201101

[image: FilomenaScalise]

Read this version online: http://transformativechange.org/transform/journal/201101.htmlDownload printable PDF version: http://transformativechange.org/transform/print/201101.pdfThis month's transform.: http://transformativechange.org/transform/?announce-transformonline/

welcomeGoodbye 2010. Hello 2011!

January was named after Janus, a two-faced Roman god who lookedback at the old year and forward to the new year. Even then, peoplewere sorting out how well the previous year had gone and makingresolutions for the new one. All around the world, every culture hasits own version of how to start the new year out right, whether theyfollow a solar or lunar calendar. The Chinese, for instance, cleantheir homes to sweep out bad fortune. Black folks, with ties to theSouth (and white Southerners for that matter), eat collard greens formoney and black-eyed peas for luck. In Japan, people begin the newyear with laughter for good luck.

So, how do you want to start things out? Some of us go full steamahead from midnight on the 1st of January until midnight on the31st of December. Some of us figure it out as we go along. Almostall of us consider how we used to be, what we used to do, and howwe can do it better. In this issue, we include some of the bestarticles of 2010 from transformative change organizations. Thesewere a few great things about 2010. Here's to the fabulous storiesof 2011. Happy New Year!

"Jambo" Kibera Community, Nairobi, Kenya. image: angel Kyodo williams

State of Union:resolution for revolutionINcite with angel Kyodo williams

what's newYES! to Transformative ChangeYES! is known for its globalsupport of young leaders whostrive to make internal,interpersonal and systemic socialchange real. CXC is known for

making inner practice accessible to activists so that theway we do change will change. After Ocean Robbins,who co-founded YES! (Youth for Environmental Sanity),stepped down after twenty years as the organization'sdirector, CXC and YES! decided to develop a strategicpartnership, one that merges the best of eachorganization...

Read more...

in SIGHTHarmony—A New Way of Looking at Our World

Harmony Movie Trailer from Balcony Films on Vimeo.

No video? Click: http://vimeo.com/16441943

Dubbed the "green movie of the year," Harmony airedduring NBC's Green Week. Great Britian's Prince Charlesreveals himself to be a powerful advocate not only forthe environment, but for a "new way of looking at ourworld." The film takes a realistic look at theenvironmental challenges we face but also sharescompelling solutions, including a peek into theunderstatedly transformative approach of Forest Ethics.

Forest Ethics

state of union | transform. | january 2011 http://transformativechange.org/transform/journal/201101.html

1 of 6 1/6/11 1:00 PM

[image: Sue Neal]

Here we are in October again, just a few shortweeks from Election Day.

I wake up to the increasing darkness ofOctober's mornings with a start. Each month, Idecide what ideas, thoughts or challenges I'lloffer for people to consider with head, heartand spirit unifying for a call to action. Clearlythere is no shortage of topics and issues. The

great challenge is to select one that is both timely and transcendent.

With that criteria in mind, I can see there is nothing more important tosay right now than to implore each and every one of you to show up, toengage, to stay in the game of this strange democracy by rallying everybit of energy you can to vote...and to encourage every one you know tovote, too.

I call upon our self-proclaimed Progressives, still comfortable being"liberal," who stalwartly make the clarion call for all things being equal:rights for women, gays, im/migrants and for all things being civil: End theWars, Be the Peace, Bring the Troops Home.

I call upon us fierce Independents who demand fiscal responsibility,accountable government and a pause on the party politicking that revealsour politicians' shortage of integrity while getting the rest of us no whereat all.

I call especially upon us Revolutionaries that see through the gapingcracks in the very foundations of this system. We feel reluctant tocontinue to build our hopes for real change—to rest our dreams forsurvival, security and self-determination—upon a structure that has beenflawed since inception. We see our unwanted, cast aside and cast outbrothers and sisters peering through from the other side of borders,reservations, jail cells, and deeply-drawn lines of poverty. We, above all,must remain determined to reclaim them and reconstitute a systemreluctant to release old habits of thriving upon the least resourced of usall. To do that, we must stay in the game.

