Enjoy catching up with what is happening in ICAs across the globe..... If you wish to SEND a report... please send to: inform@ica-international.org

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Global Buzz Report: September 2021

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The new Winds and Waves magazine

We are delighted to invite you to share your stories
via medium.com/winds-and-waves which is the public platform
we have moved to now, to publish Winds & Waves.
Please see the attachment which sets out how you can now
personally publish your stories for Winds and Waves magazine.


See here W&W@Medium PDF



AUSTRALIA:

Dear colleagues, We hope you can join us for these Yarnings! Please share this invitation with your personal note to your family, neighbours, friends and networks locally and globally!

RAISING PEACE FESTIVAL – First Nations YARNING Day

Saturday, 18 September

You are invited to be part of a 11 day-long Raising Peace Festival. https://raisingpeace.org.au/

We are inviting you to attend any or all of the 4 First Nations events on Saturday, September 18.

The focus will be on the Uluru Statement from the Heart, truth telling, caring for county, Mother Earth, intercultural understanding and walking together to support peace with First Nations of Australia.

The Raising Peace Festival will be held online from 16 - 26 September 2021 as part of the world-wide observance of the International Day of Peace on September 21.

The First Nations Day on Saturday 18 September will be the opening forum of this potentially large public opportunity on zoom. This is a First Nations-led day of 4 Yarnings.

The organisers believe that First Nations’ VOICE must be heard and listened to, if Australia is to become the peaceful nation it must be.

RAISING PEACE FESTIVAL
4 YARNINGS on Saturday, 18 September

10 -12pm Yarning led by a team of First Nations colleagues

12.30 – 2pm Uluru Statement from the Heart & truth telling, led by Thomas Mayor

3- 5pm Mother Earth - Yarning led by Uncle Bruce and First Nations colleagues

6- 8pm Walking together - Yarning led by First Nations and non-Indigenous folk

Some 30 events will be featured at the Festival. Raising Peace will explore the significance peace has to First Nations people, women, youth, refugees and the environment. It will look at the different ways we define and understand peace, from the absence of war to peacekeeping, peacebuilding and peacemaking. It will equip participants with inspiration and ideas to make their own contribution to peace. You are invited to attend any of these events.

Click here to register and for more information about these inspiring events. Note that if you cannot attend at the scheduled time, all events will be recorded and will be available on the Raising Peace website after the festival.

Organisations should use the following hashtags (at the end of the announcement) when promoting the Raising Peace Festival on social media, in order of importance:

1. #peaceday
2. #peace
3. #peacefestival
4. #internationaldayofpeace

On Instagram, use all 4 hashtags. On Twitter, use 1-2. On Facebook and LinkedIn, use 1-3.

If you are on Facebook you can access it here: https://www.facebook.com/events/194200729247081. The most important thing is that there is a Ticket button with a link to the Eventbrite page.

You can also promote this event with the Eventbrite link for the Raising Peace Festival.
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/raising-peace-festival-tickets-167984773981

For details contact the Raising Peace team raisingpeace2020@gmail.com.

In solidarity,
Robyn, Women’s Reconciliation Network (WRN) with Raising Peace Festival team,   https://wrnredfern.org.au

We acknowledge and honour the traditional custodians of this continent.

In First Nations we recognise the longest living cultures on earth and the peoples’ continuing connection to these lands, waters and culture.

We pay our respect to their Elders, past, present and future and we stand with First Nations sisters and brothers committed to working for equality and justice for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Supporters, www.fromtheheart.com



 

GLOBAL CALENDAR of zoom events - We would encourage all of us to keep an eye on the Global Archive new initiative – hosting global conversations – book reviews, topical discussions, etc.

I have been on several very fine conversations. https://icaglobalarchives.org/social-research-center-events/  The aim is to make this a GLOBAL CALENDAR with a range of time zone options.

Do consider your participation as well as hosting an on line session some time!


Global Schedule of events!
icaglobalschedule@gmail.com.

