Dear Vulnerability

You are here to teach me and guide me..
oooh I used to hate you...
but no more...
I have found my greatest strength in you...
I have dived into the deepest caves with you...
I have climbed the highest mountains with you...
I have surrendered and let go with you...
I am so grateful!
Today I can breathe freely and BE...

...just ME

♥ THANK YOU ♥

Goodwood Prison Day

Today in Goodwood Medium Prison in Circles of Sharing with our inmate coach students and participants of The Responsible Individual. Change happens when we realize that not only are we a great gift to others; everyone is a wonderful gift to us as well. This is when we truly open ourselves to listen and to learn.

Key words in todays session: We spoke about intimacy and relationships, keyroles (I am a friend, I am a Provider, I am a Lover, I am a Partner, I am a Leader, I am a Role Model...) and how each experience in our lives gives us knowledge and the opportunity to practice choice. "What is it that I would like to spice my relationships with?". We dived deeper into CHOICES and how different influences in our lives impacts the choices we make. We want to understand these influences and not choose because we were told to... but simply because we want to. This is when we invite change!

♥ Happy Monday Everyone! ♥

IN GRATITUDE
Karina

YOU

Be YOU... ALL of YOU... ALL the time ; )

Nyanga Workshop - Deep GRATITUDE

A soup meal was just perfect for todays wet/cold workshop in Nyanga Township. Lots of SMILES, Sharing and Caring.




See more photos on Facebook

As I was driving home... sun peaking out through the clouds to my right, the rain still pouring (mmmm cleansing) and the most amazing rainbow stretching itself across the Indian Ocean to my left... I just felt so enriched. Thank you Team, Thank you Nature, Thank you ALL

Re-Integration and Youth Community Builders

STUNNING workshop and processing of challenges in Nyanga Township this morning. We looked at 'Anger', at 'Honesty' and how powerful each 'Challenge' is for the strenghtening of both ourselves and of our team! I simply LOVE it when we can communicate so openly and caringly. I feel so proud of being part of the SmilingOne Team!

Every Friday our team meet in a Circle of Sharing spiced with the ingredients of their journeys of responsibility. These circles are open for the whole community. This is where we laugh... this is where we cry... this is where there is absolutely no need to hide!

IN GRATITUDE
Karina

Purchase Music Downloads and support our Foundation

I had a wonderful time at Trinity in Cape Town tonight. So much wonderful music. Thank you Ashton Gardner for your stunning music, your beautiful heart and your humble presence. You inspire me ♥ Thank you dear team: Phillip Dexter (Friend of SmilingOne), Meeghan (Responsibility Coach) & Michael Norwitz (sponsor), Farouk Ulueme (SmilingOne Re-Integration / Responsibility Coach) and Ivan Makulani (Youth Community Builder) for sharing this experience with me.

G'nite Everyone : )
xxx Karina

You can purchase Ashton Gardner music downloads and support The SmilingOne Foundation (goes in full towards our prison programmes)

My drive back...

My drive back from the Worcester Prisons today (heading for Cape Town) was truly magical. I am in AWE of nature - feeling so grateful. Huge waterfalls coming off the mountains. One bigger than the other. LOVE IT!!! This is one of the things I appreciate about winter here in SA... the rain brings such richness. A wonderful reminder for our own personal processes. Each season is valuable!

xxx Karina

Pre-assessment session Brandvlei Maximum Prison and intro session Brandvlei Medium Prison

WOW... what an AMAZING DAY!!!

9am-1pm: Pre-assessment/graduation session of inmate participants in Brandvlei Maximum Prison. Our 4 student coaches are guiding 37 fellow inmates in The Responsible Individual process. 6 of them are graduating Part 2, 23 are graduating Part 1. Everyone was in our circle today. What a privilege it was! On June 8th we have our Certificate Ceremony!

1-3pm: session with our inmate student coach and 17 juveniles in Part 1 in Brandvlei Medium Prison

Dear Franklin Esau, Bradly Hess, Brian Anene, Thembalethu Ndabambi and Lumkile Sohole (SmilingOne Inmate Coach Students). You are AMAZING! Your commitment to yourself and to the guidance of your fellow inmate is remarkable! We are deeply honoured to walk this path of learning and guidance with you! What a privilege it is to have you as part of our SmilingOne Family

IN GRATITUDE
Karina

Testimony by one of our participants in the Brandvlei Maximum Prison

My heart sings!

