Going to the Source of Cultural Wisdom to Support Wellbeing of Families and Children July 2013 How do you support the wellbeing of families and children? The Community Learning Exchange (CLE) network, sponsored by the Center for Ethical Leadership, believes that communities have great wisdom within them to address compelling issues such as wellbeing. This wisdom resides not only in the positional leaders of the community but in the many different perspectives, roles, and neighborhoods that make up the community. One of the greatest sources of wisdom is in the cultural stories and lessons passed down from generation to generation. For many cultures within the US, this flow of cultural wisdom has been disrupted, particularly in indigenous communities.
We recently partnered with the University of Hawaii School of Hawaiian Knowledge to host a learning exchange focused on reclaiming cultural wisdom as a source of community wellbeing. One of the stories featured was the Makua Initiative from Oahu. This initiative was created when a Hawaiian university, K-12 school, and preschool decided to collaborate on creating pathways for native Hawaiians to succeed through education. Knowing that Hawaiian culture placed great importance on the role of family, they created a nine-month program that brought families together to learn about Hawaiian culture and how families are a key source of essential knowledge. “We wanted parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, brothers and sisters to learn together,” said Ileana Reulas, from the University of Hawaii. The initiative offered a series of talks and discussions about genealogy, storytelling, and land, and asked each participating family to interview their oldest living family member.
These discussions brought the family closer and deepened the respect for the stories of the elders. This process also elevated the role of culture and education. “By exposing families to quality learning, we hope to increase their interest and access to post-secondary learning opportunities,” says Maenette Benham, Dean at the University of Hawaii.
The CLE in Hawaii was powerful because the relationships the Center has developed over the past decade helped to convene an exciting mix of communities. The Center and the University of Hawaii brought together teams from the Salish/Kootenai, Lummi, Seneca, White Clay, Acoma, and Laguna tribal nations; National Rites of Passage Institute; Llano Grande Center; and groups from across the Hawaiian islands.
The CLE provided the time and space for communities to form their partnerships and think about how claiming their culture more boldly could help them better support family wellbeing. Lisa Pakele, Program Director for parent participation in a Hawaiian preschool, said, “We had the time to dialogue and dream build…to honor our stories…and to learn from others around the world.” This matters because “the way we strive and grow is through relationships with others.”
To learn more about the Hawaii gathering, visit the CLE website. The next Community Learning Exchanges are:
We recently partnered with the University of Hawaii School of Hawaiian Knowledge to host a learning exchange focused on reclaiming cultural wisdom as a source of community wellbeing. One of the stories featured was the Makua Initiative from Oahu. This initiative was created when a Hawaiian university, K-12 school, and preschool decided to collaborate on creating pathways for native Hawaiians to succeed through education. Knowing that Hawaiian culture placed great importance on the role of family, they created a nine-month program that brought families together to learn about Hawaiian culture and how families are a key source of essential knowledge. “We wanted parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, brothers and sisters to learn together,” said Ileana Reulas, from the University of Hawaii. The initiative offered a series of talks and discussions about genealogy, storytelling, and land, and asked each participating family to interview their oldest living family member.
These discussions brought the family closer and deepened the respect for the stories of the elders. This process also elevated the role of culture and education. “By exposing families to quality learning, we hope to increase their interest and access to post-secondary learning opportunities,” says Maenette Benham, Dean at the University of Hawaii.
The CLE in Hawaii was powerful because the relationships the Center has developed over the past decade helped to convene an exciting mix of communities. The Center and the University of Hawaii brought together teams from the Salish/Kootenai, Lummi, Seneca, White Clay, Acoma, and Laguna tribal nations; National Rites of Passage Institute; Llano Grande Center; and groups from across the Hawaiian islands.
The CLE provided the time and space for communities to form their partnerships and think about how claiming their culture more boldly could help them better support family wellbeing. Lisa Pakele, Program Director for parent participation in a Hawaiian preschool, said, “We had the time to dialogue and dream build…to honor our stories…and to learn from others around the world.” This matters because “the way we strive and grow is through relationships with others.”
To learn more about the Hawaii gathering, visit the CLE website. The next Community Learning Exchanges are:
- July 25-28 -- The Art of Leadership: Youth Adult Partnerships hosted in San Marcos, Texas.
- October 10-13 – School Leadership as Community Engagement hosted in Whitaker, North Carolina.
Creating Inclusive School Community: the Power of Circles Process
Naming a Director of Diversity position shows institutional commitment to equity. It can also feel like a bit of a set-up. People can look to this role as being responsible to fix the many ways race, gender, class, and other differences have been treated inequitably in our society.
