Positions and interests demonstrated by spicy food. (Hearts and peppers added later)
The conflict was simple, she liked spicy food and her husband did not. But the iceberg principle, a fundamental aspect of the common ground approach, could not leave it there. The principle compels people to looks beyond positions (the tip of the iceberg) to get to interests—the things that are satisfied when the position is met, and the ingredients for collaborative problem-solving.
Shawn Dunning, Director of SFCG’s Leadership Wisdom Initiative, recently conducted a training workshop for women Indonesian trainers and facilitators. They began with an exercise to illustrate the iceberg theory, using real examples from the women’s lives. Soon they were talking about the culinary conundrum of one woman’s desire for a little kick on her palate. Getting beyond her position (the desire for spicy food), she went into the reasons for her preference: It increases your appetite, she said, and makes you more productive. It’s good for health…and then she blushed and giggled. “What?” they wanted to know; what was the next reason? She shook her head coyly, “secret,” she said. The rest of the women burst into knowing laughter. read more…
Sudanese women displaying their brilliance
While the last 100 years have brought huge progress to some people in some places some of the time, this 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day also reminds us of the vast inequities that exist around the world today, and the difficulties that women and girls face worldwide.
At SFCG we bring a gendered lens to all the work we do, making certain to engage women and make sure their voices are heard. Here are just three of the many projects we are doing around the world to engage with women as peace builders.
I do not wish them to have power over men, but over themselves. ~Mary Wollstonecraft read more…
Common Ground Awardees featured on CBN
Shay Banks-Young, Julia Jefferson Westerinen & David Works take the stage at the 2010 Common Ground Awards
In November of last year, we honored three descendants of Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings at the Common Ground Awards. Their story, of how they overcame centuries of distrust to find their own common ground was recently featured on CBN, to coincide with Black History Month. Theirs is the story of America’s complicated and tragic racial history and its implications are broader than any single family.
Correspondent John Jessup sat down to speak with, Shay Banks-Young, Julia Jefferson Westerinen and David Works to speak about the inspiring story of how they managed to come together.
Watch the video here.
Check out
1. Meet the Jefferson Descendants
Who would you nominate for a Common Ground Award?
The Man He Killed
Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have set us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!
But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.
I shot him dead because—
Because he was my foe,
Just so: my foe of course he was;
That’s clear enough; although
He thought he’d ‘list, perhaps,
Off-hand like—just as I—
Was out of work—had sold his traps—
No other reason why.
Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You’d treat, if met where any bar is,
Or help to half a crown.
~Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
Residents flee with their belongings after clashes erupted between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo and rebels supporting Alassane Ouattara, in Abobo (from english.eastday.com)
With Laurent Gbagbo still refusing to step down, Côte d’Ivoire is in danger of slipping back into civil war. Gbagbo forces have shot at UN peacekeepers and opened fire on women marching peacefully in support of Ouattara in Abidjan. At least six were killed in the incident.
Reporting from Abidjan, BBC journalist Pauline Bax says Ivorians are fearful that they are on the brink of another civil war. read more…
Susan Collin Marks, Senior VP of Search for Common Ground,will be a featured teacher in this online training program.
Susan Collin Marks, Senior VP of Search for Common Ground,will be a featured teacher in this online training program.
Dear Common Ground Partners,
I’m writing to highly recommend the Peace Ambassador Training, a groundbreaking course offered by The Shift Network. It’s a 20-week certification program you can take in the comfort of your own home that will give you the skills and tools to be a leader for peaceful change within your family, your job, your community, and within our larger world.
The course will be led by renowned peacebuilder and social healer James O’Dea, and I will be one of the featured leaders, along with Barbara Marx-Hubbard, Aqeela Sherrills, Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Don Beck and other top peacebuilders.
For all the details and to register, click here
If you’re like me, you’ve been watching with intense interest – and profound hope – as Egypt and other countries undergo tremendous changes. To navigate these planetary shifts gracefully, large-scale healing will be required, led by true peacebuilders within all sectors of our society.
The Peace Ambassador Training, which starts March 9th, is just the kind of training we need to help bring about widespread peaceful change. It will also certify people to play leadership roles in the global Summer of Peace 2012.
I hope you will join me in the Peace Ambassador Training program and empower yourself with the skills to be a profound agent for positive change!
And please do spread the word about this exciting opportunity.
Best,
Susan Collin Marks