I even call upon the conscious-minded, conservative-valued folks whoknow deeply that sometimes we must vote on principal for honest, openleadership even if that does not serve one's short-term political desires.

Combined, we are all Americans: We lament the loss of life, detestdestroying families, question borders, want freedom for Gaza, troops outof Afghanistan, safety for our children, help for Main Street not WallStreet, green jobs, clean energy, an honest living, a balanced budget, andsocial security, equity and sustainability for all.

To achieve any of this, we must rally. We must go forward, not backward.

We must stay in the game.

In the last two years, we did not get all we wanted. We got some flawedpolicy and, yes, maybe even a flawed president. But we got an honorableman. A decent human being. A caring father. A concerned citizen. Athoughtful listener. A critical thinker. A compassionate leader that must

Subscribe to CXC on YouTube

in TIMECXC: The Only Full Range ofPractices Designed for SocialChange Agents

Monthly Public Talk w/ angel Kyodo williams fearlessYOGA Sundays Community Thursdays Yoga and Meditation Mornings 3|1 Practice: Find Your Center

in the CENTEROur Report Back on 27 Daysof Change | Winter 2010Thirteen people from aroundthe country recently completedthe Winter 2010 Practice Period.Participants worked with many

rich intentions to shift challenging relationships andperspectives to help find more space, self-awareness,and presence every day.

Read more... Register NOW for 27 Days of Change | Spring 2011 27 Days FAQs

Back on the BlockThe New Dharma Community is back full force. Andwe're shaping up for the new year by bringing attentionto the practices that transform lives--because atransformative movement is nothing without practice.And it's nothing without community. So we'rere-introducing and refining ways to make what we doaccessible to folks in the field.

Read more...

2010 New Year's Eve | A Timeto ReleaseThe newDharma Communityheld a New Year's Eve ReleaseCeremony and Meditation to bidfarewell to 2010 and usher in2011. Twenty-five folks from

the Bay and beyond gathered at CXC and set theirintentions to release what was no longer needed and tomanifest what was to come. The Release Ceremony wasconducted by Rev. angel Kyodo williams, and entailedan evening of cleansing, support, and connection.

Read more...

from the FIELD


2 of 6 1/6/11 1:00 PM

[image: Art Rogers]

[image: Zochi Young]

[image: Filomena Scalise]

navigate the concerns of the most diverse electorate in the world.

In short, we got US. Not just you or me. A black or white. A Christian orMuslim. A working class or elite. We have in our President all of that andthus none of it. We got a true American in the complex fabric that is andis still becoming the America of our dreams. So the seeking of simpleoutcomes to our complex problems makes us naive. Turning our backs orsitting on the disgruntled sidelines makes us irresponsible.

The complexity of our desires are matched only by the boundlessness ofour Vision for an America that can embrace us all. The depths of ourdisappointment can only be measured against the grand heights of ourHope. The revelation of flaws is a testament to our Faith.

But we have Vision and we have Hope and we have Faith.

More than anything we didn't get in these scant two years, Vision, Hopeand Faith restored. Possibility, imagination and creativity are poised toreplace limitation, fear and contraction. And these, more than anypolicy, bill or president, will help us re-imagine an America for allAmericans.

But we must stay in the game.

—yours in truth, aKw

P.S., In case we have lost perspective, here's a reminder of The 244Accomplishments of President Obama.

and if, as a frustrated change agent, you ask yourself why you bother, IanRhett of Civic Actions reminds you to Stay in the Game here.

If you haven't figured out that indeed you are and must be an AmericanRevolutionary no matter how much the system wants to count you out,start to "assert (your) solutions as the living embodiment of (your)nationality along with Adrienne Maree Brown.

special shout out to Ian Rhett, adrienne maree brown, Jodie Tonita,Gibran Rivera and the whole 2010 Web of Change crew (Canadiansincluded!) that keep me compelled to stay in the game. --aKw

angel Kyodo williams, is Founder Emeritus of Center forTransformative Change. She now serves as Director of Vision. Asocial visionary and leading voice for transformative social change, she isthe author of Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living With Fearlessnessand Grace.

