DeepSummary
Christine Schuler Deschryver, a human rights activist, founded City of Joy, a transformational leadership community for women survivors of gender violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It provides a sanctuary for healing and a revolutionary center where women can reclaim their bodies, learn about their rights, and develop as leaders to take back their country.
Deschryver shares five guiding principles that have made City of Joy successful: 1) No woman is beyond restoration, 2) Grassroots women know what they need and should be respected, 3) Women heal in community, not in isolation, 4) Connection with the earth is central to healing, and 5) Art, theater, music, and dance are critical for recovery.
To date, 1,987 women have graduated from City of Joy, becoming educators, entrepreneurs, advocates, and leaders in their communities. They have turned pain into power, isolation into community, shame into self-love, and silence into story, proving that joy is a powerful force against violence.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- City of Joy is a transformational leadership community that helps women survivors of gender violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo heal and become leaders.
- The community is guided by principles like restoring agency, respecting grassroots knowledge, healing through community, connecting with nature, and using the arts for recovery.
- Through these principles, City of Joy has helped nearly 2,000 women turn their pain into power, reclaim their bodies, and become advocates and leaders in their communities.
- Collective healing and community are central to the process of empowering women and promoting social change.
- Joy, defined as care, compassion, and community, is a powerful force against violence and oppression.
- The transformative journey of the women at City of Joy serves as a model for how to help survivors of trauma heal and become agents of change.
- Art, music, dance, and connection with nature play crucial roles in the healing process and restoring a sense of self-worth and agency.
- Grassroots knowledge and leadership from the women themselves, rather than outside direction, is key to the success of the program.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “The history of the country I come from, the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been one of colonizing, disempowering, extracting resources, and removing the people's agency over their bodies, their lands, their hearts, their destinies.“ by Christine Schuler Deschryver
- “City of Joy is a physical place, but it is also a desire, a vision, a metaphor for turning pain into power. And by power, we mean care, compassion, community.“ by Christine Schuler Deschryver
- “We learn from experience that women who have survived the most violent can, with support and training, become the most visionary leaders.“ by Christine Schuler Deschryver
- “The collective healing of women leads to radical political awakening. It teaches women how to lead by learning how to lean, by investing in the whole community.“ by Christine Schuler Deschryver
- “When pain has turned to power, joy is the opposite of violence, a far more powerful force in the world. Love ignited in action.“ by Christine Schuler Deschryver
Entities
Organization
Company
Location
Person
Multimedia
Episode Information
TED Talks Daily
TED
2/24/24
A supportive community is the key to cultivating resilience and unlocking healing. Sharing the story of a transformative recovery program for survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, human rights activist Christine Schuler Deschryver details how her team at City of Joy empowers people to reclaim their lives after trauma and turn their pain into power. (This talk contains a graphic story. Discretion is advised.)