CANADEM

Trusted since 1996. Mobilizing experts worldwide.

Jobs Portal
Join Roster
Menu

Now What – Moving On

Home > Notes Posts > Returning Home > Now What – Moving On

Now What – Moving On

April 23, 2026

Thank you for being with us through this series of CANADEM Notes.  We have given thought to anticipating the mission, some of its challenges and rewards and the prospect of coming home or moving on.

What will we do now?

Life is a journey.  More international work may lie ahead on our path. We might decide to change professions or to find ongoing work at home, informed by what we learned and experienced.  It could be the moment to spend time on something more inward looking.

Whatever we decide, it is in the context of the challenging era within which we are living.  The times and the negative forces acting on the world can tempt us into numbness, a feeling of disempowerment, of hopeless discouragement.  We must remain alive.  Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” We might add to that “Never doubt that thoughtful, committed individuals are the force of life within those groups.”

We are among those individuals. In whatever expression it may take, we will continue to follow our callings to serve.

What I have learned from you

Take care of yourself.

One time in a leadership position I was starting to feel overwhelmed.  I took a course in time management, thinking it would help.  To my surprise, the first exercise was to draw a mind map, the image of a pie with “my most healthy, productive self” as the label in the centre of it.  The labels in the sections of the pie included physical, mental, material, spiritual, intellectual and relationship. Nowhere did “work” appear.  The instructor’s point was that without all of these being healthy and balanced, our capacity to function effectively and resiliently would be constrained.

The invitation was to assess how I was doing in each wedge, to identify where I felt least fulfilled or empowered, and take steps to strengthen myself in those areas.  I focused more on sleep, exercise and the quality of what I was eating.  I started making music with friends once again. I joined a book club. I changed some spending habits.  All of these (over time – it was a gradual process) started making me feel better and do a better job as a manager.

At this time of transition in your own life you might find a similar exercise useful.  Take care of yourself first.  Put on your own oxygen mask.

Microdose hope

Each day the news leaves me shaking my head with the newest updates on conflict, climate or contrary political leaders and their impact.  It is hard to avoid despairing.  I recall the quote from Brene Brown in an earlier Note in which she described hope as an antidote to despair, and positive actions as a way to manifest hope. “Right now, the thing that is helping the most is micro-dosing hope. … I am asking myself how I can support the people around me. The people on my team, in my community. How can I make sure that, in the maelstrom of my emotions, I stay committed to courage, kindness and caring for others regardless of choices made by others?”

Build Community

A quick internet search on the topic of resilience produced this quote: “Community resilience is an essential paradigm in an age marked by unprecedented natural and anthropocentric risks.” Communities of all kinds – municipal, sports, music, reading clubs, theatre, spiritual or other enable people to withstand challenges more effectively.  It is true for the collective and also for the individuals within the group.

In this moment of transition in our lives we may have lost touch with our communities or have moved into new ones.  After my first international mission I found myself isolated for a long time.  It was only after finding people with whom I shared common interests and activities that I regained my sense of connection, worth and strength.

I also learned that I became stronger and had a better time if I chose groups within which I could learn and grow.  Nobel Laureate James Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA structure, attributed his success to the strength of others.  His advice: “Don’t be the smartest person in the room!”

Mentor

That said, we have had the privilege of learning, often through mistakes.  We have also learned from those ahead of us on their professional and personal paths and from those at earlier stages who have fresh insights and energies.  An important role for elders is to share what they know with others.  It is important to be an elder, even if a young one.

 

Once again, thank you for all you have done and been. We wish you strength along your path, wherever it may lead.

↩ All Notes

Tools for Re-Entry: Process the Past … Plan the Future

A practical guide to processing difficult memories, letting go of what no…
Previous

Recent Posts

Preparing to Leave

Practicing Safe Stress: Introducing CANADEM Notes

April 23, 2026
An introduction to CANADEM Notes and the role they play in helping deployees build resilience, manage stress, and…
Continue reading
Preparing to Leave

The Home Front: Family and Friends While I Am Away

April 23, 2026
A thoughtful look at how missions affect loved ones at home, with practical reminders on staying connected, preparing…
Continue reading
Preparing to Leave

With Eyes Wide Open: Planning to Stay Safe

April 23, 2026
Practical advice for staying safe while travelling and working abroad, from preparing documents and packing smart to developing…
Continue reading
Preparing to Leave

Take Two Aspirins: Planning to Stay Healthy

April 23, 2026
A practical guide to protecting your health on mission, covering travel preparation, illness prevention, useful medications, and simple…
Continue reading
Preparing to Leave

What Happens in Vagus: Planning to Stay Sane

April 23, 2026
An accessible reflection on stress, the vagus nerve, and simple ways to calm the body and mind through…
Continue reading
Getting the Job Done

Our Reaction to Being There: The Ups and Downs of a New Job

April 23, 2026
A practical reflection on culture shock, adjustment, and the emotional ups and downs that often come with settling…
Continue reading

CANADEM

CANADEM is an international not-for-profit NGO dedicated to advancing international peace and security through the rostering, rapid mobilization, and mission.

