July 2008
In This Issue:
•   Message from Debbie
•   Women's Retreat and Parent/Child Learning Journey
•   Hear and Now: Reflections on a Language of Listening
•   Community Reflections
•   Rhyming for a Reason
•   Community Events
Message from Debbie
I just spent the last five days playing with food: I was on a farm in Portland, Maine, harvesting beans, salad greens, garlic scapes, cabbage and eggs. I moved on to weeding a friend’s backyard garden, pulling up the rampant arugula and relocating the cucumber beetles. And then finished up with cooking up a feast of fresh produce—frittatas, collard greens, asian cole slaw and more.

The harvest has begun here in New England, and it’s impossible not to be confronted with the contrast between the bounty of our local farms and the food crisis weeding its way through much of our planet. Everywhere I turn, I find new books and reports about the impending collapse of our industrial food system—all of which pronounce the magnitude of the problem, and in the presence of which my choices feel microscopic.

And yet, emergence—the foundation upon which we at Berkana practice our work—reminds us that when separate, local efforts get connected, suddenly and surprisingly a new system emerges at a greater level of scale. So I’m going back up onto my downtown Boston rooftop to nurture my cucumber plants, then I’ll stop by the farmer’s market on the way to dinner with friends who want to talk about how we can increase our consumption of local food to at least 20 percent this year. Who's with me?

Hear and Now: Reflections on a Language of Listening
In our efforts to make sense of an increasingly senseless world, verbal communication can drown out the necessary silences that could guide us toward deeper wisdom. In this thoughtful piece on the “language of listening,” Berkana co-president Bob Stilger meditates on the power of being present to create connection with other individuals and cultures. Words are vital in community building, but they are often used to pursue a personal agenda. Actively listening and noticing the “space between words” is a way to begin the transition to creating the world we hope for.

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Rhyming for a Reason
Join us on November 18, 2008 to celebrate the power of the arts to create social change. Our second Rhyming for a Reason, a fundraiser to benefit the work of The Berkana Institute, promises to be an engaging evening of original poetry, live music and stories about resilient communities emerging everywhere. Featured performers include Iyeoka, Meg Wheatley, Tim Merry and more. Held in the spectacular José Mateo Ballet Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the evening includes a reception for sponsors, a silent auction, and performances that will entertain, surprise and inspire.

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Women's Retreat and Parent/Child Learning Journey
"For me it was a relationship changing experience. A chance to see my son as others see him. A chance to allow myself to be 'me' first, not 'mum' first in his presence. A chance to see that the world would care for him when I was not there to do it, and that he would care for himself and the world." Kay Scorah, 2007 Mexico Learning Journey participant, reflects on the impact of the experience on her relationship with her son, Sean, who also went on the journey. Join us for one of these amazing, life-changing experiences.

Read more or register online

Community Reflections
At age 15, Robin Prest was the youngest participant on the Women's Learning Journey to South Africa in 2007. Eight months later, Robin reflects on how the experience transformed her perception of the world, her relationship with her mom, and her inspiration to step into leadership in her own community in Canada.

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Community Events
Pioneers of Change is gathering at Axladitsa-Avatakia in Greece, September 8-12, to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. This global learning network of young practitioners is committed to creating the next level of change we want to see in the world… The 18th Annual Pegasus Conference, Synergy at Work: Gathering Momentum for Meaningful Performance, is returning to Boston, November 17-19. This event is a unique opportunity for leaders and change-agents from diverse backgrounds to learn from one another and co-create new realities together, rather than in isolation.

Find out more

The Berkana Institute connects and supports pioneering, life-affirming leaders around the world who strengthen their communities by working with the wisdom and wealth already present in its people, traditions and environment.

We define a leader as anyone who wants to help, who is willing to step forward to create change in their world. And we know that the leaders we need are already here.

We invite you to join us on this journey

Deborah Frieze and Bob Stilger
Co-Presidents, The Berkana Institute

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