In 2023, one of my acquaintances, an executive director of a medium-sized NGO, asked me if I would like to be his sounding board buddy (that is, someone who would listen to him and help him when he feels alone in his leadership role). I hesitated only briefly. I was intrigued by the idea of helping someone rethink how they manage their organization and navigate the daily dilemmas and choices they face. That moment marked the beginning of my coaching journey.
Tough emotions
While coaching is a common tool in the business world, it remains relatively unfamiliar within the non-profit sector. Since the beginning of my practice, I've encountered my clients’ feelings of helplessness, anger, fear and anxiety. I understand these emotions all too well. With over 20 years of human rights work behind me, I’ve seen firsthand how relentless the requirements for the non-profit sector can be: missions driven by passion, constant crises, political obstacles, and funding shortages. I’ve experienced this pressure myself: the frustration when a change takes too long, the exhaustion from giving so much while being aware that it is a drop in the ocean of needs, and the pain when our efforts are blocked by external factors, such as restrictive regulations or (just like last time) a sudden withdrawal of funding that was already promised by the donor.
At Araminta, we run a residency program in Berlin, where we provide rest and respite for activists from those places in Europe and Asia where human rights are under threat and being violated. Following conversations with leaders of Ukrainian human rights organizations, I concluded that coaching will create safe conditions for them to strengthen themselves. At the same time, I felt that this way we contribute to sustaining their uphill battle and supporting civil society in war-torn Ukraine.
The need for the right tools
I sensed it wouldn’t be easy, especially given the scarcity of working methods and tools useful for coaching individuals facing trauma, PTSD and burnout. Classic coaching models, when applied in wartime conditions, often seem trivial or disconnected from actual needs. What is crucial are coaching solutions adapted to the context of a permanent crisis.
When I encounter situations of resource scarcity and a lack of support, I am mobilized. This time, it was no different – I believed it was essential to gather and adapt coaching methods that could truly assist plenty of people facing wartime conditions. When I started preparing, a wise man advised me: "Don’t do such things alone." Therefore, I turned to Paulina Jędrzejewska, the CEO of the Culture Shock Foundation, and offered cooperation. It was the best decision I could have made. We both knew it would make the most sense to prepare a group of individuals already working for civil society in Ukraine so that they could support leaders. Thanks to the many years of experience that Paulina and the whole team had, we have created the concept and a training program called Mokuteki.
New perspective
As part of Mokuteki, we adapted coaching tools and anti-burnout practices developed at the Culture Shock Foundation to the reality of crisis. Our training program incorporates knowledge of trauma, burnout and organizational culture. We prepare coaches to support leaders and organizations so that they can better cope in times of crisis and, consequently, civil society is stronger during and after the war. Only such grounded and resilient organizations will be able to truly assist others and survive themselves.
