SERVICE BEYOND EGO

In a room pulsating with eager anticipation, Breauna Dorelus, the Founder and Chief Cause Consultant of Connecting the Cause, USA, embarked on self-discovery and transformation. As we delved into the theme “Do Something Great,” Breauna unveiled the profound insights she gained through her journey, inspiring readers with her wisdom about the potential pitfalls of well-intentioned assistance.

With over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, Breauna was intimately familiar with the complexities of service. Fearlessly, she brought to light the unspoken challenges that often hide within the world of philanthropy – issues like ego, paternalism, and the fleeting nature of what is often labelled as ‘help.’ These issues precisely gave birth to “Connecting the Cause,” a movement committed to reimagining volunteerism.

As she took the stage, Breauna implored us to reflect on our responsibility in safeguarding the dignity of those we serve, setting the stage for a profound shift in perspective. “We are not the heroes of someone else’s story,” she declared with unshakable conviction. “It is acceptable if they are the heroes of their own.” These words resonated deeply, challenging the conventional understanding of aid.

The core of Breauna’s message reverberated with the urgency of self-examination and the imperative of dismantling harmful practices. “I decided to embrace volunteerism so completely that I chose to scrutinize every facet of it, including how it has caused harm,” she confessed. Her words encouraged us to reflect on our actions and their consequences deeply.

Breauna’s call to action was not a call for abandonment but reinvention. “I am not here to compel you to cease what you are doing necessarily,” she clarified, “but instead to encourage you to reimagine how you do it.” Her message was clear: transformation, not abandonment, was the path forward.

The narrative intertwined personal anecdotes with a tapestry of change, shedding light on the hidden biases and practices that often persist within the nonprofit sector. Breauna unveiled a stark truth: “In our efforts to come and address issues, we have inadvertently become a system ourselves, a harmful system that perpetuates negative stereotypes about the communities we serve, effectively embodying the saviour complex.” Her words struck a chord, compelling us to confront the uncomfortable realities of our actions.

However, her call extended beyond self-awareness; it was a summons to champion liberation for all. “If you aspire to achieve something truly great,” she challenged, “your aim should not be to save but to liberate.” Breauna’s words resounded like a clarion call for transformation, which she described as eliminating harm at its root.

As she looked toward a brighter future, Breauna expressed profound hope for a world transformed through collective effort and radical love. “The future of volunteerism will not be bound by loyalty to an organization,” she envisioned, “but will be anchored in dedication to a cause. It will reject paternalism and place the community, not the hero, at the centre.” With these words, she painted a vivid picture of the evolution of volunteerism.

“I will meet you on the other side of freedom and liberation because that is where authentic service resides,” she declared, leaving us with a powerful vision of reimagined service.