UPDATE FEBRUARY 2009
***BRANDVLEI NEWS***
Our team of Responsibility Coach™ Students have now started their 2nd Block: OBSERVING & ADVANCED PBP within their 1st educational training Module: NEW BEGINNING. They are EXCITED!!! Our focus for this term will be 'Gauging & PBP work'. We are having an ongoing workshop 'Advanced PBP' every second Wednesday. Aim is to truly understand the power of chaos/form/simplicity (which gives us clarity). Answers will arise out of any situation - not by force (control) - by allowing and listening to the process and embrace the learning that it comes with. This is essential in a guiding role. They practice being observant, operating from a place of love (letting go of fear & ego / surrendering).
They are truly AMAZING in their Guidance and I am in awe as I both learn from and mentor/guide them on this journey. WOW!
The Wednesdays Circles of Sharing, where offenders attend the programme of THE RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL, are this year facilitated by the Responsibility Coach™ Student Team - every second Wednesday when the SmilingOne Team is not there. This is an essential part of their education and will take the programme beyond 'section 6' - to all other sections. This is where we work closely with management to ensure their 'flexibility'. Not that easy within a Maximum Security Centre like Brandlvei. It is however amazing how more and more doors open.
****BRANDVLEI CHALLENGE****
A few weeks back there was an incident with stabbings of several wardens - a gang related attack originating from section 4. This has prevented the SmilingOne Team and anyone else to come to the Maximum Centre since mid February. The prison has been on high security alert since then and all sections, including our guys in section 6, has been locked up. Not even the social workers has been allowed access to see any of them.
The incident will lead to change within the Maximum Centre - and change is always good! Systems easily becomes stagnate and as change is inevitable it will challenge a stagnate system until it bursts (a state of 'out of control' - opposite to the 'too much control') - offering the opportunity to re-assess, do things differently and find a better balance. The section 4 has for a long time been a major concern for the management area due to the heavy gang activities and lately the rumours of stabbing. 'The pot was boiling' - all high risk gangsters (and all new incoming ones) were still kept in / referred to the very same section.
What a learning process!
I have no doubt that this is a HUGE challenge for our Responsibility Coach™ Student Team. I do however know that they are well equipped and they will use the challenge as an opportunity to go deeper within themselves and assist their fellow inmates in doing the same. They know that there are no coincidences and that all has a purpose. The SmilingOne Team are sending them lots of supporting energy for the journey. The moment we are given green light we will be back to assist them in their processing and working towards getting our programme into more of the sections - giving inmates an opportunity to choose change.
***GOODWOOD NEWS***
The process at Goodwood has for us been an amazing learning experience. I think Christine, Sarah and I have taken a few master degrees in patience until now ; ) It has been valuable learning to 'gently' work with the 'system' and to allow an organic process to take form and be trusting of the outcome. I am still negotiating the operational agreement (just formalities and furthermore inspiring DCS to take part in the funding of the programme). Alongside this we are of course already busy facilitating the first part of the process (since October 2008) on a voluntary basis. Our aim is to run the course every Thursday from 9am-12pm and 12-3pm with a total of 40 participants for every 6 months from.
At this stage we are running our Thursdays Circles of Sharing with around 10 inmates and 2 Responsibility Coach™ Students (Thabo & Welcome) and experiencing amazing progress within the group. Today the session was focused around 'trust'. We explored how we through one-dimensional experiencing tend to 'give away our power' (referring to the 'Circle of Experiencing' in the responsibility manual) and how we can use the knowledge gained (both as we give away the power and are reclaiming it again through healing processing) in our process of balancing ('Spectrum of Awareness' in the responsibility manual). The guys enjoy the sharing a lot and avail themselves, their emotions and life journeys - enabling a truly interesting processing that gives each of them valuable ingredients for their toolbox.
This morning I had an interesting meeting with the Parole Board. They are very excited about our programme and the possibility of working hand in hand with us. Due to the intense work we do with each participant the Parole Board will gain amazing in-depth information from comprehensive Personal Balanced Profiles (PBP) of the offenders and detailed reporting of all processing. They will furthermore be able to use the assistance of the Responsibility Coach™ Student Team inside prison, both with regards to assessments and coaching sessions of offenders seeking parole.
Some very exciting doors are opening for us!
