Educate, Empower, Liberate

This is such a powerful statement that I came across whilst working with the Regional Rights Resources Team (RRRT) a human rights based organisation working in and for the Pacific. Since then I have quietly emblazoned this statement in my actions in my personal and career life.

I have come to the realisation that I need to SHOUT OUT & LIVE this statement in my pursuit for my vision for my community and country, which is “A financially secure Cook Islands”. I have written in prior posts about this vision and how it applies in as much to individual Cook Islanders as it does to the nation as a whole.

In my personal journey to create and achieve this vision, I myself must be “Educated” in how to advocate and deliver an inspiring message, I will then be “Empowered” to confidently educate others, which will then make me feel personally “Liberated” to unleash the potential of other Cook Islanders.

The Empowerment Framework and lessons learned/shared in “Returning to My Mothers House…”is imperative to my journey to strengthen my voice as I evolve towards my personal vision. I truly believe, the concerted learnings from being a Voices of our Future Correspondent is the next of my personal growth step(s). The listed five common ways a woman loses her innate female wisdom resounds with how I have felt at various points in my career, more so in my present roles as Managing Director of the Bank of the Cook Islands and as President for Punanga Tauturu, and my last role. Punanga Tauturu is a Cook Islands Womens Counselling centre as well as delivers programs aimed at improving the Legal Literacy of all Cook Islanders (women, children, men, and general community organisations). Punanga Tauturu is also recognised as a leading advocate for national policy making and legislative reform specifically with family law. Now I would like to work on Financial Literacy and see my Vision as the ultimate end outcome of this work.

The “expectation” to deliver and forsaking personal thoughts and desires to fulfil the needs and wants of those around me on a personal and professional level resonate particularly. High expectations I hold of myself also makes me just as much my own worst enemy. I dearly would love to learn the seven practices for taking back the wisdom of the feminine, to utilise and transfer that learning in my personal instructions with others.

I look forward to undertaking this transformative journey with the special women that will be chosen.