What is the United Nations we need? a trauma-informed voice
Now more than ever our voices matter. Click here to access the original UN75 Message, and below is a copy of my message commemorating the UN’s 75th anniversary:
Earlier this year, I stood in the living room of Eleanor Roosevelt’s home in New York City at a fundraiser where I shared about my work on gender equality. In particular, I shared a trauma-informed approach to mental health diversity, inclusion, and belonging after life-altering events.
My name is Cecilia Maria Cardesa, and I am the Founder of TraumaVenture. Standing in Eleanor Roosevelt’s living room was a moment decades-long and many generations in the making:
Speaking for me has been a long time in the making based on growing up in a dictatorship where voices were politically silenced.
Speaking for me has been a long time in the making as it has been difficult to express myself after psychological trauma altered the chemical composition of my brain and my communication abilities.
I spoke through my grandmother’s sage counsel and my mother’s belief in dialogue and transformation.
I want to thank Eleanor Roosevelt for her courage, resilience, and conviction. Her steadfast conviction gave young girls like me hope that the United Nations would listen to the quiet whispers at night for peace amidst the loudest noises of charismatic oppressors.
TraumaVenture’s philosophy is a person-centered design approached through the lens of phenomenology; We (I) believe space must be held for women and marginalized communities to speak and have their voices heard. By reframing conversations to be equitably represented, we can get to the essence of how to create a path forward.
To the United Nations, please continue to serve as a beacon for freedom, equality, and solidarity.
On this 75th anniversary, we know that no community is immune to issues, challenges, and crises. The next 75 years is today; this moment in time to create a better path for humanity and for the United Nations to be at the epicenter of our interconnectedness.
May peace and good be our compass.
Onward
Dr. Cecilia M. Cardesa
