General update DPC

Silent. But rather active and effective.

That is the characteristic of the work, done through the team of DPC-trainers and facilitators in the past months and years. Silent at least on the DPC-blog. Therefore a short update.

In 2011 and 2012 (so far) we have had 12 official DPC-trainings, in countries like Canada, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, United States. And we heard about workshops with parts of the training. We have had 2 Trainings of Trainers. At this moment we have 795 facilitators, 32 trainers and associate trainers, 6 coaches.

Trainings are scheduled in a couple of countries – sometimes without knowing whether the finances can be found to get it done. This deals especially with trainings in Asia and Africa.

The most intense application of DPC at the moment is in the USA, where the methodology is combined with the concept of the High Performing Community (HPC). The results: many youngsters, which were caught into several youth gangs, stepped out of the gangs, went back to school. Some of them also dedicate their time to draw the attention for ways out of the gangs to other youngsters. It has led to an Award from the US-Federal Government in 2010. Now new groups and cities are looking for the application of this powerful combination.

Steadily we continue to work on ‘peaceful change’. A long way to go. As we also say: Look up – you are not alone!

DPC-training in Tatamagouche, Canada

The DPC-training in Tatamagouche Centre, situated in Nova Scotia, Canada, took place from 3 – 8 June 2012. “A great mix of people, a breadth of diversity including First Nations, African-Nova Scotian, Muslim, Christian, rural-urban etc.” In total 17 people went through the training. Read two daily life stories from participants:

1.      For the past two weeks, I have really been wanting to DPC someone- anyone. I even asked/suggested to mediate a case for a friend who was (only) asking my advice. I realized by his response that he was not looking for technical expertise, but experiential advice. Well, he did say “advice”, but with DPC on my mind, I heard “mediate” and I forgot that it could be therapeutic for my friend just to talk to me. I was thinking of me at that time, not of him.

So, when I realized that my heart is unrealistic in expecting everyone to want me to DPC them, I moved to my head to find a solution to my own conflicting approach. May be this dichotomy of my heart and head is to satisfy my unrelenting thirst for mediating something, since I cannot get someone. Anyway, I brought those two parts of me to listen to each other’s side of the story and they agreed that as much as it is good to DPC people, it is even better to wait till I am asked- that was a common ground that they could work from. Their message: I must have some patience and make my new self and skills known first. That’s right!- no one knows me as a ‘trained’ mediator yet! You see, for a while, people who already know us will continue to look at us the way they have always done.  Until they understand that you and I are not on drugs when we behave in weirdly meditative ways, we will have to be patient. Until they trust that the new ‘me’ is for real, their perception of me will stay as “the old me”. See?

My strategy now: I will keep reading the DPC binder repeatedly and stop hitch-hiking on the highway for conflicts. I will be a taxi driver with my roof-light on, and wait for someone to hire me. When they do, if they do, I will take them to their destination and gently land them out at that serene beach with a gentle sunlight, where I would hope they find a gentle TIDE.    

2.      My partner and I and our daughter were in the grocery store looking for pancake syrup. To our distress, Adele wanted to buy the chemically-laden Aunt Jemima brand (which made my skin crawl and not because of the chemicals, but another story for another day) because she thought it tasted better but we wanted to purchase the locally produced real maple syrup. We were in conflict!

Aha I thought, a chance to put my newly-honed skills to great use and get the syrup I wanted. As you can tell, already I am off the rails. Having said that, I still thought I could mediate this. So, we're standing in the middle of the syrup aisle, and my daughter is emphatic that we will get the fake syrup and my partner is emphatic that we will get the real syrup. Well, they both started yelling at each other, in a funny and serious kind of way, if you know what I mean, in the middle of the grocery store and I automatically went into compromise mode by trying to look for other types of syrup, but as we know, there are really only two kinds. I could not get a word in edgewise and then Paul threw up his hands and said "get what you want!" He was not happy because he did not like the syrup. Adele looked triumphant, and I was still agog, wondering what happened to my mediation! Next thing I know, no one was walking out the door with the Aunt Jemima syrup (ugh!) and no one is saying anything to anyone. No one was listened to and no one got to speak uninterrupted. Geez, what went wrong!

But, it all went away and no one was hurt or thinking about it anymore, but what a test! I was amazed at how fast things escalated and how out of control they got.

All I can say is, I'll try to do better next time, but real life is hard!

A letter from the IEPC in Jamaica

Two DPC trainers took part in the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in Kingston/Jamaica. Paul Edward Muego (Philippines), who was there together with Iulia Picu (Romania), sent the following report about his experience:

"Got home Sunday evening; it was a long way (a total of more than 24 hours of flight time!). But then well and good; my wife and daughter picked me up at the airport.

the whole IEPC went well in terms of sharing and listening to the different experiences of churches and organizations in terms of peacebuilding work. These came out during the plenaries as well as the reasoning workshops. Documenting all the learning that came out in the workshops and even in the buzz groups duing plenaries is a big challenge. The IEPC could certainly have done more in this regard.

But of course in the context of the Decade to Overcome Violence, we still have a very long collective journey ahead of us. Using the TIDES as a model to look at the situation of the different churches and their myriad of initiatives, a lot of work still needs to be done. This was very evident, for example, when the IEPC statement was being discussed.

