The importance of being seen

Thobile Chittenden, network co-lead of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll), speaks with Seán Ó Conláin about her early childhood at the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa and how that experience has influenced her, leading eventually to her decision to join the WEAll global amplification team. Topics covered in their conversation include the importance of people and communities being seen and recognised in order to heal from past traumas and abuses, the frustration generated by attempts to achieve progress within a corporate world which has not changed its core values, and the need to bring about global economic system change in order to support grassroots activism. Thobile and Seán also discussed the recent ‘Art of the Wellbeing Economy’ event that was held in Dublin in December 2025, as part of the WEAll Ireland Hub’s cultural creatives project.