For the Love of Learning

Yesterday we had a major development with Stitch Uganda Together. Ray Hunt, who was at the Sanctuary gathering this summer, contacted me with a proposal to set up fair trade booths at a dozen farmers markets in BC, where crafts from Uganda could be sold, starting with our hammocks. This is just an idea at this point, with no promises, but he put me in touch with a lady named Laurel, who runs ten very successful markets, so we'll see where that goes.

I also emailed Joe DeMino who stopped to talk with me last month as I was selling hammocks on the boardwalk. He was visiting Saint John on a cruise ship from the US. He is in management at CVS Pharmacy, and they give large amounts of free medicine to third world countries. He was keen to send pharmaceuticals to Uganda, so that's a good contact. I don't know what drugs are needed-- maybe you have some suggestions, or know of other places where drugs are needed currently. I'll wait to hear back from him, and then can give out his contact info if that is what he wants.

I'm wearing an Action Hero hoodie at the moment, which is super warm and cozy. I printed off as many as I could while at LivingPlanet.ca in St.John's, Newfoundland. I couldn't carry more than a large laundry bag of t-shirts and hoodies home with me on the plane, so I left a box full with Charlotte and asked her to mail out the promo orders. I screen printed from mid-night to 4am, then rushed to catch my 5:30am flight. The t-shirts are now for sale... $20... and hoodies are $50... plus shipping. We can have Living Planet make more when we run out. They are also going to be sold in the new Living Planet store in St. John's.

ActionHeroNetwork.net is still down... but the problem with the nameserve may have been fixed, and it just takes time to be redirected. I'm excited to get to work on making the site something completely different-- simple, yet creative, that will keep people checking in. It is also important that the site be a hub directing people to the groups on tribe.net and facebook.com, and this google group, so everyone has the opportunity to post and connect.

My last day in St.John's was spent facilitating a circle and teaching a hammock sewing workshop at For the Love of Learning-- a non-profit, arts-based, education and entrepreneurship program for resilient youth. They never had a circle there before, where the talking stick is passed. I explained the ground rules-- only the person with the stick can speak, respect everyone's time by not speaking more than a few minutes, you have the right to pass, and when the stick is passed twice around the circle without anyone speaking the circle is finished.

As circle facilitator, I posed a questions to generate meaningful insights. "Who has inspired you and why?" "What skills do you have and what is your gift to the world?" "What is beyond your understanding, what do you want to know, or what is stopping you from getting what you want?" The responses from youth and staff were very touching and I even got a watery eyes a couple times.

Circles are very powerful because they give everyone the opportunity to be heard. Everyone has stories to tell, but not everyone feels empowered to share unless they feel safe and think people really want to listen. Listening is a gift. A teacher can't be a teacher without a student. By listening, we help the teacher fulfil their purpose, which is a good feeling felt by the teacher. When people listen to my long stories, I always thank them for listening. It was a gift, a sign of respect to me for them to be listening.

I'm sure there are many people who don't feel heard. Often people who are family and friends don't really listen to us. We get cut off, shot down, or told that our dreams are not realistic. That's why community circles are powerful. They give everyone a space to share meaningful information, which might never be shared otherwise. A lot of conversation is just light banter. In circle, we share innermost thoughts, feelings and dreams with strangers, and it feels safe, because everyone is listening. Everyone was given a pen and paper to write down thoughts during circle, when it was not their turn to speak, so they wouldn't forget their reflections on ours thoughts or could be prepared with something to say when it came their turn.

I'll attach photos showing the hammock making workshop. I left them with enough fabric to sew two more hammocks, and a couple of the youth participating in the Katimavik program planned to teach the workshop at their team's house. Robin Grant, founder and director, wants the youth to be involved in Stitch Uganda Together through making and selling hammocks, or any other way. I'd like to take a couple youth to Uganda in April. The youth put Action Hero tree logos on their clothes, and that is the way it spreads organic. There is no stopping it now.

I just walked into the kitchen and found Jayne wearing the Action Hero t-shirt and Life in Africa beads she bought yesterday. Jayne is looking after my mother's Shaklee food supplement business while my folks are in the Mediterranean cruisin'. Jayne doesn't want to give her family more stuff they don't need for Christmas, so she is planning to donate the funds to buy a couple rolls of fabric to make hammocks for orphans in Bunabumali. Each roll of fabric is $90, which makes about 20 kid-size hammocks. I'll give Jayne photos of kids in Bunabumali and info to put in a card, and send Norman a digital camera to show us that the fabric actually became hammocks that were giving to kids.

The original goal of Stitch Uganda Together was to put homeless kids in hammock. Simple. That's it. If that's all we do, that's awesome. It will give them a lot of comfort-- dry off the ground and safer from bugs. If any of you want to buy a roll of fabric to give as a Christmas gift, or help promote and facilitate the project... please. In the USA, we can give tax receipts through the International Humanities Center for donations of $50 or more, and the donation can me made easily online. If you want to take on that project, I'll give you the keys.

I've spent the past two days since arriving home completely online writing email for Stitch Uganda, and have not made any hammocks, so I need to do that today. Our Stitch SJ Fashion Collective circle at Akhord last night resulted in a date for the fashion show... December 27th at Akhord. It is a good time since a lot of people will be home during the Christmas break, and less stressed after the Christmas crazy, looking to party and maybe pick up fun threads for the new years scene. The crew came back to my house to look at the clothes Danny Kean the Piano Man donated for the fashion show, so they are stoked.

That's enough for now. We'd love to hear more about what ya'll are working on, so feel free to post to the Action Hero group: http://groups.google.com/group/Action-Hero-Network

-Cor(azon) <3