMMITS FURTHER

Dive Into Stories From Around the World

Discover the Wellbeing Movement in AfricaDiscover the Wellbeing Movement in Africa

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

AT THE HEART OF IT – EPISODE 2

Monira Rahman

Hope and Health in Bangladesh

In this episode, we sit down with Monira Rahman, award-winning human rights activist, Ashoka Fellow, and founder of Innovation for Wellbeing Foundation. In Bangladesh, Monira has gained recognition for leading transformative efforts to combat acid violence against women and reform mental health policies. Today, Monira is activating and nurturing a growing network of changemakers in Bangladesh committed to enabling wellbeing for all.

In a special conversation recorded at Bangla Academy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where Monira hosted the first regional wellbeing summit in Asia, Monira invited us to reflect on emerging paths for wellbeing. Let’s get to the heart of it.

Let's dive right in!Let's dive right in!

LISTEN TO EPISODE 2

Please note this episode contains references to mental illness and violence. Listener discretion is advised.

ResourcesResources

From This Episode

Full episode transcriptFull episode transcript

This transcript has been edited for clarity

  Hi there, before we get started, here’s a quick note from The Wellbeing Project. Today’s episode of At The Heart Of It features some conversations about mental illness and  violence. Listener discretion is advised.  Let’s get into the episode. 

Welcome to At The Heart Of It, a podcast where we explore issues at the heart of our world’s biggest challenges and their solutions. We’re on a journey inward going into ourselves, reflecting on who we are, listening to humanity’s collective story. Our guides are the visionary leaders, activists, scholars, and practitioners who are changing the world and whose own inner journeys of wellbeing inspire their welldoing.

Today’s guest is someone who has dedicated her life to making Bangladesh a safer, healthier, and more inclusive place for everyone. Monira Rahman is an award-winning Bangladeshi human rights activist and Ashoka fellow. For more than 30 years, she has led efforts to transform social behaviours and reform government policies around violence against women and mental health in Bangladesh. 

In a conversation live from the lush green gardens of Bangla academy in Dhaka, where Monira hosted the first regional wellbeing summit in Asia, Monira reflected on her life’s work and how wellbeing has inspired welldoing in her career. Throughout her career, she has been an advocate for caring for oneself and for others and today she’s sharing her story and inviting us all on a journey of wellbeing. Let’s get to the heart of it.  

Madelaine VanDerHeyden (MV): Hi, Monira. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much for joining us. 

Monira Rahman (MR): Hi, Madelaine. I’m very happy to join with you.

MV: So, Monira, we are here in Dhaka, Bangladesh. You are an internationally known, award- winning social changemaker. So tell us a little bit about  your work and what you’ve been doing in Bangladesh.  

MR: Well from my childhood, actually, I knew that there are inequality, injustice, and especially for girls and women in this country who are suppressed, oppressed, and their rights are not acknowledged. They’re not respected. And in that way, I started to find out what can be done or what is the solution.

First, it began with myself, to liberate myself from these limitations. But it’s quite unusual for a Bengali girl, a young girl, an adolescent girl of 13, 14, to be going out and doing things on her own. So it was not that welcomed by my family as such, but my mother was always encouraging me  to be educated and to be independent. She was always inspiring me to work for the community, work for the people, serve for the people. So I was involved in many different kind of activities activism for women rights, especially for education for all.

When I was studying in Dhaka University, I was elected vice president of one of the female hall and that was quite rebellious, I should say, because there was military rule and therefore  the students’ movement was suppressed even by the law enforcement agencies. So it was a very difficult time, but we really worked together and we got the democracy back. I did my Master’s in philosophy from Dhaka University and my first job was with Concerned Worldwide as a social worker. I was 24 and in a village where the government has a institution called Vagrant’s Home.

That means, for homeless people living on the street, the police sometimes put them in this institution in the name of rehabilitation. So it was a center accommodating 700 women and girls. And my first day was very, very striking. I saw a girl who had her hands tied behind her back lying on the feeder street looking at the sun on a very hot, humid day. And I just untied her and then it was big issue for the institution authority. 

MV: And why was she tied up? 

