About the Author
Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in. Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU.
Changemaker Jenny Halse is a perfect example of what happens when you take the time to truly connect with other people and ask challenging questions. I met Jenny at a Coach Certification training with One of Many, an organization centered in the United Kingdom focused on the important work of women's empowerment. From across the room, Jenny's questions clued me in. This woman is a Changemaker!
I'm very inquisitive and I just think, "Well what can I do to change things?" If something doesn't resonate right with me, I'll just ask if we can do things differently so that it feels a bit more comfortable."
In this episode of “On Your Own Terms,” Jenny shares her “Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World”. Watch the video of our conversation, listen to the podcast, and read the summary below!
Homegrown Jenny
I used to take my English literature books and drive up to the top of the hills, walk out onto the edges and just sit and read Shakespeare or read Jane Bronte or Seamus Heaney.
Solution-Focused Jenny
I'm a nurse by background. That's my bread and butter. If you cut me through, it would say “nurse” in the middle of it.
I remember being on the streets of Houston talking to a young lady who was probably about 13 or 14 and she was pregnant. We needed to get her some antenatal care and there were so many challenges that we faced because she didn't have any healthcare options.
Jenny’s experiences in different healthcare systems spurred her desire to strive towards better healthcare on a global scale. She believes that one important way to support good healthcare is to support nurses around the globe. Frontline nurses are ripe for burnout if they don't get the support they need to sustain their energy. For this reason, Jenny has turned her attention in recent years toward nurse education and coaching where her extensive experience and support can trickle out and benefit far more people.
Jenny has provided support for nurses with education in the UK,, Uganda, Somaliland, Sierra Leone, and Malawi. Her goal is to help them build resilience in a sustainable way. When the nurses are better able to take care of themselves, they will be more present for the people they care for.
I feel that Uganda is my second home. I've still got a Ugandan family out there I am in very frequent contact with.
Jenny's Patchwork
Jenny's rich experiences with diverse people began at a very young age. She grew up with the guidance of her teacher mother who taught the local Pakistani community in her hometown of Sheffield. This exposed Jenny to the diverse cultural traditions within the Pakistani community as she learned to celebrate and appreciate their holidays as well as her own.
I remember from a very early age going to celebrations at the school. I must have only been about four or five and I think we went to a Diwali or an Eid celebration, but I remember the smells and the colors and the food. We were always brought up to learn and taste and to celebrate.
I don't feel like I know a country unless I've gone and really explored it through their markets and what type of foods they eat.
Changemaker Jenny
Throughout Jenny's life, she has enjoyed the work of caring for people directly. It was a difficult decision to leave emergency room nursing and providing direct hands-on nursing care in places like Uganda. She shares an example of a moment she realized she had to make a choice.
Jenny was in Uganda to educate the staff, but she kept getting called away to help care for the children in the hospital. Jenny would pause what she was doing and rush down to help.
When that happened, she was not able to give her full attention in either the classroom or the emergency room. Jenny made the tough decision to focus solely on education so she could influence the care of more people than the individual care she could provide personally.
The ripple effect happens when you share knowledge and skills that can then pass on. The care of your students can influence more patients, more young people, and their knowledge can be passed on, too.
Jenny continues to teach so that she can create a ripple effect in the healthcare world, but she tries to make decisions in her business and personal life that can make a difference, too – things like minimizing waste and maximizing relationships.
I think if we were more aware of the little things, it would start to turn the tide. If everyone can just be 1% more consciously aware of what they are doing, then it creates a ripple effect. When we all take our responsibiity, imagine what that could look like.
When you look closely, you can see that Jenny's changemaking efforts address quite a few of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The foundation of her work is built upon Goal #3 – Good Health and Well-Being, Goal #4 – Quality Education, and Goal #10 – Reduced Inequalities.
Her insights allow her to teach countless medical professionals which also advances Goal #9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure and Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.
And finally, Jenny's love of the outdoors and her personal efforts to use resources wisely speak to the importance of pursuing Goal #13 – Climate Action.
Please get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030. Together, we can do it!
CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today!
Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in. Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU.
