A Culture of Care for Human Rights Defenders: Listening, Healing and Growing Together
- kay88857
- Oct 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 10
Ready to Listen, Ready to Support
At Exile Hub, we know that being a Human Rights Defender (HRD) or journalist often means carrying invisible weight — the stress of speaking truth in hostile environments, the fear of surveillance, the exhaustion of continuous care work. For many in our community, safety is not only about physical or digital protection. It’s also about emotional wellbeing, trust, and belonging.
Through this blog, we want to remind our community that our Wellbeing Coordinator, Carol, is available to provide one-on-one counselling and group sessions for anyone experiencing stress, anxiety, or simply in need of someone to talk to.
We’re here to listen, support, and care — because wellbeing is a collective journey.
“Whether you’re experiencing stress, anxiety, or just need someone to talk to, I’m here to listen and support you.”
— Carol, Wellbeing Coordinator, Exile Hub
This is more than an announcement. It’s an invitation to participate in the culture of care we’re building — one grounded in compassion, dignity, and shared humanity.
What Is a Culture of Care?
A culture of care is not just a program, a meeting, or a counselling session. It’s a shared commitment, a way of being together that centers empathy, respect, and mutual responsibility.
For HRDs, journalists, and activists working under threat or in exile, a culture of care becomes a protective ecosystem: a space where people can express fear without judgment, find solidarity without hierarchy, and experience care without conditions.
At Exile Hub, we nurture a culture of care built on three simple but powerful principles:
Trust – What’s shared here stays here.
Consent – Participation is always voluntary.
Care – Every interaction should leave someone feeling safer, not smaller.
How We Nurture a Culture of Care
1. Emotional Safety and Support
We believe that resilience begins with care. Our Wellbeing Coordinator offers confidential counselling and wellbeing sessions to anyone in the community.
Safe spaces for decompressing after distressing experiences.
Group reflection circles to share and heal collectively.
Mindfulness and creative expression as tools for recovery.
2. Respectful Dialogue and Shared Learning
Our programs create room for honest conversations about ethics, digital safety, and storytelling.
Peer-led discussions on responsible journalism and online conduct.
Open dialogues about burnout, solidarity, and setting healthy boundaries.
A culture of listening to understand, not to respond.
3. Healing Through Connection
Resilience thrives in connection. Our community events and fellowships bring people together across borders to find strength in shared stories.
Mentorship pairings for emerging HRDs.
Storytelling and art workshops to process collective pain.
Shared meals and informal gatherings that nurture belonging.
Care in Action
Creating a culture of care means putting empathy into structure.
We co-create community guidelines with participants.
Facilitation is non-hierarchical, ensuring every voice is heard.
We maintain clear boundaries between care and surveillance. No one should ever feel monitored in spaces meant for healing.
This way, care becomes a living, breathing practice — not just a principle.
The Hummingbird Workshop: From Digital Safety to Emotional Resilience
The Hummingbird Workshop, developed by Exile Hub in partnership with Stop Online Harm, inspired much of our current approach to resilience and community wellbeing.
Inspired by the remarkable qualities of hummingbirds, their resilience, agility, and ability to thrive in challenging environments, these workshops equip women with tools to stay safe online and build resilience against digital attacks.
Through interactive sessions, participants learn about different forms of online harassment, including doxxing and non-consensual image abuse, and how to respond safely and confidently.
They leave with practical knowledge:
Comprehensive guides on online harassment and response planning.
Legal and ethical guidelines for reporting and support.
Role-playing exercises to practice responses and build confidence.
But beyond technical skills, the workshops offered something more a shared symbol of endurance.
The hummingbird became a metaphor for women’s resilience: small but unbreakable, always in motion, always adapting.
Today, that same spirit continues to guide our psychosocial care and community wellbeing work.
It reminds us that resilience is not about size or strength it’s about heart, movement, and the will to keep going.
Take the First Step Toward Wellbeing
If you or someone you know needs to talk, remember that Carol, our MHPSS Coordinator, is here to listen.
You can reach her confidentially and take the first step toward wellbeing.
Together, we are building communities that are not only safer online, but also stronger, kinder, and more resilient in spirit.
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