Love the quality time with my kids! They make my heart sing. Both are off to dream land and I am making last preparations for my prison day in Brandvlei Maximum and Juvenile Prison tomorrow - gonna be an exciting day. I am meeting all the graduates of the inmate coach team in an assessment session prior to certificate ceremony on June 8th.

IN GRATITUDE
Karina

Online Skype Sessions - training teams of facilitators

What an amazing online session with Meeghan, Vivian and Trine. Love the depth and authenticity of the sharing. Look forward to take my ingredients from the session into my week, observing and exploring what comes my way. When it is time to 'risk' I risk, when it is time to 'act' I act, when it is time to 'silence' I silence.. and listen.

Online sessions are available for anyone who is keen to deepen themselves on the journey of THE RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL and who is passionate about sharing this knowledge and learning with their communities.

xxx Karina

YIPEEE it is Monday. Off to Circles of Sharing in Goodwood Medium Prison

Have a stunning day everyone! In giving lies one of the greatest rewards! xxx Karina

Good Morning World

I am ready for a new and exciting day, inspiring change by BEing the change. Each day I re-commit to my journey. I LOVE Guidance. I LOVE Learning!

♥ Happy Tuesday Everyone! ♥

xxx Karina

Food Awareness Workshops Nyanga Township

Another STUNNING workshop in the Nyanga Township. This month we focus on Food Awareness, healhty choices, helping each other, cleaning the space after us/enjoying a clean environment... and as always our space is filled with love and lots of sharing.

First part of the workshop we are busy preparing the ingredients for our warm meal (kindly donated by Shoprite in Philippi). Everybody is helping. Next we clean up after us, sweep the floors and make sure that the space is left as we found it. Outside the grounds are cleaned and waste put in big bags. Then it is time for a circle of fun, song, play and our moment of silence. Then it is Lunch Time... two cups of soup for everyone!

See more photos on Facebook

xxx Karina

Gratitude to Sheilan Clarke

Sheilan has been part of our family since beginning of 2011. Very committed to assist on all our Saturdays Youth Workshops in Nyanga Township. Also adding her unique skill to assist the team create their own magazine. We love and appreciate you dear Heart!

In Gratitude
Karina

Can you help?

Dear Friends

Our SmilingOne Team of volunteers / youth community builders in the Nyanga Township are making a great difference for their community on a daily basis - involving the youth in healthy activities for a green and safe environment. Our team is not paid yet (no funding) - Maybe you can help us with 5 kits of toiletries (R250 each) for our volunteers. A token of appreciation. Pls contact me.

In Gratitude
Karina

Happy ONE YEAR anniversary Farouk!

What a remarkable man, a beautiful soul and such an inspiration to so many. It has been one year today since Farouk was released from prison. The journey has certainly not been an easy one for Farouk. He, however, embraces every single step of it as his learning, stepping stones that assist him in his growth and makes him live his authentic self. It is a great privilege to walk this journey with him!

Farouk is a valued member of the SmilingOne Re-Integration Team, he is in Responsibility Coach Training and he is a dear Friend. He has been with the SmilingOne Family since October 2008.

Dear Farouk. May you continue to follow that beautiful heart of yours. Thank you for you. I am very proud of you! I look forward to the awesome journey that lies ahead in community building. We make a difference TOGETHER!

IN GRATITUDE
Karina

Nyanga Youth - Healthy Food Choices

And here we are. In loving action in the Nyanga Township every Saturday. I just picked up another 'left-over' food donation from SHOPRITE Philippi.

Today we also use the donation to create awareness around food and the choices we make. The children LOVED helping sorting the vegetable. The older ones taking the younger ones by the hand showing them how to separate the fresh vegetable from that which we could give to the goats in the township. With lots of helping hands ingredients werer prepared and we made the most delicious soup. Perfectly spiced with love n care.

Click photo to visit more photos via Facebook

In Gratitude
Karina

More focus on RE-INTEGRATION

Just came home from a stunning Circle of Sharing with our team (youth community builders & Re-Integration Team) in Nyanga Township.

