The phoenix is a legendary bird known for its immortality and cyclical rebirth. Though rooted in Greek mythology, similar creatures appear in various traditions, including Egyptian and Persian myths. Closely linked to the sun, the phoenix is said to gain new life by emerging from the ashes of its former self. Some stories describe its death in a dramatic blaze, while others suggest it perishes and decays naturally before being born again.

We have chosen to name this self-published online paper The Phoenix because it strongly relates to the feelings and experiences many humanitarians have—one of burning out through work and encountering all the challenges in the field, only to remember why we decided to engage in humanitarian work in the first place. The phoenix is an appropriate symbol, helping us understand the transformative process many undergo, and why, despite everything, we feel drawn back to follow our humanitarian calling.

This publication is self-published by the Culture of Care Initiative to raise topics that should be addressed in an organizational culture of care—issues we should not be reluctant or afraid to discuss. The purpose of this initiative is to support well-being.

Topics:

We aim to address topics such as recognition, the duty of care, diversity, inclusion and belonging, the balance between giving and taking, healing and being a healer, and many more. Equally important, and regardless of any particular topic, is your input and feedback on topics you would like to raise. In fact, please let us know what topics interest you most or what you are currently struggling with as a humanitarian. Share your own story and memory.

Subscriptions:

This publication will be made available for free to everyone. We format it in a way that is easy to distribute electronically and readable on a phone screen. You can subscribe by emailing us at phoenix@culture-of-care.org and letting us know whether you would like to receive it by email or via a messaging service (WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, etc.).

Language:

In order to make this publication as accessible as possible, we are starting by publishing it in both English and French. For the time being, both languages are mixed, but please let us know if we should arrange it differently to make it more easily readable. Additional languages may be added in the future. Some articles are available translated into the other language, and can be accessed through the website.

Contributions:

Your contributions and input is very welcome. As a platform, we aim to provide inspiration, links to resources, encourage dialogue, and offer space for your own messages. This includes articles, anecdotes, inspirational stuff (poems, etc.), photos, personal stories, resources, letters to the editor or anything else that is helpful as ‘Food for thought’ for humanitarian workers. We prefer it to be personal, written from a point of view that takes into account your own authoritative first hand experience – as ‘news’ and ‘sector analysis’ can be gotten from many other places.

To contribute, please send us your story, image(s), or letters to phoenix@culture-of-care.org.