Challenge To Be More by Eseoghene Ajuyah (Nigeria)

My name is Eseoghene Ajuyah. I lead an organisation focused on capacity building, research and documentation, and emotional management. We engage basically in facilitations, workshop designing and implementation, counselling, and support management systems working in support relationships with networks and organisations.

When I was first asked by the Nigerian mentor to attend the TFT trainings I wondered what was in store. What was it about? How would it impact my work and life? I was told a lot of interesting things about the training. How impactful and life-changing the experience could be. The more answers I got, the more my interest to attend grew. I would say that the adage “seeing is believing” has become my experience with Training for Transformation as every aspect of my life has been positively impacted.

Comparing the past with the present

Before my journey with TFT, I had attended some other trainings, but none engaged me closely in terms of the kinds of discussions we had where individuals brought in their perspectives and knowledge to the training process. The TFT trainings was the place where I first-handedly experienced what critical thinking literally meant. I was engaged to think at a deeper level. Where becoming CONCIENTIZED meant that there was more to issues than it appears. Coming into contact with the concepts of digging deeper, listening, identifying with the emotions of others because “emotions are facts” following one of the thoughts of Paulo Freire, the power of co-creating solutions to identified societal challenges were new realities that I encountered in my learning journey.

New lenses to life and learning

All of these gave me a new lens to see and the shared tools in the sessions were like vehicles that conveyed me to find the bridges that connect me with others in my family, community, and the global community. So, what the trainings have done for me is to make me engage as a part of the whole systems that drive society because it is no longer about me as a person alone. Rather I begun to see myself as a part of a bigger reality because everything I learned from the trainings are interconnected. Now I do not do things in isolation. I pay attention to any interventions that I engage with whether it be facilitation, counselling or carrying out research.

The Holon has become a constructive tool or put in another way bible of sort and a guide that helps me to put in perspective everything about myself, family, community, and the work that I do. I am guided with it to always start from within in terms of how I interact with myself, how I engage at the level of my family and how my personal growth journey arising from the learnings I was exposed to with the TFT trainings, challenge me to be more and to do more for myself and how others are affected by my thinking and my doings.

New ways of being and doing

New ways of being and doing following the COVID experience, opened doors for facilitation in the Nigerian space. This experience has been wonderful and life-transforming for me. In working together with other TFT facilitators, and applying the skills and tools gathered from my TFT learnings I find that my skills as a facilitator keep evolving and deepening. The practical application of all learnings gathered from participants is enriching and opens me up to see what other people are doing in their own spaces and how our work together is complementing ourselves to make our nation better. This feeling is particularly about the youth introductory course which is one that I find exciting and exhilarating. Because it offers a connection with a generation that can make the needed changes required for the times ahead. TFT has afforded me the opportunity to be part of the core team that is building others to go out and make impacts in their communities even starting as young people.

Facilitation, counseling, and research my key areas of function have become redefined. My focus has shifted from traditional ideas that I engaged in carrying out my work requirements to becoming more heartfelt and driven. The head, heart, and hand model of achieving visions and goals have guided me to reshape how I engage with my community. For example, where in the past counseling was victim-focused and trying to be a savior all the time, especially for women who are dealing with or trying to live past any SGBV experience. With the TFT trainings I now engage with this particular community differently. By finding ways where they can tell their stories in ways that are empowering for them. By also looking within to draw on their personal strength and grow from their experiences even as they own their stories and do not shy away from how they choose in making their stories to be empowering and honoring for them. Some feedbacks from my sessions are as follows:

“When we have this discussion, I feel like I can take ownership of my life. I have come to realize that my life should not be defined by the experiences I have had but I can choose to grow from my experience with my husband and find my own voice and space.”

“I feel confident and assured that I am important, to myself, my family, community, and the world. I should be comfortable being myself at all times.”

The key thing for me is the need to look inwards to be more and join in pushing forward the interest of my community. TFT has shown me a path that has become for me a lifetime treasure.