Respect for the environment
An ever-increasing awareness that caring for the environment is the responsibility of us all, regardless of our area of expertise or profession, has propelled CANADEM to place more focus on our own global footprint as well as that of our sector. During this Period, we have embarked on a challenge to enhance our learning regarding the environment and how we interact with it – including efforts to create a baseline and targets for improving how we deal with our natural environment. We are therefore making a conscious and transparent effort to measure and manage the way we affect the natural world around us, hopefully becoming better caretakers along the way.
Impact Driven
CANADEM has always valued the positive impact we make in the world as a foundation of our work. It is this guiding principle that has led us to form lasting partnerships, in support of other entities, if we feel they can add greater value than we can at CANADEM. Searching for our comparative advantage, while avoiding falling into a simple race to find funding opportunities, is therefore essential to CANADEM. As we see an increasing number of individuals suffering from the consequences of conflict in the world, and prepare for even greater numbers of environmental disasters, the need to prioritise the areas where we can make a real difference and combine our efforts with like-minded entities, is vital to achieving success.
Efficiency
The objective of CANADEM’s leadership has always been to find the most innovative and cost-effective ways to contribute to communities in need, and not to place the growth of numbers and our budgets at the centre of our efforts. As a result, we have adopted a light footprint in terms of our human resources complement and infrastructure, making use of the latest technology, and empowering our small team to be as innovative and flexible in solving problems as our procedures allow. Our structures allow us to scale up and down as required, and for staff to work in different teams, according to the needs of the moment. Our 30 years of experience has taught us what our core capacities are and how to allocate precious resources.
Accountability & Transparency Values
From CANADEM’s earliest beginnings as a Government of Canada project, and during its rapid evolution into an independent NGO with its roots in international service, the principles of accountability and transparency have been a component of CANADEM’s DNA. Accountability for the use of public funds has been incorporated into procedures that needed to respond to the high standards of government. Transparency has been the vehicle to ensure the vital accountability that CANADEM maintains. CANADEM’s headquarters team is a well-trained group of committed individuals who believe in the important work they do – including the conviction that providing the best value possible to the communities and donors we serve is a primary component of our job. CANADEM’s rules and procedures are therefore established to ensure that every step of the way we are confident of our work, and can demonstrate its efficiency and effectiveness.
People-Centered Values
Our work is about deploying people to help people. It is therefore of paramount importance to us that we are all relating to individuals in our chain of service delivery in a way that is respectful, understanding, considerate, and that brings out the best in us. Our internal working context is designed to foster humanity, fairness and support among our staff, which in turn aims to foster those same qualities among the experts we deploy. We have invested in a team of individuals (our Duty of Care Team), who provide a safety net for those experts we deploy. By taking care of our staff members and our deployed experts, we ensure that we have an effective flow of communication between all aspects of our operation. Our experienced and motivated staff feel supported, and are in turn able to support our experts in times of stress and prevent any potential problems from occurring.
Diversity & Inclusion Values
Ensuring an inclusive workplace that integrates diversity in terms of gender, language, culture, ethnicity and religion, is of prime importance for CANADEM both internally and with regards to our work with partners. We have made significant progress in attracting experts from 178 countries around the world – including from countries that are recipients of international assistance – so that a diversity of perspectives, understanding and expertise may be integrated into all operations that CANADEM supports. From our fair and transparent selection process, to our supportive Duty of Care Team (which ensures that individuals deployed have the resources they need to feel comfortable and confident in their work), we have invested significant energy in fostering diversity and inclusion within our roster system, in our election monitoring deployments, and in our own direct implementation of programming, at headquarters and in the field.
Partnership Values
The majority of our experts work within the assistance operations of our partners. Partnership is therefore of primary importance and value to us, and is key to the way we operate. Our many long-term relationships with other actors have been forged by promoting trust and understanding. The ability to work together with other actors, and not in competition, has allowed CANADEM to enhance the work of governments or organizations by injecting vital expertise, and targeting it where it is needed most. We believe that we can create a greater impact, when we work in partnership.