Workshops Completed!

Last week's workshops are over, and they were very well received. We had six participants in the college workshop, and an average of 11 participants in the evening church group. In both cases, the participants found that the changes in thinking that come from reflecting on our concepts, then seeing how they apply in our lives made an impact on how they were approaching their work and home lives. There was also a lot of interest in the idea of direct vs indirect understanding, a topic I plan to review in more detail in a later post. There was some frustration, especially during the first few days, among both groups, but this was expected. The feedback by the end of the week was positive, if not enthusiastic. Both groups have indicated that they would like more training or follow-up to the seminar, and we are currently planning some additional workshops for the church that Al will be presenting later this month. We expect to have some additional work from the college, as well, though it would take longer to set up those (more formal) programs.

One point that is clear in both cases: we do not think about our ideas nearly as much as we believe we do. While we are a conceptual culture, in general, we are not often a reflective one, and this is where many of our weaknesses arise. It is very common for someone to explain a mistake (theirs or another's) with the phrase "he wasn't thinking," and this explanation is usually exactly right. Our ability to think about what we are doing - not just our actions but also our way of making decisions or problem solving - has a huge impact on what we are capable of accomplishing. These workshops are proving to be a great way to help people develop the ability to not just think about what they are doing, but also about what they are thinking. We have found that when you focus on how you think, life becomes a lot more managable.

The content of the feedback was very positive. Even the suggestions for changes were given more as "ways to improve" instead of "bad, and you must change." Some of the feedback we received:

• "It pushed us out of our comfort zone!"*
• "...I would like to take a longer course on this subject. I would change it to be more like a 4 hour class, rather than just 2."
•  "Brevity was good. [Good] discussion."
• "...with this class I will look at the 'why' in what I do so that I can broaden my effect on family and friends."
• "I liked the homework"

The last one was genuinely surprising (and, to be fair, not universal). We have found, though, that people do like to stretch their abilities, as long as they don't feel like failures when they run into trouble. This is, by far, the most difficult point of the workshop to get across--we aren't looking for "right" answers, we are trying to help people learn how to discern what the "right" answers may be. Once a person learns how to learn, there is very little that can stop him or her.

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* Just to be clear, this comment was in response to the question: "What was your favorite part of the workshop?"

Workshops In Progress

IRI currently has two workshops underway in Casper, Wyoming. I am leading one at Casper College, for the custodial department, while Al is leading another for a local church.  This is the first time we have used our updated, shortened workshop format (8-10 hrs, down from 36+ hrs.) and it is working well. Feedback so far is positive, and the participants seem excited about the material.

We are hoping that this shortened format will give us more opportunities to hold workshops for other partners/supporters. In the past, the biggest hurdle for our seminar was the fact that it took an entire week's time. Now, while we still prefer a four or five day time frame, we only need around 2 hours a day, which makes it much easier for people and organizations to work into their schedule. The new format is also much more flexible, in terms of tailoring itself to its audience, than the previous seminar format. In our current case, we have one seminar focused on personnel training (the college), with no religious content, and one focused on spiritual discipleship (at the church). While it may seem difficult, it is really just a matter of focus. Both groups are learning how to think more clearly about themselves and their environment, but the former workshop focused on the practical day-to-day applications, while the latter focuses on the Biblical ties and spiritual implications of the material. It is great having a basic core that can be of benefit to all people, without losing its integrity or being dishonest about its intentions with one group or the other. We're having a blast, and hope that everyone continues to enjoy the workshops this week!

Continuing Adventures in Hong Kong

Yesterday, I was given the honor of working with the faculty and staff of the PLK Anita L.L. Chan (Centenary) School in Hong Kong. This is a specialized school working with primarily students with special educational needs. The students got the day off during our full-day training session. We spent an entire day investigating ABC thinking, teamwork, and personal development. The class was engaged and excited, and our responses were good, overall. There were a few issues with language, which is to be expected when your speaker (me) is English-speaking and your class is Cantonese-speaking (but English proficient). For many of the participants, this was the first time for them to exercise their English skills for some time. Fortunately, our board member Kitty Ho was also presenting, and led most of the more conversation-intensive activities. Overall, a good and productive time was had by all. Thanks again to the faculty and staff for giving me the opportunity to work with such wonderful people!

