31 March 2022

By Rachael Hanley-Browne, President of EMCC UK

I want to address the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, acknowledge the statement made by EMCC Global, and to say that in the UK we hope for an end to the conflict, and for peace and reconciliation between the two countries.

While the war is a tragedy for the people of both countries, we stand with our Ukrainian colleagues. In this situation, we have a deep sense of helplessness, as we cannot actively intervene to support others, and giving money does not satisfy our professional impulse to offer meaningful help.

My initial reaction was to offer our EMCC President in Ukraine peer-to-peer coaching support, but she told me that her colleagues’ comments were, ‘We are sheltering from bombs, this isn’t what we need right now.’ Quite right. I was concerned about my own need for action and to offer what I know; not what Ukrainians need. I recognise that what I know is limited by my lack of language skills and expertise in conflict driven trauma.

So, this made me reflect more deeply on what we might be able to offer professionally in this terrible conflict, which continues with no resolution in sight. And, of course, the same can be said for numerous other conflicts around the world, and not just in Ukraine.

As a result, I have been exploring with our board an idea for us to talk about in an Open Space setting. I would like us to share what we can do together; how we can put our professional skill sets to use; how we can raise money to help Ukraine; and simultaneously, how we can democratise coaching here in the UK.

I would like to share this idea with you so we can play with it, improve it, or co-create something completely different. We will post the session dates after Easter, and then come together to take action as a profession.

The consequences of the conflict in Ukraine, and in other countries around the world, will have ramifications for months and years to come. This means that we have time to create a response from EMCC UK that will have meaning and impact, and that can be a force for reconciliation and peace. I send love and hope to all our EMCC Ukrainian colleagues.

If you would like to help us get this movement off the ground, please contact me by email.

Image: Johan Nilsson/Unsplash