MR: Because it was a way of punishing someone. So I was called by the authority, but I answered them that I think any human being would untie her. Why not? So they couldn’t throw me out from the center. Then I found a Jominder building. That means it’s a very old building. It’s an abandoned building. It’s very damaged, no light. And there were hundreds of women there. And the authority said they are all mad, mad people. And Concern Wordlwide told me that I have to work with them. So it was 1992. There were no mental health support services in the country. I didn’t have any mental health background. I didn’t know what to do or how to support them. So I was looking for any model, any organization doing anything about mental health in the country. 

For the first time, I came to know about psychosis, neurosis,  depression, anxiety. So then  I found one organization working with children with intellectual disability. By observing their work, I found some thing quite interesting. I bought some postcards, papers, color pencils, and then I was just sitting in that Jominder building and just seeing how the women respond.

After seven days, some of them came nearer to me.

MV: You  were just sitting there and no one was approaching you? No one was talking to you? 

MR: No. 

MV: They didn’t want to come?

MR: Yeah. And then I found some people were started to fix a particular type of postcard. And I found that maybe that has a connection with them. So I started working on those areas with them. And I really would like to talk about one story that struck me and actually changed my  perception about mental health. 

So this woman called Rokea. She was a teacher of a village from Kishoreganj. Her husband was also a teacher. In 1974, in our country, there was a huge famine. So the relief was coming through the school and the head teacher was stealing the relief goods. Rokea saw that, and Rokea was raising her voice against the headteacher. Headteacher was not happy, and the  headteacher said, “Rokea has become mad. Rokea is mad.” Rokea was trying to prove that she is not mad. Rather, this man is actually corrupted. But no one knew her, and a village woman was not supposed to raise her voice like that in public.

So she was held and tied and she was taken to a psychiatric department. And when she was going there, she thought she will complain to the education minister about the teacher. But when she was under treatment, under medication, she lost her consciousness. And, at one stage, she actually went out of the hospital. No one knew about that. She was on the street for several years. She can’t say how many years, but she was raped there. She had a baby, the baby died, and then she developed this psychiatric illness. At some stage, she was taken to this institution.

When I found her, she had bipolar mood disorder and she had severe mental illness. Then I invited some of the psychiatrists for their assessment, and Rokea started to receive medication and she was responding so well. She told me about her story.

So I knew that she was a teacher and I created a crèche facility in this institution. I appointed her as a crèche facility teacher. She was very happy. Then she said that she would like to see her daughter. So we took a permission from the authorities and took her to that village. But her husband didn’t accept her. They didn’t allow her to see her daughters. Her own family didn’t take her, so she had to come back. She relapsed. Her treatment started again. So my question at that time was, who is responsible for Rokea’s mental health? And why it is happening? Or if someone experienced this sort of mental illness, then how to support them? Because at that time there was only Pabna Mental Hospital and in Bangla, that means “mad peoples jail”. So people were taken there and tied and caged and treatment was only medication and it was very difficult for me to find any solutions locally because there was no other model. 

So I actually created some livelihood options for these girls, these women, who were staying there. And I have seen that when we actually engage them in addition to medication, when we engage them in activities, a purposeful activity, when they create something for them or for others, when they’re actually supporting each other, then that actually helped them a lot to  going back to normal life. 

So, I’m talking about 1992 to 1999. I was responsible for seven centers in Bangladesh. I tried to create a model there that can help them in their rehabilitation. And then my life changed again. In 1997, I met a survivor of an acid attack. I was horrified. I was shocked. I couldn’t understand what happened. 

MV: Can you tell us a little bit about, very briefly, the history of acid violence in Bangladesh? 

MR: Acid is a very corrosive chemical and it can not only destroy the skin. It can go very deep inside the bones and it can create permanent disfigurement. This problem started in late eighties in Bangladesh. The young girls were thrown acid by the young men when they refused a romantic relationship or a marriage proposal. That acid was used by the perpetrator to take revenge. The men did that with an intention that, “if this girl is not mine, she will not be anyone else’s”. And there was no awareness about this acid attack. Even I didn’t know about acid attack.  

MV: Was it very taboo as if someone, if someone had been attacked, they did not want anyone to know? And it was something that the family wanted to keep very hidden and there was no justice? 

MR: And no, yeah, there was more like the women were blamed for this act. Like what did they do? Why did they raise your voice? Why did they say no? So they were ostracized and there was no treatment facility in the country. Therefore, they had severe disfigurement, which was also difficult for them. So it needed a holistic approach. It’s not just treating them medically. When they go back to the village, they are still ostracized by the community. They are not taken back to school. They thought that other people are horrified by seeing them. And then they become completely a burden of the family. And the treatment, the plastic surgery, reconstructive surgery, that takes long time and it’s very expensive. Over the period of many years, the only treatment facility was available in Dhaka, and there were only eight bed capacity for all types of burns for 160 million people.

