The Cost of Silence & the Power of Change-making Listening | Safa Younes | TEDxJaffaWomen

Changemaking Listening: A Pathway to Social Change

Key Concepts:

• Changemaking Listening: A deliberate practice of deep listening to understand systemic issues and empower marginalized voices, leading to social change.
• Arus Bahar (Bride of the Sea): A women’s center founded in Jaffa, providing a safe space and resources for Arab women.
• Diafa: A cultural hospitality house in Jaffa, run entirely by Arab women, offering immersive cultural experiences.
• Systemic Structures: The social, economic, cultural, and political frameworks that shape individual experiences and opportunities, particularly impacting marginalized groups.
• Inner Voice: The speaker’s internal guidance, crucial for navigating personal and professional challenges and staying true to her mission.

I. The Genesis of a Changemaker: Personal Roots & Early Realizations

The speaker’s journey began in Jaffa, a community rich in culture but also marked by unspoken rules and systemic limitations, particularly for women and minority groups. Growing up, she observed the expectation for women to conform and the silencing of Arab voices on a national level. This early experience instilled in her a profound understanding of the cost of silence – her own needs were often overlooked. This realization persisted through her social work studies and professional life, where she frequently struggled to articulate her thoughts. However, a consistent “inner voice” prompted her to seek a deeper understanding of the underlying causes of this silencing. This led her to pursue a Master’s degree in Social Work with a focus on gender, revealing that the issue wasn’t her individual voice, but rather the deeply ingrained social, economic, cultural, and political structures that marginalized women across all backgrounds. She questioned, “If I, a privileged woman in a respected profession, struggle to be heard, what about those who are less privileged?”

II. From Individual Observation to Collective Action: The Birth of Arus Bahar

Driven by a desire to help unheard women, the speaker initially sought to create a safe space for them. A pivotal moment occurred when a woman in her 30s, seeking support, was turned away from a center designed for young girls, highlighting the lack of resources for adult women. This sparked a research phase, examining existing women’s organizations both locally and internationally. However, she found that understanding the lived experiences of women in her community was paramount. She engaged in extensive listening – with her mother, her friends, and women in local community centers – a process she later identified as the foundation of her “changemaking routine”: research followed by immersion in the field to hear authentic voices.

This listening revealed diverse needs: guidance, education, and a non-judgmental space for sharing. This led to the creation of Arus Bahar, meaning “Bride of the Sea” in Arabic, a women’s center built on the principles of co-creation and responsiveness to the women’s needs and aspirations. Unlike traditional initiatives that ask “What can we do for them?”, Arus Bahar asked, “What would they do if they only had the tools, the support, and the platform to speak up?” The center fostered empowerment circles, leadership development, and campaigns addressing social taboos like early marriage and domestic violence.

III. Expanding the Vision: Diafa and Reclaiming Voice

As the speaker continued listening to the women of Arus Bahar, she noticed a shift from voices of survival to voices of aspiration. This prompted her to pursue a Master’s degree in Business, aiming to create economic opportunities within the center. This resulted in income-generating initiatives, such as a doll-making project, directly benefiting the women. Building on this success, she envisioned Diafa, a cultural hospitality house where visitors from around the world would be hosted by Arab women. Diafa was entirely led by Arab women from Jaffa – from hosting to cooking to providing cultural experiences.

The speaker notes a transformative outcome of Diafa: she, the woman who once struggled to speak in a university seminar, found herself confidently sharing her story with audiences of 80 people, reclaiming her voice and celebrating her culture. She states, “Speaking up led me to share my voice in a way I never imagined.”

IV. Navigating Crisis and Continuing the Cycle: Resilience and Disaster Management

The momentum of Diafa was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and a personal crisis – her husband’s cancer diagnosis. In the midst of this chaos, her “inner voice” shifted, urging her to “pause and take care of yourself.” She made the difficult decision to close Diafa, recognizing the need for self-preservation. However, even in closure, Diafa left a lasting legacy, providing women with practical skills and a pathway to employment.

Following this loss, and driven by her pattern of seeking understanding during challenging times, she pursued a third Master’s degree, this time in Disaster Management. Tragically, her husband passed away shortly after she completed her studies. This profound loss led her to her current work, supporting Arab families who have experienced loss due to violence, suicide, or accidents. She emphasizes that she doesn’t offer solutions, but rather listens to their grief and advocates for systemic changes to address their needs.

V. A Call to Action: The Practice of Changemaking Listening

The speaker concludes with a call to action, inviting the audience to embrace “changemaking listening.” She outlines a three-step process:

1. Identify a meaningful topic: Choose an issue that resonates with you.
2. Deepen your understanding: Gather stories, data, and context to grasp the bigger picture and identify hidden patterns.
3. Immerse yourself in the field: Listen to the voices of those directly affected, paying attention not only to what is said but also to what remains unsaid – the silences and systemic shortcomings.

From this foundation of deep listening, she encourages the creation of spaces where people can be heard, reclaim their voice, and collectively drive change. She emphasizes that social change doesn’t always require grand gestures, but can begin with a single voice refusing to be silenced. As she states, “Sometimes it starts with a small voice that refuses to stay silent.”

Data & Statistics:

While the presentation doesn't contain specific numerical data, it highlights the systemic underrepresentation of women and minority groups, and the lack of dedicated support services for adult women in Jaffa. The speaker’s personal journey serves as a case study demonstrating the impact of systemic barriers and the power of individual agency.

Technical Terms:

• Systemic Structures: Interconnected components of a society (social, economic, political, cultural) that create and maintain patterns of inequality.
• Changemaking Listening: A proactive and empathetic listening approach focused on understanding root causes of issues and empowering marginalized voices to drive social change.
• Empowerment Circles: Group settings designed to foster self-reflection, mutual support, and the development of leadership skills.