September is here with a choice of studies, conversations and training events.

If you missed the inspiring “Miyawaki Approach to Reforestation” presentation hosted by Mary and Cyprian D’Souza, here is the link that will give you access to the recording:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yorr1nklVs-wac9ZRtS9gJnhnWvnzx3A/view?usp=sharing.

For September, click on this link: https://icaglobalarchives.org/social-research-center-events/.to see four types of events: studies, significant conversations, training and impactful global events.

Remember: YOU are invited to:
1.Offer a presentation you are interested in giving;
2.Recommend other people to present;
3.Participate in any of the events and encourage your friends to attend; and
4.Give feedback by emailing: icaglobalschedule@gmail.com.

The vision for the Global Calendar of events is to make this easily accessible/ globally friendly to all no matter where/what!

As you will be aware, ICAI – GA is in process of some re-structuring (with all ICAs represented) – a further opportunity for strengthening our global/regional communication and collaboration.

Karen, Alan, Sunny, Virginia and Robyn           rjhutchinson48@gmail.com


CANADA:

ICA Associates Inc. offers a unique course!
Diversity Learning Circles Online


We encourage ICAs to participate at REDUCED RATES by clicking
this registration link:
www.ica-associates.ca offers Diversity Learning Circles course online Oct 26-28, 2021

What are diversity learning circles?

Diversity Learning Circles are facilitated conversations to advocate for diversity, inclusion and equity in a “circle” of teaching, learning and action. The course facilitator engages the group in a series of focused conversations using adult learning techniques and exercises. The course utilizes ICA’s Technology of Participation (ToP) methodology to facilitate experiential learning.

Diversity Learning Circles inspires all participants to answer this question by presenting an action plan:
“What can I immediately do to identify and address systemic racism, systemic discrimination and unconscious bias to build alliances in employment, economic, political, cultural and social institutions?

  • The concepts of systemic racism, systemic discrimination and unconscious bias interweave within the broader categories of diversity, inclusion and equity which are foundational to all course material.
  • Participants will have the opportunity to share stories and broaden the discussion on systemic discrimination in relation to race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, religion, culture and language and how they can intersect.
  • Participate in practice sessions for diversity change agents, facilitators and leaders to facilitate complex discussions on diversity, inclusion and equity.
  • Implement the action plan from this course to immediately improve the experience of your employees, clients and community
  • Strengthen the business case for diversity, inclusion and equity!


Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at dlc@ica-associates.ca.
Thank you so much for your support in helping to spread the word!


NIGERIA:



THREE WEEKS YOUTH EMPOWERMRNT
(SKILLS ACQUISITION) PROGRAM

Objectives:

  • Empower participants with Entrepreneurial skills for self-employment
  • Engage them in meaningful activities and thereby keep them from harmful behaviours due to idleness
  • Imbibe good character that will help them stand the test of time through life transforming talks/discussions 
  • Equip them with knowledge and skills to become Peace Educators/Ambassadors to their peers and others


GHANA: Development Institute



Rejuvenating History for Tourism –
The case of Fort Prinzenstein in Keta

The slave trade which was a dark era in Ghana brings back memories no one will want to relive. Thankfully, we are over and done with that era but remnants still remain to remind us of what our forefathers went through. Over the years, some of these remnants in the form of castles and forts built in some regions during the slave trade in Ghana have been renovated for tourism and educational purposes.

Fort Prinzenstein, which is the only ancient European built fort in the Volta Region, played a critical role in the slave trade era in the then slave coast which stretches from present-day Ghana, Togo and Benin. Even though this fort still stands reminding people of the dark past, its deteriorating state is nothing to write home about because part of the building has been washed away by the sea. The Ghana Museums and Monuments Board which is the legal institution for preserving Ghana’s material cultural heritage has been playing its part but there’s more work to be done.

