Janine Shepherd was an Australian Olympic bike racer - hit by a van - and had to rebuild her life.  She did - she has.  Brilliant reframing of the opportunities of a life well lived.

http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_shepherd_a_broken_body_isn_t_a_broken_person.html

The struggle for fundamental human rights continues.

An excellent overview from Al-Jazeera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL28UxmWhtE

Chief Theresa Spence began her hunger strike on Dec. 11.  She is offering leadership to all of us to stand up for fundamental justice for all - and all means all - us included.  The Idle No More movement is now global as concerned citizens everywhere are standing up as in 'occupy' 'Arab Spring', 'Maple Spring' - and now Idle No More.  Join us however you can.  It is a new beginning for 2013 - as we ally with others to create the future we want!…

As we approach a new year, a new era, I have been watching a remarkable DVD - Tracks Across the Sand, directed by Hugh Brody - a Canadian who was a powerful quiet innovator during the Mackenzie Valley Pipelines (70's) and throughout the Arctic in Canada.  It tracks the grotesque exclusion of the Sans people of the Southern Kalahari in South Africa.  They were declared non-people; expelled; their language was pronounced extinct, and then in the 90's, a family/clan emerged and began a…

John O'Brien posted in The Art of Social Change

    

John O'Brien     1:56pm Dec 15

Not quite the current practice of Citizen Advocacy, but a story of real and lasting relationship.

http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/shows/2012/12/16/patti-morris-essay-befriending-sherri-hr-3/

    Patti Morris Essay: Befriending Sherri (Hr. 3) | The Sunday…

In Paraguay, where for many, life is genuinely difficult, a few people with a vision, and the capacity to think well out of the box, decided to create music - harmony - and a future for their youth - literally from the dump.  It's a short powerful story of enormous possibility.  And if they can do it.. why not you, me  - us. 

It's 11 minutes you will not regret your investment!

Landfill…

Adam Kahane - brilliant talk (17 minutes) on the simplicity and complexity of actually creating change.  Well worth your time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiGS9Vq0FGA&feature=em-unknown&list=TLd4NdXHfWyR4

A remarkable new TED talk- only 5 minutes - well worth your time.…

Cormac Russell has invented a captivating 'game' that can flip negativity into an exploration of possibility - quickly - with groups of all sizes.  It is quite remarkable.  And it can be played with everyone!  All sizes, shapes, ages, abilities.  Basically people work in small groups of about 10 ideally.  There could be many groups playing simultaneously in a room.

Using a deck of 100 CAPACITY CARDS - people discover the wide range of skills and capacities they have…

Nov. 12-14 - in Toronto - PATH & MAPS - Person Centered Ways to Build Community

Three days of extraordinary shared learning - in downtown Toronto - with Lynda Kahn & Jack Pearpoint

Teams welcome - and because we believe in inclusion and diversity - no reasonable offer will be refused.

Call or e-mail - us - or cathy@inclusion.com for information.

The url for the flier is attached.…

If you like to browse catalogues, we recommend this one.. Inclusion Press - a treasure trove of resources we publish and recommend.    It is always a work in progress - so the web page (www.inclusion.com) is usually a few items ahead, but its a great start.  Enjoy.…

Available Now - free - is the interactive epub video book entitled  The Values of Inclusion.

It emerged from the Down Under Institute (DUI) in Sydney, Australia - based on a talk by Heather Simmons from Perth - on 'the Values of Inclusion'.  It was a hit.  So, we made…

We are in Australia.. and this past week we have encountered the work of the Bolshy Divas..

John O'Brien, Connie Lyle O'Brien, Lynda Kahn and I - and we're all impressed... and want to share their wisdom..

We think there are 'sisters in spirit' everywhere - and their incisive analysis, delivered with humor and spice in a powerful contributor to a healthy debate about the future of support services for people - in Australia and beyond. 

So here is a link to their web site…

We were just at the Scottish Institute in West Kilbride, and among the wonderful encounters, we met Albi Taylor - who told us the back story about her son Jack - who we had been 'hanging with' for three days.  (He is a delightful and seriously talented teenager).  Albi was driving us to the Glasgow rail station, telling her story. We literally stopped the car and said:  "Tell it again" - and we turned on the camera.  It is a total of 21 minutes - and Albi says you need to see it all, and she…

Transitioning to Life After Secondary School