Assalamu Alaikum (peace be unto you) everyone,
This week we were honored by Ms. Tiffany Brown, who came to speak about her experience running the Detroit Food Academy and Developing Despite Distance and the importance of self-care. Her presentation about self-care was enlightening. In my time in Detroit and experience working with nonprofits, I never considered how critical self-care is in keeping nonprofits floating. When I managed my own nonprofit organization (kaetutoring.org), I felt responsible for committing all my time to the organization. When I took breaks or went offline for a little, I felt guilty because I could’ve used that time to improve the organization and enhance its impact. Ms. Tiffany Brown explained that taking time to care for yourself and taking those little breaks here and there is more beneficial for your organization than forcing yourself to grind day and night. I wish I had known about self care’s importance when running my own organization. Even with the Southwest Detroit Community Justice Center, few people understand the importance of self-care. My mentor LaNeice Jones, for example, is constantly working to ensure she gives the organization her all. To put this into perspective, she took work calls and answered emails even while on vacation and outside of Michigan. All nonprofit workers and leaders need to care for themselves and not continuously work when needing a break.
Walaikum Assalam (and upon you be peace),
Ahmed
Ahmed, Tiffany’s talk about her work with the two nonprofits, her social justice journey, and how she sustains her passion and ability to continue her path through self care, made a strong impression on me as well! I appreciate that you are understanding the need for your own self care, and also your very caring observations about the folks at your site. However, I do think self care can look different for each of us. What you need may be different than what others need. The fact that your mentor took a vacation (even if they did some nonprofit work while on vacation) does sound like they’re “refilling their cup”. I think the main thing is to be intentional about self care but each of us may find ways to do that differently. Thanks Ahmed!