Posted on November 23rd, 2009 by rcalabrese
Dare to Hope - Dare to reject pessimism. Dare to dream of a world where peace is valued, where people reign over profit, where hope in tomorrow drives the way we think, act, and respond to each other.
This world is possible - if we dare to IMAGINE its existence and then to act as if it is real, in real time. To do this, is an action of the heart. In the action of the heart, we reach out to the other, let go of self-interests opting to work for the common good. An action of the heart is one filled with love, hope, and optimism. It is only possible to move into this world if you BELIEVE that it exists. If you doubt, you become trapped in personal fears, anxiety, and myths.
I hope you DARE TO HOPE. I hope you DARE TO IMAGINE this world. I hope you DARE TO BELIEVE.
Filed under: Appreciative Inquiry tagged believe, common good, heart, Hope, IMAGINE, love, myths, Optimism, pessimism
Posted on November 21st, 2009 by rcalabrese
Imagine educators following the lead of scientists that it is more cost-effective to spend money on preventive healthcare than to treat someone with a disease or physical ailment. This might mean reconceptualizing what “life long” learning means. Imagine it meaning from conception to death. Imagine the impact on social diseases such as crime, drugs, special education. This world is possible; it is possible today.
“This has led scientists to predict that soon, governments will realize that it would be much more cost-effective to spend on preventive healthcare than to just treat diseases at their onset.” [Source: Personalized Health of the Future]
Filed under: Appreciative Inquiry tagged Appreciative Inquiry, crime, disease, drugs, education, life long learning, money, social diseases, special education
Posted on November 19th, 2009 by rcalabrese
Appreciative inquiry is “other-centered” moving away from focus on the self to focus on the collective good. In my experience, it works because of the collaborative efforts to listen to the stories of others and recognize in the listening that we are all connected to each other at a deep level. It moves well beyond listening for understanding, it is listening and discovering the self in the other. When that happens, the collective generative possibilities open up, bringing forth a common willingness to set aside past hurts and problems and work toward a hope-filled future.
You can do this today. Develop an Appreciative Inquiry Attitude - Move toward others and discover yourself.
Filed under: Appreciative Inquiry tagged Appreciative Inquiry, collective good, discover, generative, listening, other-centered, past hurts, self, understanding
Posted on November 17th, 2009 by rcalabrese
I am continually amazed and humbled by my brothers and sisters in our global community and their generous hearts. The cable news channels provide us with ample evidence of what is wrong, I assert that good abounds, overflowing, making our world a better place. It doesn’t receive the same publicity as negative news. Mona Purdy is a fellow traveler with us on this planet and she is doing remarkable things with shoes. Ms. Purdy saw children in underdeveloped countries suffering from want of shoes; she understood the pain they felt, and acted. Mona Purdy is a Difference Maker!
Here is an excerpt from the online article. Read the rest here. Shoes Make a Difference - if You Don’t Have them!
ALSIP, Ill. - Mona Purdy, a Chicago hairdresser, has seen what a pair of used shoes can do to change the lives of poor children. At a Jamaican orphanage, girls suffering from deformities and burns couldn’t believe the shoes Purdy had given them were theirs to keep.
“They had not had Christmas, ever. Christmas was giving them these used shoes in March,” said Purdy, the founder of the charity, Share Your Soles, her voice cracking with emotion.
“I’m thinking, ‘I shouldn’t be here. I should be home with my kids.’ After I saw these kids I realized I am so supposed to be here.”
The impetus for the charity began 10 years ago when Purdy participated in a race in Guatemala, where local children put hot tar on the bottom of their feet and ran along the side of rocky course. It was fortified when she learned that in many countries having shoes is a prerequisite for attending schools, and how walking in bare feet can cause injuries and infections that can lead to amputation.
“It blew my mind. I didn’t know kids didn’t have shoes anywhere,” said Purdy, a divorced mother of three, recalling what led her to start the charity in her suburban Chicago home.
Filed under: Appreciative Inquiry tagged Appreciative Inquiry, cable news, children, Christmas, difference makers, global community, good, orphanage, shoes
Posted on November 15th, 2009 by rcalabrese
Congratulations to coach Tressel & the football team. Their hard fought victory over Iowa earned them
a trip to the Rose Bowl. The team grew in stature and skill through the season. They overcame adversity. They overcame the cynics and naysayers. They stayed the course. They gave us an example that failure is temporary and an opportunity to learn and improve. They also showed us that TEAM is a cooperative effort that requires everyone’s maximum contribution focused on a common goal.
GO BUCKS!
Filed under: Appreciative Inquiry tagged adversity, Buckeyes, Coach Tressel, congratulations, cooperative, opportunity, team
Posted on November 13th, 2009 by rcalabrese
Young People Are Difference Makers
Students from a Jewish private school in Salt Lake City are difference makers. The students and their teachers understand “the importance of repairing the earth and being an active part of a neighborhood through serving others.” These students and their teachers are growing together, integrating what is learned in the classroom and applying it to advance the common good. They are a force for good in their community. Here’s a SHOUT OUT to the administrators, teachers, and students of McGillis school!
An excerpt of the online story is below. You can read the rest here: Students doing good.
A sweater-clad army of McGillis School students, wielding rakes and plastic garbage bags, spread out into the neighborhood surrounding the “culturally Jewish” Salt Lake City school last week to chip in at the annual Fall Leaf Haul.
Working in teams, students, grades 1-8, stuffed crunchy autumn leaves into garbage bags for two hours, ridding a stretch of 1300 East and many nearby yards of fallen leaves.
The Fall Leaf Haul supports the school’s philosophy of the importance of repairing the earth and being an active part of a neighborhood through serving others.
The event is also one of the private school’s ways it gives back to the locals who were instrumental in bringing The McGillis School to the community seven years ago.
“We wouldn’t be here without the neighborhood,” said middle school director Sallie Warmath.
After being housed at the Jewish Community Center from 1991-2002, The McGillis School was growing and in need of a new home. It attempted to purchase the old Douglas School building, 668 S. 1300 East, in hopes of a 2003 move-in.
Filed under: Appreciative Inquiry tagged administrators, Difference Maker, difference makers, Earth, force for good, guidance, Hope, Jewish, learning, McGillis, Salt Lake City, shout out, students, teachers
Posted on November 12th, 2009 by rcalabrese
It is possible to imagine a nation of healthy children? It is possible to work toward that goal? Can you imagine what a nation of healthy people would look like? Can you imagine the impact a healthy nation might have on the Federal budget?
A Florida state education official recently called for schools to serve only healthy foods. The school can be a model environment for children as they mature from early childhood through adolesence. Serving only healthy foods and eliminating foods that contain high levels of fat or empty calories is an important step to take in fulfilling a fudiciary responsibility to parents and children.
We can teach children to eat healthy. We can teach children that exercise is fun and good for you. And, we can teach them that learning is an important part of growth. WE CAN DO IT - WE HAVE TO DO IT!
Filed under: Appreciative Inquiry tagged calories, children, environment, fat, Federal budget, Florida, health, healthy children, healthy nation, parents