So you can imagine how difficult it was for them and then, because it’s a criminal offense, they were under threat. So not only they are receiving the expensive treatment – economically, they are suffering because they may have to sell whatever they have and they’re going through the pain and all this surgery – but also they have to face threats, the whole family, because maybe they have filed a case against the perpetrator. 

So there was no organization in Bangladesh to support them and government didn’t have any services for them. There was no law to combat acid violence or providing the adequate  services to the survivor so Dr. John Morrison from the UK and I started trying to find out what we can do. We established Acid Survivors Foundation in 1999. First we concentrated on the medical aspect because it was the immediate need. We had to save life. We had to minimize disability. We had to ensure that they can go back home in a safer way. They needed physiotherapy and other types of treatment protocols to actually get better. But when we started working on the medical intervention, we found that actually this is not just about the physical treatment because every year, we were seeing that some of the survivors ended their lives and at least 12 or 15 survivors were developing severe mental illness. We had to admit them in a specialized hospital for treatment. So, we needed an intervention for their psychological treatment, counseling, and psychosocial treatment. And again, there was no psychological or psychosocial intervention in the country. I told you about 1992, I didn’t find that. Now in 1999, I was still searching for that. In 2005, for the first time, we appointed a clinical psychologist.  

MV: In the Acid Survivors Foundation? 

MR: In Acid Survivors Foundation. We also, by that time, we started in a hospital, a 20-bed hospital, a 40-bed rehabilitation center, and we were bringing experts from the world.

MV: It’s a huge, huge improvement.

MR: It’s a huge, yeah.

MV: Small, small scale compared to 160 million people, but compared to what was initially there. 

MR: Yeah, we actually wanted to create a model. This activism created a National Burn Institute  and they incorporated burn and plastic surgery in the medical education. Earlier there was no plastic surgery courses.

MV: It’s amazing.  

MR: So this movement also resulted in 2000 of having two laws: one for speedy trial of the perpetrator, and one for banning the availability of the acid in the open market. We also created  committees to monitor the implementation of the law and they created the fund for supporting the survivors. But then all of that was happening in the Dhaka city. But when the survivors were going back home, there was no support services in the community. So we partnered with different organizations and connected with them with those organizations to develop their capacity. We developed psychosocial support providers at the community level. And most importantly, we developed many survivors as peer support providers. and psychosocial support providers. So my mission was to bring down these acid attacks. You know, it was rising when we started. It was rising at the rate of 40 percent each year. And it rose to about 500 attacks in 2002. And then we had the law in 2002 and then it was coming down. So by 2012, it came down to 50 attacks per year. 

MV: So you brought it down 90%? 

MR: Yeah. And then by that time we have created this holistic model, that biopsychosocial model. So the legal support, the rehabilitation support, the medical support, all are working together. We started the prevention campaign. The celebrities joined us. The students came forward. There was a huge movement in the country. Media was hugely engaged in this campaign. 

MV: So how did this experience start to get you to think about mental health and wellbeing on a wider scale for everybody, not just for survivors of violence?

MR: So that inspired me to think about what we need to do about mental health. Because we all have mental health but our mental health can be affected any time in any way. And we need support for that. So that time mental health is governed by the 1912 Lunacy Act, which considered these people are lunatic. They’re harmful, they need to be institutionalized or cased. 

MV: Kept away and can’t be a part of society.

MR: Yeah. The people with mental illness, they are ostracized, facing huge stigma around, there’s no treatment facility, no holistic approach, no psychosocial support system, and no prevention work. There’s no counselors in schools for the children. So then I thought, now I need to do something for mental health. By that time I became an Ashoka fellow. As you said, I’m a changemaker. Yes.

MV: You were a changemaker before you became an Ashoka fellow. 

MR: That’s true. That’s true.

MV: They just recognized you for all your hard work. 

MR: They recognized me as a senior Ashoka fellow and this enabled me to visualize what can happen, what can be done in mental health. In  2014, I started this Innovation for Wellbeing Foundation. Because for the wellbeing, we, know that there are people who are suffering from mental illness, but we can prevent that. Maybe we can reduce that number. We can limit that number if we are working on wellbeing. So if people’s wellbeing are good – wellbeing means not only physical wellbeing; it means psychological wellbeing, social wellbeing, spiritual wellbeing, financial wellbeing, emotional wellbeing – then we can say there are resources to tackle their mental health situation in a better way.