Our participants during an activity

End of the Run

Well, I'm back from the ICOM, and have officially completed my crazy tour of around 5000 miles. Now I will be visiting family over the holidays and meeting with friends in the Illinois area. On the down side, the Midwest has once again managed to make me sick - literally. I'm not sure if it is the allergens, some weird local bug, or the fact that I always visit here at the end of a exhausting trip, but I seem to keep getting sick when I reach the Midwest.

The convention went well - I managed to not offend or horrify anyone with my workshop (I think), raise awareness of our work developing individuals and communities in Mozambique and elsewhere, and make contacts with a few other organizations that either we can help, or may be able to help us. All in all, a satisfying run.

Now if I can just get the sick out of my system, everything will be great heading into the holidays.

WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT!

What do the following situations have in common:

1.      A business that cannot seem to “get it together” and follow through on its obligations

2.      A “culture of poverty” among communities in the inner-city

3.      A growing sense of apathy in many communities across the U.S.

4.      A high rate of “business churn” – local businesses that start and fail in a matter of months

The answer? Their way of thinking. All the situations above result from ways of thinking that lock their people into patterns which hinder social, economic, and spiritual development. In addition, these patterns are self-reinforcing causing each successive generation to become more and more entrenched in negative or contradictory lifestyles. These destructive ways of thinking are pervasive in all cultures and people around the world. The problems created by these destructive attitudes is immense, but there is a solution.

INSIGHT RESOURCES INTERNATIONAL INVITES YOU to their first official U.S. pilot of the Insight Workshop. This workshop is designed to break down negative and destructive ways of thinking and provide a new perspective on how to approach, understand, and take control of our lives. The principles found in this workshop have been successful in helping people break their self-destructive patterns both in the U.S. and in Africa. This is an basic two-day workshop that will discuss ways we can: develop a new perspective on the world, build critical thinking and problem solving skills, improve our time-management, take responsibility for our work and dreams, and work with others to accomplish our goals.

Location: Torrington, Wyoming in the Wyoming Room of Pinnacle Bank.

Date: Friday, April 20 6-9 pm and Saturday, April 21 9-4pm.

Admission: Preregistration $100 per person by April 16th, $120 per person at the door,

includes all necessary workshop materials and refreshments.

50% refund if canceled before April 16th.

Payment can be made to Insight Resources International

PO Box 1030

Torrington, Wy. 82240

For more information contact Jason Nichols.

Come join us for this first-of-its-kind workshop!

Incoming Workshop!

So I've been away a while again. Originally, we were planning on me being in South Africa by now en route to Mozambique. Unfortunately, a shortage of funds (airlines actually want you to PAY them to fly you places...crazy) demanded that I stay in the U.S. for another month. On the plus side, this provided an opportunity to conduce a pilot workshop here in Torrington, WY. One door closes, another door opens...

The workshop is designed to be a short "core principles" version of the full Insight Seminar we use as part of our work in Mozambique and elsewhere. The full seminar tends to run about 40 hours - a huge time investment for most people - and costs, at minimum, around $600 per person,* making it quite pricy. While I believe the seminar is worth both the time and cost, I have wanted to put together a simpler, more basic presentation to help people grasp some of the core ideas and raise awareness of the principles behind what we are doing. Thus we came up with the idea for the Insight Workshop - a 9-hour workshop which costs substantially less than the full workshop, but still helps people develop new ways of thinking about their lives that can help them live better. I will be posting our full "workshop notice" soon, so anyone who is interested can make reservations.

IN OTHER NEWS...

We are in the process of creating a new website! The new site will combine the old Safari Insight Mission website and the Insight International website into the Insight Resources International website! We're really excited about having a new site with updated information (and working links). I will post when it is up, so please get ready to check it out when it comes - look for the new site in about a month or so.

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*That's just to cover the cost of venue and materials. To generate any kind of revenue (or pay any of our staff), the seminar runs closer to $1200 per person.