Welfare

[Cheryl Honey]

Funda:

This may be a rabbit trail, however, it's close to my heart.

It's unfortunate that the American culture has created a consumer mentality
around the term "welfare" I've based all my work on the notion that welfare
is all about people helping people. I created the Good Neighbors Net
www.goodneighborsnet.org  as a mechanism for connecting people together who
want to share goods, services and resources with others to save time and
money. The intent is to weave a new safetynet. One that prevents people from
falling into a welfare "system" This safetynet functions as a grassroots
welfare system that assists individuals or good intentions for the common
good of all on a global scale.

It wasn't until I was introduced to Open Space by Peggy Holman that I
realized what I had been doing for the past decade in my Transformative
Community Building work. Open Space principles are at the core of my
approach to creating a framework where...whoever shows up are the right
people...when it's over its over...etc. This new  "social architectural" is
how I refer to it opens the space up for the emergence of a new social order
out of which manifests "happenings. Whatever happens happens and believe me
I've witnessed some amazing things doing this work! As people take
responsibility for what they love...incredible happenings occur. I'm
grateful to have responded to the impulse that caused me to take action when
I was on welfare. If people were connected to one another...would we really
need a "welfare" system?

Cheryl Honey, Ambassador for Peace
Family Support Network

"The more resourceful we are among ourselves, the more valuable a resource
we become to our families, our communities and our world."

----- Original Message -----
From: "Funda Oral" <fundaoral at ttnet.net.tr>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 6:40 AM
Subject: Re: boston conference


