AUSTRALIA:
Location: Redfern Sydney
On 23 February, Redfern Oral History was launched on the website - www.redfernoralhistory.org -
featuring stories and pictures of Aboriginal and non Aboriginal people
associated with Redfern in Sydney. Redfern represents many social achievements
and initiatives taken by urban Aboriginal people to defend their human rights.
After the launch, many were inspired to continue this kind of grassroots
storytelling that will enable untold stories to be heard.
Deborah Ruiz Wall deborahwll@yahoo.com.au
Location: Sydney
An new organisation, the Sydney Development Circle, of which a number of ICA
colleagues are members, celebrated International Womens' Day last Thursday
evening. Two well-known elders, who are a part of our ICA family, Aunty Ali,
Biripai, and Eurora Nation Indigenous Elder, and Dorothy Buckland-Fuller, Greek
-Egyptian- Australian, 'Raging Granny' , were the stars! Aunti Ali performed
the most beautiful 'Dreaming' Dance to Welcome us to Country' and Dorothy
captured the imagination of both young and old 'community developers'
present.
Robyn Hutchinson rjhutchinson@optusnet.com.au
Location: New Zealand
In New Zealand a multi-cultural, trans-Tasman facilitation skills course took
place in Whaingaroa Raglan, in the Waikato region. The three days took
participants on a journey that deepened their knowledge and skills for working
cross-culturally, both alongside and as part of their learning of the core
Technology of Participation facilitation methods.
The experience for trainers and
participants was greatly enhanced by the presence of 5 Australians, including a
group of Aboriginal women working to support women in prison. The diversity
among participants, and the experience of following tikanga Maori for the
duration of the course - NZ Maori protocols - meant that a great deal of
learning took place on many levels.
It was another step in our journey of
understanding of the TOP methods and underlying dynamics, the possibilities for
applying them to our own local contexts, and developing appropriate training
techniques towards this end.
Michelle Rush, Helen Ritchie, Tuihana Bosch - NZ -
and Pam Searle - Australia.
Michelle Rush rush.m@xtra.co.nz
NEPAL:
Location: Far Western Region of Nepal
Community Seminars
Geographically, Nepal has been divided into three parts,
mountain, hill and terai.
People living in mountains are facing the problems
like impoverishment, illiteracy, poor health facility and transportation,
unemployment etc. in Nepal. ICA Nepal believes that even backward people have
stamina and potentiality to tackle the hardships by themselves but lack of
self-respect and self-confidence on oneself has debilitated them for the years.
ICA Nepal provided the platform for mountainous community to revel the
potentiality through organising community seminars in 33 places. One days
seminars focused on developing facilitative leadership at the local level,
restoring permanent peace, conflict transformation, initiating development on
their own capacity, social harmony, social inclusion etc. Besides this,
participants of district wise leadership training have been visiting their
nearby houses to disseminate the message. The major aim of the activities was to
create peaceful and justified society providing equal opportunity to all.
Before
we launched the programme, participants in our active coordination had formed a
team of two to four persons and fixed the date, time and venue for raising
awareness to community people. The work of fixing dates, time and venues was
done as per the desire of people. Our staffs couldn't attend to all the sites
but they were present to many of the places. House to house visit programme is
still continuing in these sites.
People felt glad when we visited their house
and sat together for discussion. A thirty-six year old woman from lower class
termed this event as constructive and helpful for her to learn many new things
in her own language. She further requested to launch such informative programmes
Hemant Pokhrel ica@icanep.wlink.com.np
See enlarged picture of above
PERU:
Location: 100 Valleys
Maximo San Roman, former Vice President of Peru, spoke to the participants of
the new AVANZA PERU leadership formation program about the importance of
recovering the culture as the basis of community. The new group of participants
were very excited about this cultural approach, and it is clear now that we have
our finger on the pulse of this nation.
Meanwhile, the proposal for the major
funding was sent off for preliminary approval which is a big step in the funding
process.
Ken Hamje kenh@ica-peru.org
TAIWAN:
Richard West celebrates his 72 birthday on Monday night with a few close friends dropping in.
What a wonderful world we live in!
Gail returns from Tokyo working with a different client than Larry in time for Dick's birthday.
Dick and 3 FCP members began a series of programs with staff and Board of Hwa Kuang Mental Disability Caretaker and Organic Farm Association.
Larry flies in from Tokyo and flies off to Hong Kong and will return on Sunday. He is working with a client and then providing a weekend program for a not for profit group before returning to Taiwan for another week of programs and an Imaginal Learning Program next weekend.
Shawn is taking a hypnosis class and is practicing his homework on his wife,Laura.
Evelyn attends a Family Constellation demonstration with Julia and prepares the April report from the Nepal trip.
Coaching and Mentoring Interchange community of practice, in its monthly meeting at ICA, studied Growing Yourself Back Up, and grounded the concept of regression as it applies to facilitation, coaching and healing practices..
Evelyn Kurihara Philbrook joyful@icatw.com
ICAI:
Location: Montréal
In Montreal this week, we finalized the office lease and hired our Office
Manager, Katie Burke. In addition, I met with the auditor and a potential office
volunteer. Worked with Peter Ellins to send out the February Impact
Report and upload a complete set of new copy to the website, which should be up
in a few days. Also worked on our top priority grant proposals, internal and
external communications plans, and 2008 conference documents.
***
IMPORTANT: Please
remember to submit your 2006 Annual Report contribution by 15 March, if you have
not already done so. It is vital that we have a contribution from every
member! ***
Please note our new office address:
555 Boul. Réne-Lévesque West
Suite
500
Montréal, Québec
H2Z 1B1 Canada
t+1.514.504.1718
f+1.514.287.9687
Sarah Miller sarah.miller@earthlink.net
