A stunning day visiting the prisons in the Worcester Area. It was a looooong day (7am to 7pm) and truly enriching!
9am-11am with our inmate Responsibility Coach Student Team in Brandvlei Maximum: Bradley, Brian, Thembalethu, Lumkile and Malixole. We have started the PBP workshop which will run over the next few months. The PBP (Personal Balanced Profile) is one of our key tools in The Responsible Individual Manual and an essential part of the coach educational training in the first module: New Beginnings.
In our first workshop we re-visited Self-Identity. Are we aligned with the Mission we chose to affirm 6-9 months ago (individually)? Are there things we would like to change? Can we deepen ourselves and maybe even simplify the path we walk? It was a very powerful workshop. We also looked at the affirmed values that each one of them had chosen for their individual toolboxes. Leadership, integrity, love, appreciation, dignity were a few of the ingredients that we explored. It is always powerful to look at possible ‘attachments’ when we are in a realignment process. Are our values motivated by love or are there traces of fear (old attachments/patterns/conditions).
We also looked deeper into our community building tool: A CIRCLE OF CHANGE. Are we in our personal circle of change doing what our heart tells us too? Are we listening? Brian stepped forward and expressed how he would love to change the way he did things right now. He loves the platform of The Responsible Individual and would love the opportunity to guide the process via the tool of art instead. This was such a valuable ingredient in the group session. Showcasing how there is not just one way... but so many ways to explore and express the art of guidance
11am-1pm with inmate Responsibility Coach Student Franklin at the Brandvlei Juvenile (YOUTH) Centre. As I came Franklin was already busy with a Circle of Sharing. 15 guys were attending. 8 of them were completely new. The group was exploring ‘responsibility’, ‘feelings’, ‘labels such as criminal’ and everyone had the opportunity to share why they had joined the programme. The first session can be a scary one for many of the new participants. What really made a huge difference were the testimonies of the youth (17-21 yrs old) who last year graduated part 1 and this year have joined part 2 of the programme. Each of them opened a window of opportunity, shared of their personal journey which was one of embracing challenge as a gift and living life with purpose. It is so powerful when we avail our personal journeys and experiences to others, when we open the window to our life to share a piece of it. This can be a great inspiration to others.
After the session I had a one-on-one session with Franklin. He had also started 20 new juveniles (21-25 yrs old) in the Medium Prison – they are all his test clients. All 20 had signed up and had their first session. Franklin and I explored ALLOWANCE and PATIENCE... (and not to run too fast). We looked at how the natural maturing of any process is essential. It is like growing a tree. You cannot and should not rush it. The question is: Are we nurturing the natural growth and celebrating each new development? Can we let go of control? Do we understand the ‘need’ to control (our own limitation)? Achievement came up. What does it mean to achieve?
It was a great session which opened quite a few doors to deepen ourselves further. Franklin is also busy with his two first case studies (in Module 1). Next to his commitment as a Responsibility Coach Student he has also started to activate more elements of the CIRCLE OF CHANGE. Amongst the participants he has discovered skills that can be utilized in creative expression workshops – like card making. Other creative workshops will follow.
The educational path of a Responsibility Coach includes practising our community building tool THE CIRCLE OF CHANGE. It is amazing to observe how it happens naturally when we share openly, care deeply and begin to understand the wonderful resource that we are! Once we fuel our personal circle of change we can inspire it in others.
2-3pm with the inmate Responsibility Coach and Student Team in the Worcester Prison (Luyanda, Maka, Thando, Malcolm and Collin). We looked at the workshop that each one of the three coaches are preparing as part of their coach educational training and how they walk their journey aligned with the themes. Often we choose a theme because it means something special to us. It relates to a personal process that we are currently busy with. This is also an essential part of responsibility. To embrace the learning that is offered to us – also in the workshop that we are preparing for others. It always works both ways. Luyanda’s theme is ‘Tolerance’. Thando’s is uThando (meaning LOVE) and Maka’s is ‘Brotherhood’.
In this group we might soon have a few transfers to other prisons. Luyanda is keen to bring The Responsible Individual to Allandale Prison. Maka wants to bring it to Drakenstein Prison. We are awaiting feedback from the prisons. The best way to bring the process to another prison is to have one of our trained inmate Responsibility Coaches and/or Students to assist from the inside.
What an amazing day!
What I take with me from today's sessions is that when a process is nurtured with love it grows in the most beautiful way. Love is allowing, it has no need to control, it embraces all, it never judges, it build bridges and breaks down the most resistant walls!
I am in AWE of how the seed planted 3 years ago has grown to become this stunning process enriching so many lives! I feel so privileged and enriched!
IN GRATITUDE
Karina
