10.02.07
Sowing Seeds at the Peace Center
Workshop participants
Langhorn, PA — A few weeks back I took a pause in my work at Mercy For Animals to go the Peace Center and teach a weekend Sowing Seeds Workshop — check out the pictures. It was a great group of people with a lot of experience in advocacy and education.
As we do at all Sowing Seeds Workshops, we spoke about how to respectfully talk about difficult issues such as racism, sexism, heterosexism, speciesism, consumerism, environmental destruction, and other issues without making our audience defensive (and without sugar-coating the facts).
During our discussions, New York humane educator Jasmin mentioned an article, White Privilege, that she encouraged us all to read. It is a great article that helps those of us who are white better understand the kinds of privleges that we take for granted that people of color cannot expect to receive.
Our local coordinator for the workshop was Barbara Pearl. She is also the author of Math in Motion, a lesson guide to help k-8 educators teach students math by doing origami. Each lessons also incorporates humane issues so youth are reinforced with the message to be compassionate and responsible.
Barbara’s origami demonstration.
At the workshop, Barbara treated us by showing us how she uses origami to teach humane issues. We talked about whale protection while learning to fold a whale (who was also a penguin when stood on end).
I met so many great people who are doing wonderful things in their community to make the world a better place. I wish I had more time to write about how awesome the experience was, but I need to get packed for a trip to DC tomorrow… I am going to the Green Festival to staff the Institute for Humane Education’s booth. If you are going to it, be sure to stop by and say “howdy!”
All my best,
Freeman