"Thrive, not just survive."
I want you to keep that phrase in mind. Just surviving and counting days is no way for anyone to live life to the fullest. This thought has been ricocheting inside my head like a rubber ball between two close walls for a very long time.
But how?
How do you go from survival mode to thriving?
Ever since I was placed in Almere, Netherlands, I have been trying to find the answer to that question. I've said it before, many times, even in my posts that I strongly believe that once the fundamental necessities of a person are taken care of, then and only then can they get out of "survival mode."
In the quest of making the transition easier, I have tried quite a few things. I have volunteered with different organisations to make sure that I provide solid foundations of necessities and in a repetitive manner rather than a single one-time flow. Worked on numerous occasions to resolve emergency situations of various scales. I have organised what could be considered the biggest reintegration party in the region for refugees. Created an autonomous structure for procurement of provisions. And soon I'm bringing yet another project to life, which will also be backed by the local city council in the coming week. All for my Ukrainians.
How successful am I in helping people transition from surviving to thriving?
I have no clue. I do not have enough data to give a verifiable answer. But the people are doing better - and that's good enough data to start with.
But I do know my efforts are not being underestimated.
Today, I was invited to an extraordinary panel as an expert by the local council. I was recommended by a member of the largest refugee organisation in the Netherlands and a member of the city council itself. I was invited to consult and provide my 2 cents about the Ukrainian refugee situation and transition. The goal of the panel is to come up with solutions that are more long-term and find ways to have a smooth exit from the short-term solutions.
I do not consider myself any sort of expert, but it turns out my experience and initiatives are very valuable. In this month-long panel, we will together work on various aspects of living as a refugee and try to streamline most local efforts and present new methods that bring a long-term plan to fruition. At the end of the month, the findings of this panel will go in front of various stakeholders, community leaders, NGOs, and the city council. There is a big chance to bring new or changes to laws.
Among many other things, I was very vocal about the current system that feels like it "focuses on eating and sleeping." With such a system in place, refugees can not add any value to the local community, let alone thrive themselves. The Ukrainian refugees are very diverse in skills and qualifications. I proposed, for starters, building community activities that would develop intrinsically from within the community and serve the entirety of it. Apart from that, also setting up new systems in place that would let highly skilled labors enter the labour market. That's not the end of what was proposed. There are still many fundamental services that need to be refurbished for efficiency. I won't go into many details about those.
What do you think this small illustrations mean?
Why has this challenge even appeared?
For one, the war has gone on for much longer than anticipated. Another reason is that Ukrainians have different rights compared to those of regular refugees. This brings up the need to brainstorm new ideas and figure out new plans. After all, it's already more than a year now.
This was the first meeting.
There was a hearty lunch provided. I could not join it since I'm fasting. But considering the lunch break went over 5 minutes than the appointmented time it is safe to say that the food was good.
I was more than surprised to be invited to the panel, let alone as an expert. This panel is also just around 1% of the total representation. The weight of the responsibilities is very heavy as it will shape the future of the Ukrainians here. I am very honoured to be part of this big upcoming change, and it goes to show I have been doing the right things for the people.