When trying to live hope, it helps first to start where we happen to be. Hope works better when it's here.
Second, I believe that it is helpful to think of hope as the acknowledgement that nothing is fixed (though much is experienced as stable), that nothing is necessary, that nothing has to be the way it is.
Third, I find it helpful to think that we are active participants in our experience of meaning, power, and social interaction and in and through that participation we are always-already making a difference. The job, it would seem, is to make the character of those differences transformative.
How is always a delicate issue.
For me, the fourth element of hope is that gentleness is both a possible and a powerful politics.
How to begin to consider the effects and influences of our lives in the light of at least fourteen degrees of separation, especially if we don't just think in terms of people living right now?
An understanding
of hope is, for me, very much an understanding
of 'the politics of possibility and the possibilities of power'.
This page filled up quickly so I started a new one. I would organise it all alphabetically or thematically, but I find serendipity to be so much more fun! :)
Hope Archive Number 4 (thematically organised, on education)
Hope and Homes for Children.
Hope and Homes for Children was founded in 1994 by Mark and Caroline Cook.
Mark Cook, a British UN Commander in Croatia, left his 30 year army career
after making a promise to help 60 children living under bombardment in
the cellar of their destroyed orphanage. Initially between 1992 - 95,
Mark and Caroline raised money to rebuild two orphanages in Croatia and
Sarajevo which had been destroyed in the war. In 1996, they turned their attention to
Albania, where they provided new homes for 55 children living in appalling conditions
in a state orphanage. They now work with local partners to replace
institutional orphanage care in Eastern Europe with family based care
- supporting mothers at risk of abandoning their children,
reuniting children with families, finding new foster families and
providing small family homes. In Africa they work through partner
organisations to support orphaned children who have no parents left alive,
or only a frail grandparent to look after them. They work to ensure that the
children are fed, educated, clothed and housed, and above all,
kept together as a family. I have a friend, Georgette Mulheir, who works with
this organisation, and they do great work.
Making a Difference College and Graduation Guide.
A US-based guidance site dedicated to the promotion of college, university,
and other educational programs that provide engaging education founded on
critical thinking and principles of interconnectedness, compassion
and vision. I can't vouch for all the courses, but I like the idea of this site,
although I am always a little cautious when it comes to
institutionalising good intentions, including my own. I'm all for more
sophisticated ways of understanding how we
often participate in the contradictory, negative effects
of well-intentioned activism, and if these courses can lead to more humanised
thinking and more nuanced political participation, then
more power to the elbows involved!
The Rocky Mountain Autism Center.
Rocky Mountain Autism Center is a demonstration site
for the SCERTS
(Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support)
model that is dedicated to working with
children and adults within a full range of
disorders/developmental delays, including autism spectrum disorders,
developmental delays, congenital/neurological disorders, and acquired
disorders. The centre (center, whichever. I'm largely transatlantic at this point and get easily confused!)
provides intensive, systematic and comprehensive
intervention services based entirely on the needs of the child and family.
The SCERTS Model for Autism Spectrum Disorders.
This site clearly merits its own entry. The SCERTS Model
(Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support)
was developed out of 25 years of research and clinical/educational
practice by Dr. Barry Prizant, Dr. Amy Wetherby, Ms. Emily Rubin,
Ms. Amy Laurent and Dr. Patrick Rydell, a multidisciplinary team
of professionals trained in Communication Disorders, Special Education,
Occupational Therapy, and Developmental and Behavioral Psychology. SCERTS
is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to enhancing communication
and socioemotional abilities, and for supporting families. Some exciting work
going on here, and I look forward to finding out more about this.
ASD Conferences.
These US-based conferences are organised to provide high quality
and practical information for people to make a
significant difference in the lives of those who experience
autism spectrum disorder, one person at a time.
Derrick Jensen.
Derrick Jensen is a tireless campaigner for hope, justice, and a better world.
It also helps that he is a magnificent writer, with a profoundly human approach. His work includes,
The Culture of Make Believe, A Language Older than Words, and Listening to the Land.
ChildLine.
ChildLine is a 24hr helpline for children and young people in the UK.
ChildLine is confidential - which means they won't tell anyone
about your call unless you want ChildLine to talk to somebody for you,
or you are in danger.
Amnesty International.
An important organisation for the identification of injustices worldwide.
Personally, I am not a supporter of the idea of "rights" of
any sort as universal givens, unfoundationalist that I am,
nor of the declarations of value-neutrality that frame the organisational mission,
but I am a supporter of the identification of gross abuses, injustices, and unnecessary human suffering.
