Research Areas
Reducing Burnout for Community Caretakers
Dr. Wellington Sousa, StFX and Jennifer DeCoste, Founder of FireLoch, will work together to better understand how community volunteers and caretakers experience burnout and what sustainable interventions can be developed to manage or reduce it.
In 2024, a pilot program called the ‘Wingspan Fellowship’ will be launched to engage 15-30 female-identifying contributors from diverse and under-represented communities involved in non-profit and charitable work. The program aims to provide a reprieve from caretaking responsibilities and prevent burnout in the sector.
This research aims to understand how caretakers perceive burnout, identify community resources to alleviate burnout, discover coping mechanisms, and develop sustainable interventions. The research team will engage caretakers in workshops for data collection, mobilize knowledge through various avenues, and evaluate the project’s effectiveness. The ultimate goal is to reduce burnout among caretakers through community-led initiatives.
Project Partners
Program Participant
Fireloch Retreat and Gathering PlaceThere were a lot of emotions that came up over the retreat that were kind of challenging for me to navigate especially when you have that grief feeling after you are starting to come out of burnout.
Program Participant
Fireloch Retreat and Gathering PlaceThe healthy pause to my routine, the calm, time in nature, time to think and stretch (mentally and physically), dancing!, song and response, being well-fed, getting to know other people outside my regular circles.
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