Fort Prinzenstein– the good, the bad and the ugly
Fort Prinzenstein was built in 1784 by the Danes at Keta. This fort played a significant role in the slave trade involving Europeans in West Africa, the Caribbean and southern USA. Apart from a small fort in Benin and Senegal, the fort at Keta is the only ancient European built fort of its kind east of the Volta River, which is close to the slave coast of Dahomey (Benin).

The good
Given its history, Fort Prinzenstein could become one of the important historical sites for the academic world. Additionally, considering the amount of revenue made from tourism, this monument could become a very important tourist site generating more revenue. Finally, Fort Prinzenstein forms part of the collection of Forts and Castles under the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ghana giving it more value.

The bad
Even though the fort is somewhat considered a tourist site, it is yet to be fully explored coupled with low patronage.

The Ugly
Sadly, portions of the fort have been washed away by angry waves but very little has been done or is being done about it.

What Next then?
The good news is that significant portions of the edifice still remain to tell the story. In view of this and more, The Development Institute (The DI) has been working towards making the site great again. In our quest to renovate the tourist site, we have been engaging some key stakeholders.

Currently, The DI has embarked on a project dubbed, “Renovation of Fort Prinzenstein: Supporting Development of Tourism in the Keta Area”. Even though we are yet to secure adequate funding for the project, some preliminary actions have begun. The DI is engaging stakeholders at different levels to ensure sustainability of the project. On March 18, 2021, we organised a community buy-in meeting in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority where we engaged traditional authorities, CSOs in the area and some community members.

The meeting which was very successful created a platform to discuss the way forward. As a result of this meeting, a communication platform has been created to engage stakeholders on a regular basis. Stakeholders have come to a consensus to collectively engage Ghana Museums and Monuments Board as well as other potential partners to collaborate towards the restoration of Fort Prinzenstein.

Making Progress at last!
Efforts towards engaging as well as partnering with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board has yielded some results. The Ghana Museums and Monuments Board has expressed interest in collaborating with stakeholders to ensure the renovation and sustainability of the fort; discussions are underway. Taking it a step further with a focus on tourism as a whole, The DI has also began engaging hoteliers to establish fruitful partnerships for tourism development in Keta which includes renovating Fort Prinzenstein. To initiate the process, a meeting was organised on June 29, 2021, with eight hoteliers in attendance, to discuss the way forward and also plan towards World Tourism Day 2021. At the end of the meeting, participants pledged their commitment to promote tourism within the area.

In Conclusion…
We believe this project will not only boost tourism in the area but also create a sustainable source of livelihood for the communities and also ensure sustainable management of the resources as well. We look forward to establishing fruitful partnerships to #BuildBackBetter what has been lost.

#FortPrinzenstein

#WorldHeritageSites
#SustainableTourism

Dzifa Kumaga         dkumagah@thedevin.org


OF iNTEREST

Neighborhoods Meeting Climate Challenges

Emerging Ecology has begun a neighborhood focused program to meet the global climate challenges by mobilizing grassroots energy. Using ICA’s ToP methods in 5 2-hour sessions (some virtual and some face to face), neighborhood leaders and interested citizens gathered together to envision ways their communities can take practical steps to enhance the ecological responsibility of their individual and collective actions. Called Enlivening Neighborhoods, the program will initially involve six neighborhoods in Greensboro, North Carolina. Sunset Hills, the first neighborhood to participate in the program, envisioned ways to enhance the use of solar panels for generating electricity and to increase the planting of native plants throughout their lawns and community parks.

The Sunset Hills leadership team was so impressed with the Enlivening Neighborhoods project that they sent out a press release to the local TV and print media. One local channel sent their reporter who prepared a 5-minute spot on the evening news and a shorter video and writeup on their website. This is available at: See Here

Additional information about the Enlivening Neighborhoods program is available at www.EmergingEcology.org/Neighborhoods. All the programs of Emerging Ecology, an associate member of ICA International, are designed to build mutually enhancing relationships between people and Planet by promoting a worldview for the next generations’ solutions.

F. Nelson Stover
September 4, 2021



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