We spoke about crime, the fear many live with on a daily basis and how we as SmilingOne can do even more. We already work with the younger generation to break the circle of crime from a young age.

We would like to also spend time attending to more ex-offenders and parolees, working closely with Community Corrections and the families involved. Each person deserves a chance. It is not easy to re-integrate. Intensive care and enrollment in our community initiatives are important keys in this process.

We are currently writing grant applications to be able to roll-out our Re-Integration Programme on a much larger scales. Aim is to take at least 40 ex-offenders under our wings in the first phase. Thabo, Farouk, Chris and Louis (our re-integration team) will play an essential role in guidance and support.

Sharing is Caring

IN GRATITUDE
Karina

Vegetable Soup for Nyanga Youth

Busy preparing vegetable soup for tomorrows workshop with our 100 kids in the Nyanga Township. I bow in gratitude! We have soooo much yummy healthy soup/meals for the WHOLE winter sponsored by Community Chest of the Western Cape and SHOPRITE Philippi. This is how we rock when a community join hands! I am SO excited! ♥ Do come and visit our project. We always need helping hands!

♥ XOXOX ♥

Shoprite Philippi daily food donation

Daily 'left-over' food donation from Shoprite in Philippi.

As I went to Shoprite before attending our Circle of Sharing with the team I met the Regional Manager. After sharing about what we do (he also had received photos via email) he suggested that Shoprite could give us a daily donation of the food that would not be sold (taken off the shelves). Then we could choose what we could use. The rest we give to the goats of some of the families that are part of our programme.

We are deeply grateful for this opportunity. Monday to Friday we give the donation from Shoprite to the Nyanga Creche run by Esther. She has 80 children to feed every single day. Many of these children are part of our weekly Saturday Workshop. Saturday we keep the donation to cook a warm wholesome meal for all participants - often up to 100 children.

IN GRATITUDE
Karina

Donation of 3,000 tins of split peas / lentils

I just received the donation from Community Chest in Western Cape. Lots of ingredients for soup and warm meals. This will be used every Saturday throughout the winter as we workshop with the youth of the Nyanga Township. A warm meal, a filled tummy, a grateful heart.


Also a warmfelt thank you to ABC Press who helped us pick-up the 3,000 tins and deliver them to us. ABC Press is always keen to assist us - both in printing and in any way they can! We are deeply grateful.

In Gratitude
Karina

Worcester Prison - Circle of Sharing

Stunning session today. First part of the session was with SmilingOne imate Responsibility Coach Thando Gwampi and two inmate members of the Group of Hope (GOH). Since the start-up of our process back in January 2008 we have always worked hand in hand with the GOH initiative (skills development for inmates - driven by inmates). Focus was on how we can compliment each other as we continue to walk hand in hand, inspiring even more inmates to join the journey.

When speaking about group dynamics and skills development processes one also has to attend to the individual processes. Each one of us brings an energy (personal environment) into the group - an energy that each one of us is responsible for to compliment the shared environment. This is where the process of THE RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL becomes KEY. It starts with a better ME for a better WE.

Next I had a one-on-one with Thando and thereafter Collin (inmate coach student) joined our circle. Luyanda and Sibabalo (both inmate Responsibility Coaches) transferred to Goodwood Prison on Monday. They will assist SmilingOne Facilitation there.

Sharing is Caring

IN GRATITUDE
Karina

Donation from Community Chest

After an inspiring meeting with Greg Damster from Community Chest Thursday last week we have been awaiting news about a possible first donation. And today it came! Our first wish brought to Community Chest has been granted.

Friday we will pick up 200 boxes (12 cans in each) of soup ingredients (split peas and lentils). The soup is for our Saturday Workshops in the Nyanga Township where we often cater for more than 100 children living in the community. The donation will make sure that the children are not only having a warm and nutritious meal; but also that they with a filled tummy can be open to the learning of the weekly workshop.

We make a difference TOGETHER!

THANK YOU COMMUNITY CHEST! WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL!

In Gratitude
Karina

We are back in Prison after Easter Break

Two weeks can seem like a looooooong time. I do love the silence (and know/value how important it is) and at the same time I also just love the action. Good to be back in Goodwood Prison after our Easter Break.