Jabali Stewart welcomes this opportunity. As Director of Diversity and Community Building at the Bush School in Seattle, Jabali knows that this work needs to be broadly claimed by the school community. He is giving diversity work a personal frame. He says we need to ask, “…not what is the school doing but rather, what am I doing?”
That is why Jabali, who learned about the circles process at the Center, is weaving the circles process into the relationships and conversations at the school.
Circles provide the opportunity to talk about issues people don’t normally want to talk about. Circles create the time and space for people to reflect and speak about how they actually feel about the topic. Jabali has noticed that even those usually hesitant to talk speak up. In the process, “people see each other better and listen to each other better.”
One of the strengths of circles is shifting from dialogue and back and forth exchanges to each person sharing their story. People listen without responding, offering respectful attention to each person. The collective wisdom of the group emerges. There is deeper understanding of the topic and each other. Relationships become stronger and the community becomes more cohesive.
Jabali is encouraged by how the circles are providing students with a way of being together. Students recognize the value of the process and will ask for a circle to talk about particular issues that arise. Circles are being used throughout the Bush School – in faculty discussions on identity and diversity, student groups discussing “how to be together” on experiential trips, and classroom settings. Plans are underway to incorporate circles into the work of the Upper School's administration team.
It is not easy to talk about the ways we feel diminished or left out because of race, gender, class or other identities. Yet, the capacity of the Bush community to talk about difficult issues is increasing. At a student retreat, one long-time staff member known for his reluctance to share personal experiences was moved to tears by the level of open and authentic storytelling and the mutual caring and support he witnessed. This emerged from a circle on how race, gender, and class have impacted students’ sense of belonging.
A collective ownership is emerging as people are increasingly working together to create the kind of inclusive, equitable school community they want. Overall, the mindset is changing. “When people see incongruities, they are taking on the change.”
Jabali Stewart is a member of the Circles Initiative Steering Committee at the Center for Ethical Leadership. Circles can be used anywhere there is a need to build trust and transform relationships.
Naming a Director of Diversity position shows institutional commitment to equity. It can also feel like a bit of a set-up. People can look to this role as being responsible to fix the many ways race, gender, class, and other differences have been treated inequitably in our society.
Jabali Stewart welcomes this opportunity. As Director of Diversity and Community Building at the Bush School in Seattle, Jabali knows that this work needs to be broadly claimed by the school community. He is giving diversity work a personal frame. He says we need to ask, “…not what is the school doing but rather, what am I doing?”
That is why Jabali, who learned about the circles process at the Center, is weaving the circles process into the relationships and conversations at the school.
Circles provide the opportunity to talk about issues people don’t normally want to talk about. Circles create the time and space for people to reflect and speak about how they actually feel about the topic. Jabali has noticed that even those usually hesitant to talk speak up. In the process, “people see each other better and listen to each other better.”
One of the strengths of circles is shifting from dialogue and back and forth exchanges to each person sharing their story. People listen without responding, offering respectful attention to each person. The collective wisdom of the group emerges. There is deeper understanding of the topic and each other. Relationships become stronger and the community becomes more cohesive.
Jabali is encouraged by how the circles are providing students with a way of being together. Students recognize the value of the process and will ask for a circle to talk about particular issues that arise. Circles are being used throughout the Bush School – in faculty discussions on identity and diversity, student groups discussing “how to be together” on experiential trips, and classroom settings. Plans are underway to incorporate circles into the work of the Upper School's administration team.
It is not easy to talk about the ways we feel diminished or left out because of race, gender, class or other identities. Yet, the capacity of the Bush community to talk about difficult issues is increasing. At a student retreat, one long-time staff member known for his reluctance to share personal experiences was moved to tears by the level of open and authentic storytelling and the mutual caring and support he witnessed. This emerged from a circle on how race, gender, and class have impacted students’ sense of belonging.
A collective ownership is emerging as people are increasingly working together to create the kind of inclusive, equitable school community they want. Overall, the mindset is changing. “When people see incongruities, they are taking on the change.”
Jabali Stewart is a member of the Circles Initiative Steering Committee at the Center for Ethical Leadership. Circles can be used anywhere there is a need to build trust and transform relationships.
Planning a Confluence Using Network Principles
Karma Ruder and Pat Hughes share their experiences in this ongoing design process.
The success of Nourishing Networks has taught us that network principles are a powerful way to liberate energy and gifts towards finding creative solutions to address a shared challenge. Through the Nourishing Networks initiative, we have been able to work with five local communities to develop innovative approaches to getting food to hungry people over the past two years. We are very excited about having a Confluence this fall to share what we are learning and to learn from others. The theme is “Networks in Play: Practices that Ignite and Nourish the Common Good” scheduled for October 23-25, 2013.
