A new title, a better fit I think.
Lina and Vesna,
Am I correct that an important part of your work is to help the children
build narratives in which their role is one of being able to act to
improve their lives? I am so impressed with the power of children
telling stories, not just ventriloquating, but using the language to
create a persona, a sense of what they can become. I am reminded of
Paulo Friere's work. Do you know it?
With my grandchildren, I try to share experiences with them like going
to cut a Christmas tree for our house, an adventure we can talk about
and celebrate for a long time to come. It would be so sad if children
who want to explore, test their wings, build a persona would be labeled
as problems. Thank you for all that you do...........djc
Don Cunningham
Indiana University
-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu]
On Behalf Of Lina Kostarova - Unkovska
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 5:57 PM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: [xmca] The past will never become a present - a note from
practice
Dear Don, Loiz, Vesna, Ana, Peg, Mike, Folker ...
Fortunately, the past can never become a present, I feel like having
a problem with this title... I think that increasing number of people
are getting more and better opportunities to know the things that
happen in the world. Nothing can be hidden, nor manipulated in such
an extent and for such a long time any more, like it was in the past.
Increasingly people get their voices heard ...Not yet majority though,
but these technologies of connecting people are incredible... The
world slowly becomes more open and common arena, that hold twofold
meaning - it becomes a great challenge for development and for all
kinds of diversity in change, in front of our eyes, while at the same
time becoming a space for more direct, brutal manipulation,
destruction and lies created by those /I believe/ who are losing the
power... Also, the hope for better world is here and now, not anymore
in the future.... Those who are participating and become aware of their
new changed roles and images, will not go back nor will they ever
forget what they have learned... So not need to fear for our children
and grandchildren.
Yesterday, a teacher and a friend of ours, who works with rural
Macedonian schools in very isolated, far from civilization area, came
to our Center asking for advice: How to protect children, with
increasing awareness of who they are, with growing self-confidence
and genuine curiosity in learning about their rights, beeing as such
at higher risks to be "labeled" and "disciplined" by those who felt
offended by their development? I tried to comfort him that this is
just a regular "disruption" of a never ended process that needs to be
carried on carefully, with all (children and adults) who happened to
learn to stick together for development... Pretty the same is with the
great world around - we'll always have those who make rules for
people who stay uninformed, in deep isolation, and fear.
I still believe that it is our great privilege of doing the work we
are doing with these communities, in assisting them to get out of the
closed, limited circles they belong . . . and, by being with them in
whatever they are, we learn to recognize the forgotten values of
being human, which they still possess and know how to enjoy.
I wish you all very best for the coming hollidays, and hope this is
not the end of the story. Lina
--- "Cunningham, Donald James" <cunningh@indiana.edu> wrote:
> Lina, Vesna, Lois et al.
>
> I have enjoyed your voices so much! My grandchildren are visiting
> for
> the holidays. My hopes for their future are so high yet I sometimes
> despair at what I see happening in the world. Do you have some
> concrete
> advice for me? The 60's and 70's when I raised my children seem
> like
> simpler times. I thought of schools as a partner, not an enemy to
> be
> supplemented "afterwards". Life was not something "after school".
> Perhaps my memory is failing!
>
> Don Cunningham
> Indiana University
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu
> [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu]
> On Behalf Of Peg Griffin
> Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2005 12:13 PM
> To: 'zdravo'; 'eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity'
> Subject: RE: [xmca] The past becomes the present.
>
> Hi, Vesna,
> It is good to hear the new voices.
>
> I thought all of us might want to look at this article that is
> available
> through the TC record on line:
> Collaborating With the "Other": Arab and Jewish Teachers Teaching
> in
> Each
> Other's Company by Jocelyn Glazier - 2004
> The url is http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=11529
>
> I would like to know what relations you see between this sort of
> effort
> and
> yours.
> Peg
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu
> [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu]
> On
> Behalf Of zdravo
> Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 9:56 AM
> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> Subject: Re: [xmca] The past becomes the present.
>
> Lina, Yes and you helped me to say that there are different
> interruptions.
> It is really good when we are faced with interruptions that
> happened
> within
> this network (Harold Pinter, Sidney and Mc McCarthyism) and will
> happen
> again tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. The fact that any
> conversation
> could be interrupted by such events is promising not only for
> participants
> involved but for building Extended Mind.
> You also wrote about interruptions related directly to your work
> experience.
> I also wrote about interruptions caused by war, ethnic violence,
> NATO
> bombing and what was our response to that.The historical and
> cultural
> approach of Lev Vygotsky did help us to transform "to be or not to
> be"
> dilemma into "how to be". His study of children's play is
> fascinating
> and
> helped us to build common activities with children, adults, elderly
> etc.
> Vesna
>
>
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> _______________________________________________
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>
Lina Kostarova Unkovska, Director
Center for Psychosocial and Crisis Action (CPCA)
Bul. Partizanski Odredi, 23/1-3
1000 Skopje, R. Macedonia
tel/fax: + 389 2 3298 238
info@cpca.org.mk
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