So we wanted to focus on wellbeing aspect and mental health aspect. And innovation because there was nothing in the country. So what is the solution for Bangladesh? We cannot just bring something from the Western country.

MV: And you think, and Well being is a Western concept or?

MR: Well, the solutions, most of the services, have been developed in the Western countries, especially for mental health treatment.  So wellbeing, we have a lot of practices, but they were not considered as wellbeing practices. 

MV: So thinking about mental health, that was growing, but then to really bring it together with the concept of financial, physical, spiritual, social, emotional, psychological health as well, as a holistic approach to wellbeing, was not quite the norm or understood or practiced?

MR: Yeah, not understood. Mostly mental health was considered as mental illness. Mental illness is not mental health. Mental health is my potential. Mental health is my ability to work for myself or for others. Ability to manage, cope with my stress. And live a normal life. But when we consider that mental illness, then all this stigma comes.

MV: And it’s the flip side of a positive thing. It’s an illness. So there’s a negative connotation there as well. 

MR: Yeah. And language plays a very important role here. So how we address this people who are suffering from mental illness? Lazy or making up or not real? It is forever? They’re worthless? So all this kind of language is actually – 

MV: Judgment.

MR: Yes, very judgmental, not only very judgmental but there is no hope. There is no possibility. There is no way to come out from this situation. So that scenario has to change. And that is also because of the law. When the law is saying it’s lunatic, then people think the same way.  So first thing was for us, how to change this law.

So Innovation for Wellbeing Foundation created a network called Bangladesh Mental Health Network. And this network started working with different sectors, including people who has experienced mental illness and their family members to change this law. What should be the law? And we drafted an alternative law and finally, in 2018, Bangladesh government passed the Mental Health Act, 2018, which was much more accepting that this is a condition and there are also different types of solutions, but still it was much more medical-model-focused. And in medical model, also we have to consider that whether this is a holistic approach, because it’s not just about giving the medicine, but about whether you’re giving the counseling, whether you are giving follow up services, whether from recovery to rehabilitation to reintegration, whether we are providing these services or not.

And there’s no community-based mental health care support service system in Bangladesh. So our next challenge was how to create that model, how to create a model that will be much more holistic, much more applicable for different types of audiences. One size cannot fit all. Everyone is unique so that was a huge, it’s a huge area. So we tried to focus on three main areas. One is  obviously would like to integrate mental health support within the primary health care support service system. Then, another priority we have is to introduce counseling, at least mental health first aid programs, in schools. By that time in 2015, we got the license for introducing mental health first aid program in Bangladesh.So that actually created a huge change because that increased the mental health literacy. And also helped to reduce the stigma around mental illness. 

So now in 2024, I see quite a quite a change in this field. Actually, we were only one organization who started  working on mental health. And now we have many organizations who are focusing on mental health. We just finished this Regional Wellbeing Summit, which is a kickoff actually to shake us and start a conversation. What is the wellbeing solution for us?  What does our country actually need to focus on? How can we support each other? I’m very happy that we had this summit.

This is very special because now we have many actors in mental health field who are active and engaged, to collaborate, to work together, to make a network, a platform for this wellbeing movement in  Bangladesh. So we created that network through this wellbeing summit.  

MV: So, The Wellbeing Summit Dhaka: it was the first Regional Wellbeing Summit in Asia.  Congratulations for that achievement. The theme was Prajano…

MR: Projonmo theke Projonme: Generation to Generation.

MV: And you were at Bangla Academy, a very important place for Bangladesh, a place to celebrate the Bangla language. You had the people there from all areas of work, the youth to the elders. Tell us a little bit about how the event connected with the land, language, and life.  

