GATHERING OF ALL

Sierra Leone 2014

For some reason the mood has not struck me to write.  Hmmmmm!  Never had that experience before!

I am now officially a member of John Caulker’s, Fambul Tok’s creator, HQ Staff!  What an honor.  He announced this at the recent meeting of all Sierra Leone FT staff members where they recapped the year and made action plans for the coming year as an organization and then for each district over the next few weeks.  He also asked me to speak about my ideas for bringing FT to my area of the US.

I have been sharing a new training package aimed at schools developed by FT and Catalyst For Peace, the US charity funding FT.  The pilot has taken place in schools in eastern America and England with much success and now the official kit is available.  Claire Spector and I (mostly Claire since I am here) are putting together, with the help of Catalyst for Peace, a viewing of the full length Fambul Tok documentary in Sebastopol, CA at the Rialto Theater on July 8, 2014. The aim of this showing is to expose leaders in the community to the FT process and to explain how the use of the new educational program can benefit many organizations.  It is also a fund raiser for Claire’s nonprofit.

Claire is a lawyer whose nonprofit (www.ACT-Solutions.org ) provides sliding scale services to families in conflict.  Follows is her statement to the Rialto Theater’s owner :

“ We will mount a media and public relations campaign and will send notices of the benefit to the Collaborative Council of the Redwood Empire list of Sonoma County attorneys, mediators, mental health and financial professionals, Sonoma County Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution and Family Law Sections, Bay Area Integrative Mediation, area associations of mental health professionals, as well as to North Bay Educators, Gang-Prevention Program Execs and Staff, Religious Leaders and Peace and Justice Groups. Charles is also willing to promote the benefit with an announcement to his extensive email list. We, and Catalyst for Peace, will also post the event on our Facebook pages.”

After I finished explaining the plans for the benefit and the fact that I can see the package adaptable to not only schools but different “family” groups coupled with my wishes to expand FT’s forgiveness and reconciliation process in the US, John announced he would send Micheala Ashwood to our function!  Micheala is a key member of the FT HQ staff in Freetown.  She will be in DC at a conference just before the date of our event.  Wow!

What “family” groups other than school classes, you ask?  Church groups, work groups, families, gang prevention, homeless shelters, etc.  The program and process is very adaptable, inexpensive and modular making it a viable tool in many situations for many different organizations.

Charles Sepos, Claire’s husband, has a very successful radio show with a large audience in the Santa Rosa area and beyond.  He will be interviewing myself and Micheala on his show on July 4 just before the event and will host the event itself.  I feel so blessed to have Claire and Charles so passionate about the possibilities Fambul Tok brings.

We are hoping to bring Sara Terry, the filmmaker, to attend the event as well.  It all depends on sponsorship and funding.

Kono Team At Work

Attending the Fambul Tok staff meeting allowed me to reconnect with those from my last journey here and to meet new staff.  I was able to observe them as they worked together on the first day as district teams to create their presentations.  Where we use technology for that purpose, they use flip charts for theirs, but the presentations were no less effective because of the lack of technology.  

The second and third days of the meeting were much like those I attended over my corporate career as far as content was concerned.  Successes, challenges, action plans and the future of Fambul Tok presented and discussed.  A “Paking

Packing Lot

Lot” or Action Items List was put in place to house the most urgent subjects needing attention.

It was very evident as John facilitated the meeting he has created a staff that is truly a family.  They joked, laughed, supported and encouraged each other.  No one was left out, no idea unheard no matter the position in the organization.  John acknowledged that each member is as valuable as the next and needed for a successful outcome.   It was a joy and pleasure to observe.

One of the buzz phrases form my old corporate life was “you must walk the walk and talk the talk”.  John and his team family do just that in spades and with great pride.

Much Love To You All,

Mom/Grandma Syrup/Sara