We are using network principles to design the Confluence, to walk the talk. However, it didn't start out that way. Instead, the planning began as it always has for Confluences, by inviting very talented people who represent different interests in the community and with some knowledge of working in networks. Our colleague Deborah Meehan, from Leadership Learning Community, immediately challenged us to let go of our traditional planning processes and plan the Confluence using network principles.
What would that mean? First, it meant breaking open the planning process by making a wide open invitation to anyone with a passion for working and learning in networks, and trusting that whomever came would bring great gifts. Part of this approach was to make the process fun and playful, so that people would want to join us rather than trying to convince them that it was something that they ought to do. WOW, did we get a great group! Those shaping the Confluence are already using networks to tackle hunger on the Eastside, to fight racism, to improve sustainability, to explore biomimicry, to advance economic development, to work in philanthropy, to liven up the local music scene, to grow community, to support people aging, and to create an organization fully based on network principles. And we have a strong contingent committed to understanding what kind of leadership supports a thriving networked environment.
At our first gathering, we planned to give an overview of the project and then let people pick their small group or task to focus on. Our interest was to protect their time. We had also explained that the foremost principle of thriving networks is working through the currency of relationships. Immediately, our group said, “This is a very interesting group of people and we want to get to know each other better before we focus on tasks. Let’s have a bunch of soirees!” So, we scheduled four 90-minute evening sessions designed to share learning and perspectives about working in networks. These were followed by an hour of social time for story-telling, discussion and relationship building. The evenings were energizing, a lot of fun, and more people joined as we went on. Over the course of those gatherings, the group got clear about the important elements to include in a successful Confluence, and generated lots of ideas about how to make all of that happen.
Now we are in the process of using two other principles to advance the design – taking ownership for what we love and following through on our commitments. We are still in the design process and are honoring the network principle of trusting the community to make great things happen. Given our design community, we know that this is going to be a great Confluence!
If you would like to know more please contact Karma Ruder at 206-328-3020.
Karma Ruder and Pat Hughes share their experiences in this ongoing design process.
The success of Nourishing Networks has taught us that network principles are a powerful way to liberate energy and gifts towards finding creative solutions to address a shared challenge. Through the Nourishing Networks initiative, we have been able to work with five local communities to develop innovative approaches to getting food to hungry people over the past two years. We are very excited about having a Confluence this fall to share what we are learning and to learn from others. The theme is “Networks in Play: Practices that Ignite and Nourish the Common Good” scheduled for October 23-25, 2013.
We are using network principles to design the Confluence, to walk the talk. However, it didn't start out that way. Instead, the planning began as it always has for Confluences, by inviting very talented people who represent different interests in the community and with some knowledge of working in networks. Our colleague Deborah Meehan, from Leadership Learning Community, immediately challenged us to let go of our traditional planning processes and plan the Confluence using network principles.
What would that mean? First, it meant breaking open the planning process by making a wide open invitation to anyone with a passion for working and learning in networks, and trusting that whomever came would bring great gifts. Part of this approach was to make the process fun and playful, so that people would want to join us rather than trying to convince them that it was something that they ought to do. WOW, did we get a great group! Those shaping the Confluence are already using networks to tackle hunger on the Eastside, to fight racism, to improve sustainability, to explore biomimicry, to advance economic development, to work in philanthropy, to liven up the local music scene, to grow community, to support people aging, and to create an organization fully based on network principles. And we have a strong contingent committed to understanding what kind of leadership supports a thriving networked environment.
At our first gathering, we planned to give an overview of the project and then let people pick their small group or task to focus on. Our interest was to protect their time. We had also explained that the foremost principle of thriving networks is working through the currency of relationships. Immediately, our group said, “This is a very interesting group of people and we want to get to know each other better before we focus on tasks. Let’s have a bunch of soirees!” So, we scheduled four 90-minute evening sessions designed to share learning and perspectives about working in networks. These were followed by an hour of social time for story-telling, discussion and relationship building. The evenings were energizing, a lot of fun, and more people joined as we went on. Over the course of those gatherings, the group got clear about the important elements to include in a successful Confluence, and generated lots of ideas about how to make all of that happen.
Now we are in the process of using two other principles to advance the design – taking ownership for what we love and following through on our commitments. We are still in the design process and are honoring the network principle of trusting the community to make great things happen. Given our design community, we know that this is going to be a great Confluence!
If you would like to know more please contact Karma Ruder at 206-328-3020.