H.O.P.E. Organization.
A wonderfully simple idea, the acronym H.O.P.E stands for Helping Other People Exist.
The organization, founded in 1978, helps families and
individuals get the basic necessities
of life and get back on their feet again.
Jesica's Hope Chest.
Jesica's Hope Chest is a (nonprofit) foundation for critically ill children.
It was set up to assist families of critically ill kids who are uninsured
or underinsured. They help families who are in extraordinary need
yet have little or no help available to them and cannot afford to
pay the high cost of medical care for their child.
Chariots of Hope.
Chariots of Hope is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to
provide mobility to confined individuals by distributing used
wheelchairs to people in need, at no cost to the recipient.
Project Hope.
Based in Mississippi, and run by IDA (In Defence of Animals) and Doll Stanely-Branscum,
Project Hope rescues abused and neglected animals while investigating,
exposing and ending animal suffering and abuse of unbelievable proportions.
Project Hope targets animal auctions, puppy mills, animal dealers and thieves.
Acknowledgement, Apology, and Forgiveness Bibliography .
Select bibliography collated by Catherine Morris, also contains links to
bibliographies on Reconciliation, Restorative Justice,
Religious Perspectives on Conflict Resolution, International Conflict,
and Indigenous Peoples and Conflict Resolution.
Radiant Recovery, Sugar Sensitivity and the
Work of Kathleen DesMaisons
This site is dedicated to the healing of addictions through nutrition, and specifically
dedicated to the identification and management of
sugar-sensitivity. The positive implications of Desmaisons work are
profound and wide-reaching. The book Potatoes Not Prozac is highly
recommended. Reducing sugar has made a great difference to my life, so I can
testify that it at least is working for me. Not as extreme as some other
food-related approaches to well-being, and Desmaison makes a compelling
case on the basis of well-researched bio-chemical evidence.
The Institute of Heartmath
Building on the work of Doc Childre, the Institute of Heartmath fosters greater awareness of the workings of the heart,
and of the positive, transformative changes that can occur if we become more aware of the part that our heart plays
in our experience of emotions and social interaction. Although I'm not thrilled about the title,
or with the corporate branding and trademarking that comes with the overall project,
The Heartmath Solution is a book I would recommend.
Project Hope (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere)
It is Project HOPE's
mission to achieve sustainable advances in health
care around
the world by implementing health education programs,
conducting health policy research, and providing humanitarian assistance
in areas
of need; thereby contributing to human dignity, promoting
international understanding, and enhancing social and economic
development.
Hope Magazine.
Sadly, this magazine is no longer being published. It wasn't warm, fuzzy, and utopian, but
very much grounded in the complex realities of life with a view to seriously
practicable transformative potential in and through human interest features.
Read this critique that was featured in the Columbia Journalism Review.
The Utne Reader.
I love this magazine, although I don't get to read it as often as I'd like.
Founded in 1984 by Eric Utne, UTNE MAGAZINE reprints the best articles
from over 2,000 alternative media sources. In their own words,
"Provocative writing from diverse perspectives". Wouldn't disagree.
Lamp of Hope
The Lamp of Hope Project was founded by Texas Death Row prisoners.
The non-profit organization's goals include:
educating the
public about the death penalty and alternatives; supporting victims'
families by
promoting healing and reconciliation;
and supporting prisoners' families, thereby breaking the cycle of
violence.
Cycle of Hope
Lance Armstrong's website dedicated to learning facts about
cancer, working to lessen fears, regain
control of emotions,
and ultimately increase chances of beating cancer.
The Forgiveness Web.
This popularly-conceived site includes a comprehensive forgiveness
bibliography.
International Forgiveness Institute.
This organisation is
dedicated to helping people gain knowledge about forgiveness
so as to use that knowledge for personal, group, and societal renewal.
Forgiving.org.
A place to "learn about scientific research into forgiveness,
share your own forgiveness experiences, or to be inspired by others".
Bread for the Journey.
A nonprofit charity that nurtures kindness, generosity,
and neighbourhood philanthropy. Associated with the Institute of Engaged Spirituality,
information about which is on the site and worth a read.
One quote from the site that resonates with my own work:
"Uncertainty can be our greatest teacher".
Mother Hubbard's Cupboard
Mother Hubbard's Cupboard is a local community food
pantry in
Bloomington, Indiana. They offer groceries by the bag to individuals
and families who are in need.
Victor Frankl website
A philsopher
and psychotherapist, Victor Frankl was the author
of Man's Search for Meaning, a profound and deeply moving meditation on
the experience of life in a Nazi concentration camp
during the Second World War. A brief existentialist discussion and
critique of Frankl's work can be
found here.
