Migration & Transformation: Lessons from 2025

We live in a world where it’s hard to listen.

Too much information, too much choice. So many precautions to take to be sure of what’s true, what’s false and what’s in between. So much apprehension of the consequences of getting something wrong publicly.

But getting through the blur of our info-filled world can only come from getting back to that simple act: we need to listen again, to ourselves, to others. To slow down. To take time to question what we think we know, to ensure we’ve understood each other correctly. To revel in the discomfort of silence so we can hear own thoughts again and let ourselves develop our points of views.

Working at/with/for PLACE has been a constant reimagining and practice of how to listen for me. How to listen better, longer, just… more. How I can decenter my own thoughts, stories and reactions in order to let other voices bloom and take up space they’ve not been able to take thus far.

During one of the trainings we facilitate, we have people tell each other stories while sitting back to back. The catch is that when one person is telling their story, the other isn’t allowed any kind of reaction. Not an « mmm », not a « Really? », not a « Oh, that also happened to me ! ». Nothing, for a few minutes.

It’s a challenge.

But it’s also a very eye-opening experience. It reveals all the words we say over another person’s in order to show them we’re listening; all the times we want to bring what they’re saying back to our experiences; all the times we want to interrupt. Not that these reactions are bad—it’s a good thing to want to interact. Still, what a pleasure to hear a story told in one long go, entirely the way the person telling it intended. And how amazing it is to have time to think about what you want to share with another person in detail, and say it in your own time, in your own terms. It’s the simplest experiment but feels like a healing moment.

Telling your story just as you want to brings you to a place where vulnerability and strength overlap. You uncover yourself fully to another person, yet your words can anchor you if things get tough. That is why getting to listen, with both ears open and brains fully tuned in, creates such a powerful link between people.

That’s the kind of community-building experience I envision when I get ready to host an event for PLACE. One where we have space to open up, have the time and patience to listen, where we care for the words we exchange. Afterwards, I hope we spread that spirit around, in our friend groups, our families, our workspaces.

Let’s rebuild a world where we’re excited to listen.