MR: You know this summit talked about why individual wellbeing is important and why it is important for collective wellbeing as well. We talked about how social resources around us are actually supporting our wellbeing. We talked about social and emotional learning. In Bangladesh, in a hierarchical society, is a very, male dominant society. It’s very difficult to deal with your emotion, to express your emotion in a healthy way so women are suffering silence. And men also suffer because in a way they are socialized so that they cannot also express their vulnerability. So what we try to give them a safe space here and have that conversation, what are the barriers and what are the opportunities, what is available actually, and what will be in our future wellbeing agenda for the country. We don’t have even a wellbeing strategy in Bangladesh. We have national mental health strategy. We have a national mental health policy. That’s good, but that is again talking about more what to do after we are suffering. So I think this wellbeing summit is very unique in a way that created an opportunity for us, especially for changemakers, to be together, share their experiences and learn from each other. And also the therapeutic interventions, these art interventions, we have seen that how these artists, the painters, the singers, all the other artists, how they actually engage these people.

MV: It reminds me of, you said the first thing you did with your work as a social worker is you brought the postcards and the coloring and the paper, and that was one of the first ways you were able to engage with people. 

MR: Yeah, and I believe that because I have seen that with the survivors of acid attack, I have seen that with the homeless people, the sex workers, and, many other marginalized communities that we work with. Visualization is very important.

Then sustainability: this is the challenge for Bangladesh. We are from Delta and we have very fertile land, but also it’s very prone to disaster. And therefore, it’s very important that we connect this land, the fertility, with wellbeing. Wellbeing always give that fruitation that brings something meaningful into our life. And then also with disaster: we have resilience. We build our resilience. Life has adversity. It will continue like this, but the resilience that we are creating and the way we are supporting the whole nation is supporting each other. That’s the model: how to help themselves and in their daily lives. How to create a safe space. How to live without fear. Fear is a big issue limiting us. So it’s very important that we can, we can actually win this fear. So all theses tips and tricks and fun and all these things, I think it’s all together. I feel like it’s created a new energy.,

MR: And with new energy, what is coming next? Or what needs to come next? Or what do you see already emerging? What do you see for the future of this? Because when we talk about wellbeing for social change, it’s well being in two ways: a culture of inner wellbeing for change makers, but also in changemaking. So normalizing the concept within social change, which is already there, but maybe just knowing that a bit more concretely. And also within the social change sector so changemakers and organizations have those structures in place to encourage that. What do you think is coming next in Bangladesh? 

MR: Yeah, it’s important to create a model that can be replicated for the whole country. It has to be cost effective. It can be done with whatever existing resources available. And it is received by the people. What is their aspiration about the next step? It’s important to continue this conversation. Maybe we will start small as like I said, like Acid Survivors Foundation started with a small thing, but that created, as I told you, the National Institute for Burn and Plastic Surgery. And now we have changed the law for mental health from the Lunacy Act. Now we have the National Mental Health Policy, the strategy paper. And obviously one size doesn’t fit everyone, but it has to be from within our local cultural context, the social structure, and the human resources that we have. And I believe that everyone has that capacity, the resources, the ability. We just need to create that opportunity for them. And if we are able to educate and train people, they will be a great resource for the community. And that might be the solution for Bangladesh. 

MV: Monira, you have told us about your work, you have told us about your career, about the amazing things you’ve done, the changes that have been taking place in Bangladesh, you’ve told us about your impressions from the Wellbeing Summit Dhaka… and my last question: You’ve mentioned a few things as you were explaining to us about your work and starting from your times in university to your first role as a social worker, then through the Acid Survivors Foundation, now with Innovation for Wellbeing Foundation. Under all of that, at the heart of your work as a social changemaker, what is your motivation, your inspiration, your dream? Your message to the world? What is there?  

MR: We all are connected wherever we are and whoever we are and whatever we are doing.  It’s very important that everyone is content and happy and living the fullest of their potentials and also that we work as a community, an aware community. And by collaboration, by working together, by supporting each other, we can actually advance much more. We can progress much more. We can do much more for ourselves as an individual, for our family, for our community, for the planet. So this is my aspiration that we really need to looking at Ecological Belonging and we need to connect to the life and the planet together.

MV: Well, thank you so much, Monira , for speaking with me today live in Bangladesh. It’s been a true pleasure. Donyabhat. I hope I said that correctly. 

MR: Yes. Yes. Yes. Very well. Donyabhat.

MV: And we’ll see you soon. Thank you. 

MR: Thank you. Thank you, Madelaine. 

Thank you for listening to this episode of, At The Heart Of It. For more news, research, and stories about wellbeing and social change, visit wellbeing-project.org. The Wellbeing Project is the world’s leading organization advocating for the wellbeing of changemakers and for wellbeing in changemaking. We believe wellbeing inspires welldoing. Thanks for listening and see you next time.