Today 22 guys participated in session. And Dave Thorpe, a friend and sponsor of SmilingOne, joined us. He was up for a real treat!

In this term (Q2 2011) we work towards our June 18th Certificate Ceremony where those who have walked the journey with great commitment to themselves the past 6 months will graduate Part 1 of THE RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL. A family member can attend and we will together celebrate journeys of change!

Tasks that we will deepen ourselves in: The Awareness Spectrum guides us towards balancing all processes in life and understanding that every challenge comes with a gift; We come to a greater understanding of our Tool Boxes and affirm each tool/value; We bring our set of tools with us into how we express certain Key Roles in our lives; and as we experience more sides of ourselves we begin to feel OUR MISSION (who am I).

Another remarkable day where more doors are opened and the process is being taken deeper!


In Gratitude
Karina

CAR SWOP. YOU ROCK, THORP!

I have been driving 15.000 km the past months. The time has come to swop vehicles. Thorp is ready with another Spark to assist us in reaching our programmes! Giving unconditionally. YOU ROCK, THORP!!

In Gratitude
Karina

Meeting with Community Chest Cape Town

I just had a stunning meeting with the Community Chest in Cape Town. In AWE! They do such incredible work for communities within the Western Cape. After an hours meeting so many doors opened! I look forward to walk hand in hand with Greg Damster and the team. TOGETHER we can make a difference! First step is a donation of Soup for our Township Kids every Saturday through Winter.

In Gratitude
Karina

Green Light to start at Pollsmoor Women's Prison

Today Meeghan and I went to meet with the Quality Assurance Committee at Pollsmoor Prison, Cape Town. Even though we have received regional clearance for all of Western Cape it is key to build a relationship with the committee at each prison. It is a partnership where we work hand in hand as partners in rehabilitation.

Our presentation was received well by the committee. Many wonderful ideas were proposed - also to please offer our service in the other sections of the prison, including unsentenced inmates. As shared with the committee we would love to accommodate this as we expand and have more sponsors on board. At this stage we will focus on the women's prison, which will give the committe and opportunity to get a feel of the effectiveness of the programme THE RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL.

Meeghan will be facilitating the weekly sessions at the prison. Start-up date soon to be announced.


In Gratitude
Karina

Prison Day in MAX and Juvenile. PBP WORKSHOP

I always enjoy my drives to the Worcester Area. Such a treat. Beautiful wine lands, majestic mountains, nature at its very best! LOVE IT!

MAXIMUM
The inmate coach team was waiting for me at 9am sharp, ready for our bi-weekly session. We are busy with our PBP workshop (personal balanced profile). The PBP is one of our key tools in THE RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL. Each tool is not just learned in theory. It is essential that we practise the tool in our own personal journey, that we deepen ourselves in all aspect of it, make it our own to truly understand the learning and gifting it comes with.

Today we dived deeper into the Responsibility Area: Social Responsibility. Bradley, Brian, Lumkile, Thembalethu and Malixole are busy re-writing (updating) their PBP: Vision, Focus Areas, Actions and Improvement. We use affirmations. Each word can be a door to transformation, allowing us to revisit areas that still has not been attended to, to heal, to release, to transform and to set free. We practise to look out for these doors (identify them, take ownership of them and open them to explore in depth the gift they bring to us).

Even if a PBP has been finalized 6-12 months ago time does not stop. Neither does our processes. Change occurs all the time. This is why it is important to revisit and even re-do the PBP a couple of times a year. At times it can be fruitful to start with a blank page and see where it takes you.

The PBP can be seen as a screenshot of your life in this very moment. This is what you visualize and add into the NOW - this is how you live your purpose today. Each day adds new ingredients and further possibilities.

JUVENILES
At 1pm I was in session with Franklin (inmate coach student) and four of the juveniles who are attending Part 2 of THE RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL. Next week Msondezi will be transferred to Pollsmoor and June 14th he will be released. He lives in Nyanga and will upon release be able to attend our workshops Fridays and Saturdays, continuing his journey of change and responsibility.

I am deeply grateful for this journey. Change occurs right in front of me every single day. And I am right there in the middle of it. Very humbling!


In Gratitude
Karina