One of the Frankl quotations I find most memorable is "What is to give light must endure burning".
Statement
of the Hopi Elders
"We are the ones we've been waiting for". Simple statement, plenty of food for thought.
The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation
Tibetan Buddhist reflections by Chogyam Trungpa.
I find a lot of the terminology in English-language Buddhist texts to be unhelpful,
and often doubt the accuracy of correspondence with the source language concerned.
Examples include extremist adjectives like "Ultimate" or "Absolute" or talk of "eliminating suffering".
These aspects of English versions of Buddhist teachings are a little too much in the spirit of
enclosure for me. But then I remember that "Buddhism isn't Buddhism", and I read books like this,
where helpful psychological/emotional insight nestles in between the lines.
Another World is Percolating
Compassionate Trickster invitations
to
collaborate with a desirable world.
Words Can Heal
Another wonderfully simple idea, Words Can Heal is a
campaign in the United States to eliminate verbal violence,
curb gossip and promote the healing power of words to
enhance relationships at every level.
Letting Go
Plenty of people talk about "letting go" as if it's a panacea for every ill.
As a concept it can maybe be a lot more challenging than that.
The Truth About Addiction and Recovery
Insightful book written by
Stanton Peele, Archie Brodsky (Contributor),
and Mary Arnold (Contributor), challenging the "disease" model of addiction.
Critical Pedagogy Resources
Pedagogy is pretty much the science of teaching and education.
Critical or Radical Pedagogy is a tradition of education that encourages deep questioning, personal challenges,
and the critical examination of the oppressive potential of many
well-intentioned educational environments.
Radical Pedagogy Journal
Many interesting writers speaking to the concerns of critical approaches to pedagogy.
The Intuition Network
A nonprofit organisation, the Intuition Network is dedicated to fostering and facilitating
the development of personal intuitive resources. Don't let the language on this site scare you off!
Its tone is very Californian, in a New Agey sort of way, but the content of the site and the networked links
is often superb and profoundly challenging. Great place to get the brain cells working.
The Roots of Consciousness: The Classic Encyclopedia of Consciousness
Studies
Written by Jeffrey Mishlove, and available in full on
the website. Again, don't be put off by talk of psychic phenomena in the text.
Rigorous scholarship, worth consideration.
Thinking Allowed
Thinking Allowed is a long-running independent public television
series.
Hosted by Jeffrey Mishlove, Thinking Allowed aims to
provide an open,
non-adversarial forum for the exchange of intelligent,
alternative ideas. Full text transcripts of many of the interviews,
which are often densely type-set and hard to read, but worth the effort.
Survivors Art Foundation
A non-profit organization committed to empowering trauma survivors
with effective expressive outlets via internet art gallery,
outreach programs,
national exhibitions, publications
and development of employment skills
Website of Aphrodite Matsakis
Author of "I Can’t Get Over It":
A Handbook for Trauma Survivors
and
Emotional
Claustrophobia: Getting Over Your Fear of Being
Engulfed by People or Situations
Susan Jeffers' Website
Author of
Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway! and
Embracing Uncertainty. Even if you're not into talk of Higher Power, which
many self-help mavens default to at the end of the day,
there is plenty of useful advice here for
emotional well-being.
The Rebuttal from Uranus
An insightful and much-needed
critique of the pop-psychology writings of
John Gray (Mars and Venus ...), from a feminist perspective.
Compassion and Caring: Integral
Features of Emotional Well-Being
Article by Robert Brooks.
Mental Health Sanctuary Concerns about mental health? Need to know more? There's loads here to keep you occupied and informed.
Centering in Pottery, Poetry, and the Person
Classic text by poet and author Mary Caroline Richards.
The Work of Craft: An
Inquiry into the Nature of Crafts and Craftsmanship
Another wonderfully insightful book, by Carla Needleman. Best read as a companion to M.C. Richard's book above.
The Smart Recovery Website Interesting approach to addiction. Established to help individuals to abstain from addictive behaviors (substances or activities), by teaching how to change self-defeating thinking and emotions. Very much about information and transformational education and mutual support. No labels (e.g "alcoholic", "addict") or higher powers.
Dr. Masaru Emotu's interesting work
with water
For me,
water is a key symbol of hope, often stable
but never fixed,
always fluid. Emotu's experiments may well be on the fringes of scientific
enquiry, but if nothing else they are
fascinating to me for their
provocative evocations of interrelationship and effect.
National Water Center
Similarly ...