> Dear Cheryl,
>
> It is not clear to define welfare..actually i can not describe it even for
> myself...
> such as :  what is the welfare for me as far as my needs are concerned?
>
> So i don't know. But here is what is in my mind ;
>
> I believe there is a common balance point where everybody's needs are met.
>
> To make it simple if we are 2 people on the earth. If one lacks food for
> life, the other one
> can not claim that he/she needs hot shower. First they provide food, then
> hot shower.
> This is the welfare for both.
>
> In fact, below that balance level no welfare for anybody is possible.
>
> Funda
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Cheryl Honey" <wecare at familynetwork.org>
> To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 4:01 PM
> Subject: Re: boston conference
>
>
> > Funda:
> > Please share with us your meaning and intention of "welfare" .
> >
> > I have a friend in Burundi who puts his life on the line every day
> > rebuilding houses that have been destroyed from the Tutsi/Hutu
skurmishes.
> > He taught me that welfare is not a one way street. It's a reciprical
> > exchange that benefits both parties.
> >
> > Cheryl
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Funda Oral" <fundaoral at ttnet.net.tr>
> > To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
> > Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 3:45 AM
> > Subject: Re: boston conference
> >
> >
> > > Lisa,
> > >
> > > We don't need your ideas...what we need is welfare....if you really
want
> > to
> > > help us.
> > >
> > > Funda
> > > from a so called developing country.
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Lisa Kimball" <lisa at groupjazz.com>
> > > To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
> > > Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 3:40 PM
> > > Subject: Re: boston conference
> > >
> > >
> > > > Thank you, Masud, for the references to the work of Mohammad Younus
> and
> > > > Akhtar Hameed Khan.  Are there some articles or other sources that
> would
> > > > give more information about their work?
> > > >
> > > > Too often I think we have the idea that we need to send ideas from
the
> > > west
> > > > (north) to help others and we forget that we could learn from ideas
> > coming
> > > > FROM developing countries.
> > > >
> > > >  * lisa
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of
Masud
> > > > Sheikh
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 7:48 AM
> > > > To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > > > Subject: Re: [OSLIST] boston conference
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Dear Lisa,
> > > > This is wonderful. I was particularly struck by the comment:
> > > > "It use was pioneered in developing countries and has led to
> sustainable
> > > > improvements in seemingly intractable organizational and social
> issues."
> > > >
> > > > Two examples immediately came to mind: Mohammad Younus in Bangladesh
> on
> > > > micro-credit. A great man (Akhtar Hameed Khan) now deceased, who
> > pioneered
> > > > some wonderful examples of self-help & community building in
Pakistan,
> > and
> > > > earlier in then "East Pakistan" (now Bangladesh).
> > > >
> > > > While I will be unable to come to this conference, I shall probably
> come
> > > to
> > > > the OS on OS in Halifax, on the east coast of my new homeland -
> Canada.
> > I
> > > > have no idea how OS on OS runs, and have hardly any real experience
of
> > OS.
> > > > But to know more about OS, I can think of nothing better than
meeting
> > with
> > > > people who seem to live and breathe OS.
> > > >
> > > > Are you planning to come to Halifax?
> > > >
> > > > Take care, all of you
> > > > Masud
> > > >
> > > > In times of change, the learners will inherit the earth while the
> > learned
> > > > will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that
no
> > > > longer exists - Eric Hoffer
> > > >
> > > >  >-----Original Message-----
> > > >  >From: Lisa Kimball [mailto:lisa at groupjazz.com]
> > > >  >Sent: April 11, 2005 11:15 AM
> > > >  >Subject: boston conference
> > > >  >
> > > >  >Hi!  I thought you might be interested in a very intriguing
> conference
> > > >  >coming up in Boston in June . This 'positive deviance' approach
> shares
> > a
> > > >  >lot of theoretical roots with appreciative inquiry and complexity
> > > > frameworks and I think is very aligned with some of our thinking in
> open
> > > > space too!
> > > >  >
> > > >  >From the Inside Out: Uncovering Solutions to Intractable Problems
> > > through
> > > >  >Positive Deviance
> > > >  >Tufts University, Boston, MA
> > > >  >June 28-29, 2005
> > > >  >http://www.plexusinstitute.org
> > > >  >
> > > >  >Positive Deviance, an approach developed over the past fourteen
> years,
> > > >  >demonstrates that isolated examples of success can be tapped to
> > benefit
> > > an
> > > >  >entire community or organization. Accomplishing this requires a
> > radical
> > > >  >departure from "benchmarking" and "best practice" strategies of
> > change.
> > > >  >
> > > >  >Plexus Institute and The Positive Deviance Initiative at Tufts
> > > University
> > > >  >invite you to explore Positive Deviance with Jerry and Monique
> > Sternin,
> > > >  >leading Positive Deviance (PD) authorities and pioneers, and
Arvind
> > > >  >Singhal, a scholar-practitioner on social change, and join with
> others
> > > who
> > > > are searching for solutions to some of the critical social and
> > > > organizational challenges facing us today.
> > > >  >
> > > >  >The PD approach builds on successful but "deviant" (different)
> > practices
> > > >  >that are identified from within a community or organization. It is
> > based
> > > >  >on the observation that in every group there are certain
individuals
> > > whose
> > > >  >uncommon, but demonstrably successful practices or behaviors
enable
> > them
> > > >  >to find better solutions than their neighbors or colleagues who
have
> > > > access to exactly the same resources. It use was pioneered in
> developing
> > > > countries and has led to sustainable improvements in seemingly
> > intractable
> > > >  >organizational and social issues.
> > > >  >
> > > >  >The Harvard Business Review features PD in its May 1, 2005
edition.
> > The
> > > >  >approach has also begun to penetrate the corporate consciousness.
It
> > was
> > > >  >employed at Goldman Sachs and was instrumental in transforming the
> > > >  >behavior and practice of its nationwide force of investment
> advisors.
> > It
> > > > has been used to tackle gnarly technical challenges at Hewlett
> Packard,
> > > and
> > > >  >hospitals have begun to use PD to address quality improvement
> > > challenges.
> > > > And a PD workshop was just held at the January 2005 World Economic
> Forum
> > > in
> > > > Davos. PD is unlike traditional expert-driven models for social and
> > > > organizational change. Like the human immune system, individuals and
> > > > institutions reject what is perceived as "foreign matter". When
> > "experts"
> > > > provide "best practice" strategies for organizational changes, which
> are
> > > > externally identified, and "not invented from within", they face
> > > rejection.
> > > > The Positive Deviance approach provides an antidote to the immune
> system
> > > > defense mechanism; the solution and the host share the same "DNA"
and
> > the
> > > > change comes from within. Those in a community or organization are
> > helped
> > > to
> > > > discover the positive deviants in their midst, understand the
> strategies
> > > > they employ and then create among themselves a process for enrolling
> the
> > > > larger community in the desired change. Change is from inside out.
> This
> > > > workshop will provide an overview of how and where PD has been
> > > successfully
> > > > used to address problems requiring social or behavioral change. All
> > > > participants will learn the 4 steps of the PD process design to
> nurture
> > a
> > > > PD-based change initiative on an issue of importance to them.
> > > >  >
> > > >  >I'd be happy to share more info if you're interested!
> > > >  >
> > > >  >* lisa
> > > >
> > > >  >Lisa kimball
> > > >  >Group Jazz, Suite 440
> > > >  >5335 Wisconsin Ave NW
> > > >  >Washington, DC 20015 USA
> > > >  >P: +1 202.686.4848
> > > >  >F: +1 202.966.3772
> > > >  >E: lisa at groupjazz.com
> > > >  >www.groupjazz.com
> > > >  >
> > > >  >*
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