My Career: ‘Being part of someone’s journey is a blessing’

Name: Karina Healy.

Age: 53.

Lives: Douglas.

Job title: Lantern Coordinator, Nano Nagle Place.

Salary bracket: €20,000-30,000.

Education background: Diploma, Social & Psychological Health, UCC, Leadership in the Community, Social & Health Project.

Hobbies:Singing, walking the beach in Kerry or any beach.

Describe your job in five words: Fulfilling, meaningful, challenging, rewarding, and a joy

Describe yourself in five words: Content, hopeful, inspired, optimistic, and practical.

Personality needed for this kind of work? Empathetic, kind, event planner.

How long are you doing this job? Nine-and-a-half years

How did you get this job? I was home with my three children as a caregiver for 17 years. I did hotel management in MTU, a dance diploma is Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, and I worked in retail in HMV and Golden Discs before I got married.

When I had the children, I did voluntary work at school as part of the parents’ committee. This gave me great confidence and we did great things, e.g, made music CDs, spoken word CDs, launched and redesigned a website. I could see how important it was to allow a sense of community to be fostered for both parents and children. The power of coming together to celebrate was so powerful in allowing people to be part of a community.

Later, I volunteered for the Social & Health Project and shared the planning of their 40 years’ celebrations. I learned a lot about the impact of their work through the stories that I recorded and collected at that time. The people I met through the process were inspirational.

A few people like Mary Mangan and Jim Sheehan saw my qualities. They encouraged me to go back to college and apply for a job in the work I do today. I did both and never looked back.

Do you need particular qualifications or experience? Your own life experience of dealing with people would be very important. Also, the courses that would be important would be Social & PsychologicalHealth diploma, Youth & Community Work, also an understanding of trauma and the impact it has on lives is essential.

Describe a day at work: I describe my job as loving people, meeting them exactly where they are at. People reach out to us to do community education short courses, and we see if we can walk a bit of their journey with them. We povide a variety of short courses.

Even though you may come to the Lantern, Nano Nagle Place to learn crochet, our main focus is to provide you with a kind, safe, learning space where you are allowed to reflect on what s your wellbeing.

The tutors are all aware of our focus. All new participants that come to us identify as having suffered some level of vulnerability and are on a wellness path.

How many hours do you work a week? Three full days.

What do you wear to work? Dresses.

Is your industry male or female dominated? Male and female, but mostly female.

Does this affect you in any particular way? No.

Is your job stressful? How? Rate it on a scale of 1-10: It can be 1 and 10 depending on the circumstance. We do really care about the people we work with, so we are very impacted when they have difficult news or sad times. We have pressure around trying to make sure we place the right people in the right courses. Sometimes, the events we run can cause stress, but we are a small but mighty team underpinned by an army of willing volunteers.

Do you work with others or on your own? I work with Ger O’Sullivan, the kindest man on earth, and the wider Nano Nagle Place team.

When do you plan to retire or give up working? I will work for as long as I can.

Best bits: Seeing the joy of connection happen. At community events, we see people coming together to celebrate people. To watch individuals learn something they didn’t think they could is just magic. Being part of a person’s journey is such a blessing. You can see when people feel at home or part of our little community. There is evidence of gratitude and a willingness to help another. You sense them wanting to give back to the project in some way and help someone else be part of the project.

Worst bits: Caring about people brings with it a close connection so it’s hard to share sad moments with participants, knowing their struggles. Our clients are older or many suffer with illness, so it’s been very tough hearing that someone who was connected with us has ed away.

Advice to those who want your job? Get good supervision and make sure you have a robust self-care plan in place. Read lots of books to help with your understanding of why people are the way they are. Know this one thing I learned from Dr Karen Triesman - ‘Every Interaction is an Intervention’ - there can be kindness shown in the smallest of ways and that can make a difference to someone’s life.

Any other comments? Creating communities for people to feel part of is so important. Fear and loneliness are destroying individual lives. Give love in the smallest of gestures when you can. It is also really important that the people working in community education each other. As part of this and my own self-care plan, I work with community education providers across Cork city to organise a nourishing, learning half-day gathering twice a year.

Our next event is on the morning of April 24 in Millenium Hall, City Hall. The theme is ‘Community Education Matters!!’ – I can’t wait. 

For more information on how to get involved, Margo Hayes 087 1962023