Client Feedback: New Horizons Academy

In the past two months I have had the privilege of convening what may be for me the most powerful “What One Person Can Do” conversation of the past twenty-five years and I’m not exactly sure why it feels this way. Perhaps it is because this work is so close to me or perhaps it is because we have misjudged the nature of human existence and capacity and therefore created the exact opposite of what was intended in an attempt to be just. Or, perhaps at an even further extreme, in our insecurity, we continue to have the need to feel superior to other people.  Read more…

Early Days: Fifth Ward Enrichment Program

From time to time we have shared and will continue to share, with our client’s permission, highlights of work done together. This month, we are honored to highlight a day spent with The Fifth Ward Enrichment Program.

The Fifth Ward Enrichment Program (FWEP) was begun in one of the most challenging neighborhoods of Houston, Texas over twenty years ago by its current and Founding Director, Ernest McMillan. FWEP is comprised of twenty full and part-time staff as well as countless volunteers who work to create opportunities for young men from that community to achieve and succeed.  Read more…

Namaste – (From the dedication of  “Care of the Soul”*)

“I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth and of peace. And when you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.

The first and last word in this collection of writings is this word, Namaste. It is the most powerful single word I have ever heard. It was taught to me by Marge Knuuti, a nurse and teacher, who heard it on her first trip to Calcutta as a volunteer at the Home for the Dying, established by Mother Theresa. After a long, exhausting trip in the intense heat of the Indian summer, Marge wanted to rest when she arrived.  Read more…

The Roots of Violence part 1, Understanding and Knowing What to Do

The kind of violence that happened at Virginia Tech is completely understandable. Why is it so difficult for us as a society to accept that violence comes from violence? What needs to happen so that people understand that each second is either a positive contribution to a person’s development or a detriment to it? Is it that we are afraid that we have some responsibility in the matter? Examples: Schools, Job Corps, Prisons.  Read more…

The Roots of Violence part 2, Incarcerated People

Nick Groth led me to vast amounts of information. The most important piece he gave me was about why he had been able to get through to these men at Somers. I assumed it was his training, degrees, and his scholarship. Nick assured me they were not it. The degrees were a factor and the critical factor from Nick’s point of view was getting these individuals to know that they are loved (i.e. cared about, valued) and that they are able to make choices. Nick had been successful in separating these men from their behavior powerfully enough for them to realize they were worth something. Why else would a group of men spend an extended day talking with the father of a child that was raped? It must have been like being with the fathers of their own victims.  Read more…