Issue link: https://takingitglobal.uberflip.com/i/1355551
C O N N E C T E D N O R T H : A J O U R N E Y O F T R A N S F O R M AT I O N & W E L L- B E I N G 27 TIG & Connected North Staff The last core constituency that has its Well-Being influenced by Connected North is the staff of TakingITGlobal and the program. This coordinating team is made up of educators, youth workers, communications technology professionals, and community engagement leaders, many of whom come from the North. The opportunity to work closely with schools and experts from around the world in service of student Well-Being can provide a form of reward; satisfaction for work well-done. It provides a means for trained professionals in a variety of disciplines to practice their cra with something meaningful and like-minded peers. This also provides a means to develop and demonstrate competence in their work and support others in creating excellence in their work. Confronting the intergenerational trauma felt by those from the North attributed to the school system is a challenge to the Well-Being of TIG staff as well sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly. For those staff from the North, working with schools can trigger memories, feelings, or thoughts that are unpleasant to deal with. For those staff without such connections, secondary trauma can be a threat to Well-Being. In both cases, the exposure to trauma is a challenge to Well-Being and mental health. Staff require support locally and through their network to process and heal from what they witness, feel, and think about. Connected North program staff are also challenged by distance much like the schools they support. With staff located throughout the country as part of an effort to be closer to schools and supportive of the diversity of people and perspectives required to best undertake a program of this nature, staff can feel isolated. TakingITGlobal and its partners oen have to adapt their expectations of what a traditional educator role might be to reflect the diversity of needs – social, emotional, technical, and geographic – that this kind of work requires. Creating opportunities for staff to connect to one another for support is critical.