The DPC (the tools, the models) provided me with a very good framework to analyze the different initiatives as presented in the different workshops and plenaries that I participated in. For me, this shows the practical usefullness of the work that we do (the DPC)--from the micro to the macro level.

As for the DPC workshop, we didn't have the number that we expected before the IEPC started. Coming from a participant-perspective, I myself would have chosen to go to different workshops rather than stay on the same workshop stretched out in 4 days. And of course, the presence of the two "Germans" would have helped a lot in terms of promoting the workshop.

Of particular interest for me as well was the participation of a good number of people from EDAN (Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network). I attended most of their workshops. Using the FEARS, the disability sector in general are regarded as the "losers". Their struggle for inclusion within the ecumenical world, which they say formally started in Harare, still has a long way to go as well.

All in all it was a very good experience. It was great working with Iulia. We both had fun preparing for and facilitating the workshops. As well as a lot of reflections and insights shared in between sessions and plenaries.

Am very thankful, blessed, and honored to have participated in the IEPC. I say it was well all the effort and all."


Paul's pictures on Facebook

paulenmuego@yahoo.com
 

Upcoming DPC trainings in the Netherlands and in No. Ireland

In the last months of 201, two additional DPC- trainings are planned.

1.    From 22 - 26 October a Training of Facilitators is planned in the Netherlands. For more information please contact Jaap van der Sar (jvdsar@stichtingoikos.nl). 
2.    Between November 2010 and Summer 2011  TIDES will run four DPC Training of Facilitators  in No. Ireland . The first one has just confirmed dates and will take place over two weekends in Belfast:  First weekend 20 - 21st of Nov , second weekend 4 – 5th of Dec. For further information please contact  Courtnae Dunn (courtnaedunn.tides@gmail.com). 
 

Jaap van der Sar 

An Award Winning Project!

At  his National Project Safe Neighborhoods conference, the US Attorney General, Eric Holder, presented the the Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhoods Most Outstanding Community Involvement Award 2010 to the Youth Intervention Network in Antioch, Ca, 
The project in Antioch was nominated for this Award by the US Attorney for the of Northern District of California, Mr. Jospeh Russionello. This award distinguishes the Youth Intervention Network as a national best practice in developing effective community collaborations addressing the problem of youth violence while successfully recruiting, training and mobilizing community volunteers. Noteworthy elements of  the Youth Intervention Network are:

1. The  High Performing Community Collaboration framework - as developed by Emerald Consulting.
2. At risk indicators identified through individual analysis of more than 8,000 youth with legal safeguards to protect privacy.
3. The involvement of a high number of volunteers who do the actual support-work for the kids and their families. At present more than 100 volunteers have invested more than 20,000 volunteer hours, and completed approximately 100 hours of training each.
4. The application of "Dialogue for Peaceful Change" (DPC) as the so called 'software' of the system to enhance effective cooperation between involved agencies as well as the quality of the interventions, made by the volunteers in different roles.

As an effect of this award, a number of new communities showed a strong wish to have this approach replicated in their communities as well. Meetings with officials from the US government are supporting the idea that more cities in the USA can apply this approach. In the meanwhile it is also important to enlarge the group of involved people in Antioch itself. When Antioch can be sustained, the enlargement is possible. We are working on that!
Iris Archuleta, Jaap van der Sar
For more information: jvdsar@stichtingoikos.nl 

DPC leaflet 2010

Dialogue for Peaceful Change flyer 2010 -

DPC successfully applied in Antioch

Youth violence, low test scores and grades, truancy, gang affiliation and disconnection from family and school are words with a meaning in many cities and places throughout the world. In Antioch, CA, police chief Jim Hyde and Iris Archuleta, Co-founder of Emerald Consulting decided not to just complain about the problem.  Instead, they started the Youth Intervention Network. With the help of many professionals and - more important - volunteers, they utilized  Emerald Consulting’s High Performing Community (HPC)- model as a positive response to the developments in their city. Through the application of DPC they were able to generate enthusiasm for a hands-on approach of the challenges.

DPC was used in at least four ways. First it appeared a very useful tool for the improvement of the cooperation between the many agencies at play. Second it is the basic approach for all volunteers in their contacts with the children as well as with their parents. Volunteers meet with parents and youth who have agreed to cooperate with the process of using mediation as a substitute for more traditional assessment tools. Volunteers get a very intense support and training before they are allowed to engage youth and families, and they continue to receive support. Third DPC created a common language and approach for many people in schools, in police-service, in social work, and in policy-making bodies. Fourth - not amazing for many who already followed a DPC-training - it had an impact on the facilitators in their personal lives. The feed back after the trainings and also after many meetings where DPC was applied, is still: ”It is life changing.“

In Antioch it also appears to be life-saving. Quite some other places want to learn from the experiences, knowing that it can't be a quick solution for an already long lasting problem. However, HPC combined with DPC appears to be a hopeful sign for a systemic change, not just regarding youth and youth violence. That would be too easy and tends to makes youth a convenient scapegoat. This approach changes the whole community and makes life better for all its stakeholders.

For more information please contact
Iris Archuleta, JD
Co-Founder, Emerald Consulting
Co-Chair, The Youth Intervention Network
iris@emeraldconsulting.com
+ 1 925-755-9291
www.emeraldconsulting.com