Blog: new Dharma: live, love & lead from the heart

Facebook: Like angel here

Twitter: Follow angel for tweets of wisdom on Change

Web: http://angelkyodowilliams.com

John Francis the Planet WalkerDr. John Francis is an Americanenvironmentalist nicknamed theplanetwalker. Born inPhiladelphia, the son of a WestIndian immigrant, he moved toMarin County, California as a

young man. After witnessing the devastation caused bya 1971 oil spill in San Francisco Bay, he stopped ridingin motorized vehicles, a vow which lasted 22 years from1972 until 1994.

Read more...Dr. John Francis' TED Talk

inner PRACTICE28 Days LaterAll right, what's your bigresolution for 2011? A bunch ofus at CXC/YES! are committed tomeditating every day for at least5 minutes. We're part of a virtualpractice community called 28

Days, which was started last year by Gibrán Rivera ofIISC (Interaction Institute for Social Change). It's apractice that includes people from all over the country.You can join in for 28 days, 60 days, 90, or, 365.

Read more... Join 28 days

outer ACTIONTransformative Organizing:Towards Liberation of Self andSocietySocial Justice Leadership (SJL)proposes a new framework forsocial justice movement

organizing. Transformative Organizing (TO) aims tochange the basic approach and assumptions ofmovement organizing and to greatly expand its impact."TO is about creating deep change in how we are aspeople, how we relate to each other..."

Read more... Social Justice Leadership

social CHANGEThe Revolution Will Not BeTweetedIISC does workshops, trainings,consultations and networkbuilding that establishessustainable social change. Thispiece from their October 2010

blog highlights Malcolm Gladwell's article, "Small


3 of 6 1/6/11 1:00 PM

[image: Robert Shetterly]

[image: Arvind Balaraman]

[image: Federico Stevanin]

angel Kyodo williams' next public talk:Thursday, January 20 @ CXC

newDharma TalknewDharma Talk | True CommunityWhat are the things we need to do to really Be theChange we wish to see in the world? Solve politicalconflicts? Save the environment? And more than that,how can we show up as we are and be seen? Listen tothis new Dharma Talk (from our June 2010 edition) to

discover the value of being who you ARE in community.

Listen to True Community

Download text for True Community

activists, allies & agents of change

Grace Lee Boggs | The Answers Are Coming from the Bottom

Democracy Now!'s June 2010 interview with GraceLee Boggs, "a Detroit-based radical organizer andphilosopher. Born to Chinese immigrant parents in1915, Grace Lee Boggs has been involved with thecivil rights, Black Power, labor, environmentaljustice, and feminist movements over the pastseven decades. Along with her late husband

Jimmy Boggs, Grace has been at the forefront of efforts to rebuild urbancommunities."

Read more...Boggs CenterAmericans Who Tell the TruthDemocracy Now! video interview

resources for transformative change…This month learn more about Dr. John Francis, whose short video wasfilmed at the Center for Whole Communities, a land-based leadershipdevelopment organization that works on a multitude of levels to supportthose doing environmental work.

Dr. John Francis on environmental change

Read more work from Adrienne Maree Brown's blog, the LusciousSatyagraha.

Adrienne Maree: The Luscious Satyagraha

Read about how stone circles and the stone house sustains activists andstrengthens the work of justice through spiritual practice and principles.

stone circles

quote of the month

"I've grown impatient with the kind of debate we used to have about

Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted,"which points to what causes movements to have lastingimpact.

Malcolm Gladwell has certainly whipped up somethingof a firestorm, at least among social media and networkenthusiasts.

Read more... Article: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted Part Two of a Response to Gladwell's Article

in the MINDRobert & Judith Gass: The Artof Conscious RelationshipBreaking from our usualexploration of the workings ofthe mind, this audio piece byRobert Gass (RockwoodLeadership Institute) and Judith

Gass gives us a chance to consider how to be moremindful about our relationships. They say"Relationships are the mirror to our most truthfulbehavior. There is no place to hide in a relationship." Itis the first of four parts. If you're inspired by part one,listen to parts two, three, and four.

