Wild travel
Back in transit after two weeks on the road. I had two short nights and a day at home to recharge, see the kids, take in the Vancouver Whitecaps BC Place opener against Portland and try to kick this cold/cough.
Things are busy right now. Most of my work is with faith based organizations, including several United Church of Canada congregations who have engaged me to work with them mostly around finding new levels of engagement within their congregations, or in collaboration with others. I am teaching a lot, on Art of Hosting teams in BC, Ontario, and next year Ireland and Utah. I’m back at SFU on Friday teaching Open Space and World Cafe in the dialogue program there. One of my students from last year had a nice article published about her work using Cafe to open up civic conversation in her town of Oak Bay. That one day course, taught once a year, continues to have interesting results.
By far the biggest piece of work I’m engaged in right now is with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. We are hosting 12 conversations around the United States using the concept of “welcome” as a basis for the organization to reexamine their mission. We are using Cafe as way of exploring ways of belonging and we are engaged with Cognitive Edge to do some significant story gathering and analysis to understand how people’s experiences of welcome can be used by LIRS to discern new strategic patterns.
It’s exciting and interesting work and timely too. We have a lady held two conversations in Philadelphia and Fargo and we are heading to Tampa and Tucson in the new year. Yes Tucson. And I’m hoping we can go to Alabama too at some point so we can dive into the work in the hardest places to do it in the US.
On top of all of that there are little bits of work here and there, an extended piece on addictions related stigma in the health system and a house full of school going children, which is a new pattern for us. I want to blog more and reflect, and I’m just trying to find the time to do so.
Location:Air Canada 142 (YVR – YYZ)
Sounds like lots of cool stuff going on for you. I’d like to hear more about these school-going kids — how did that come about?
Ah these kids, in the best spirit of life learners, both chose to go to school this year. We felt they were old enough to make an informed choice and we supported them 100% My daughter in particular auditioned a number of schools before choosing one and they are both happy and thriving and right in the mode of learning that they always are.
It makes sense for lots of reasons to reframe unschooling as life learning, and in our case it allows for the possibilities that, with careful discernment, a kid can attend school as a life learner and still stay in control of her learning. They are committed to the year, but I would be happy to engage in a conversation with them if they changed their minds in June. It’s about trusting them and supporting them in what they need to do to extend themselves, and this was their choice.
Right on! I love how you’re trusting their instincts about their learning…they’ve had a lot more practice in figuring that out for themselves than most kids their age. I’m sure they’ll continue thriving. Thanks for the update.
Our girls are doing SelfDesign this year, and it seems to be going very well. We’re talking about exploring all available options next year, including school for all three kids (Ezra will be kindergarten age) or some combination of home and school. The middle school is close by, and has a very good French immersion program that starts in Grade 6, so Ivy may take a crack at that.