Jen

I dreaded the subject.

I am not good with group works; I am not a people person.

The first meeting did not help as everyone was so intense and me, being aloof and awkward had to bear the intensity of the discussion.

It was like that for a couple of meetings; it was one of the many subjects I do not wish to go to (and believe me I have a lot of courses I don’t want to attend, and Research Seminar by far belongs to the top 3).

Then bowling happened. It was ‘nice’, though I have never bowled in my life and I refuse to waste my money engaging in an activity I know nothing about. But it was a ‘nice’ experience. I say nice because everyone was polite and to me, it seems that the group is going out of their way to get along and find or figure out the group rhythm that we should have had weeks before.

I think it was the tedious process of finding who will be our actor is the reason why we bonded, initially, there were promising prospects but as different considerations were made, each of these possible actors was shelved.

We had Globe Aroma as our actor and the organization was welcoming and accommodating (thanks to Holi for pursuing the organization), incidentally, this is also a trying time for them as well as their immigrant networks. The recent police raid posed a threat, which raised the notion; If cultural and artistic operators can no longer organize moments of the encounter without the police intervening, then the goal is compromised and fear and polarisation reign... That is not the way to go.

The group was able to explore the aftermath of the incident and observe how the organization cope with the trauma brought about by the raid. This kind of ‘crack-down’ has been a worldwide trend for 10 years now, it is a problem in Asia, in Latin America, the United States, and now in Europe. The civil society organizations (CSOs) have long been battling this challenge known as the shrinking space of CSO’s. For the last decade, civil society movements have faced increased restrictions when trying to carry out their work. Just like what happened with Globe Aroma, governments are establishing legal and administrative barriers, making it more difficult for CSO's to operate.

Our group grew closer because of our shared principle on respect towards human rights, non-violent direct action, and the use of art in expressing opinion. Towards the end, each of us is already familiar with each other’s strength and weaknesses. For me, my role in the group, has become second nature.

I must admit finding your role in a group is not an easy task, but once you find it, it does bring a lot! In my case, it has given me a sense of purpose. I have to outrightly admit that I am not the brightest one in the bunch BUT my technical knowledge came in handy. Not only did it gave me something to do it made me do something I love and good at.

So about me not being a people person...there are instances that I can reconsider.