Part One: The Art of Conscious Relationship Parts Two, Three, & Four: The Art of Conscious

Relationship

fearless Meditation is a 3-part signature series thatteaches practical meditation within a social justiceframework. It's offered for no charge for agents ofsocial change."the best workshop i've ever taken. radically changedmy work."

fearless Meditation I:Jan 7, 2011 & every 1st Friday | 7pm

in the BODYTeaching Students to TurnInside: Yoga & MindfulAwareness Interview withCarla StangenbergYoga is a physical practicewhich can let us connect deeplyto what's going on in our

minds. In this interview, yoga teacher CarlaStangenberg talks about the bridge between body andmind in yoga. Carla Stangenberg has been the directorof the Jaya Yoga Center in Brooklyn, New York sinceOctober 2005.

G: So what comes up—if you're trying to do a particularpose and not getting there?


4 of 6 1/6/11 1:00 PM

[image: Renjith Krishnan]

whether the optimists are right or the pessimists are right. Neither areright. There is too much bad news to justify complacency. There is toomuch good news to justify despair."

Donella Meadows, Author, Environmental Scientist

support deep change

transform. is published by the Center for Transformative Change (CXC)

CXC is the first national center entirely dedicated to bridging the innerand outer lives of social change agents, activists and allies to support amore effective, more sustainable social justice movement.

We name, frame and advance Transformative Social Change by bothdeveloping practices and programs for agents of social change andworking in collaboration with leading organizations to help shape thisemerging movement. Most importantly, CXC reflects the field and themovement back to itself by publishing the transform. blog and monthlyjournal, thus strengthening our collective identity, community, andshared vision.

This long-term vision for shifting the paradigm of work for justice,changing the WAY change is done, will fundamentally alter broad-basedsocial change at its very core--from inner to outer--resulting in a morejust, equitable society for all.

Great vision takes great action and our work is not possible without thegenerous support and partnership of individuals like you. The publicationof transform. is made possible by your direct contribution. No amount istoo small…so make your contribution to deep change today.

Donate to CXC

Visit the Center's website

What is Transformative Change? Find out HERE

C: What comes up for me are the same things I see inmy students--because we're the same. I get frustrated,angry, doubtful, self-conscious, competitive, I get all ofthose things and that's helpful, because when I get onthe New York City subway, all those emotions are goingto come up in me...

Read more...

wellness & being wellWisdom from Jodie's HouseAdrienne Maree Brown's blog,Luscious Satyagraha, includeswisdom on transformation andactivism. In this piece sheintroduces us to two meaningfularticles discovered on a visit to

Jodie's house (Jodie Tonita of the Social TransformationProject). Both articles ask us to give attention to ourrelationship to food and the earth.

Read more... Article: Thich Nhat Hahn's 5 Contemplations for

Eating in Mindfulness Article: Vandana Shiva Interview

january wallpaper

blueSirkeci (seer-ke-jee) train station in Istanbul is theformer end point of the infamous Orient Express. Stillan active and hustling station for commuter andtranscontinental journeying, its modern (1890) designwas reknowned worldwide and is largely preserved tothis day.

This German-made Krauss steam locomotive #2251,built in 1874 and displayed outside the station, is aclassic of its time. "TCDD" are the initials of the TurkishState Railways or "Trkiye Cumhuriyeti DevletDemiryollari"

photo copyright 2010. angel Kyodo williams

Download this image as wallpaper with or withoutcalendar for your desktop.

Download with calendar... Download without calendar...


5 of 6 1/6/11 1:00 PM

facebook twitter YouTube

connect | subscribe | shareConnect

Subscribeget your own monthly issues of transform.

Forwardsend this issue via email to a friend now

[email protected]

Contributehow are you changing the WAY change is done?

Registration and other questions888.XSOCHANGE (toll free)

[email protected]

Center for Transformative Change2584 MLK Jr. WayBerkeley, CA 94704 · USA+1.510.549.3733

Google the Center

Center for Transformative Change is a project of urbanPEACE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization whose mission to inform, incite and empower abroad-based, presence-centered, transformative social change movement.

Having trouble reading this email? Go to:http://transformativechange.org/transform/journal/201101.html


6 of 6 1/6/11 1:00 PM

201101

Documents

Transcript of 201101