Positive about MasonLaporte's future with NGOs

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Selene has finished the first three day training in Amman, she reports feeling satisfied and tired. I'm waiting for more details, and looking forward to catching up with her properly via skype soon.


Selene

Sarri returns from 6 weeks in Lebanon on Sunday - we're meeting next week for a debrief and to plan next steps. I'm feeling increasingly excited by what MasonLaporte can offer INGOs and NGOs in different locations with the experience we are building.


Sarri in Lebanon

Starting in Jordan and some local help for a friend

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I had a text message from Selene at 1am last night letting me know she'd arrived safely in Jordan. I'm now imagining her exploring small parts of the city for the first time and preparing herself to meet the Tdh staff tomorrow. Selene and I spent a couple of days preparing for her conflict transformation work with Tdh's child protection project with Iraqi refugees.

I'm also excited about being asked to share NVC with a mother and her two children aged 9 and 12. She says they're having some issues: 'it's like world war three here'. I really enjoy working in this way and seeing a practical outcome. We're all meeting up tomorrow.

Preparing for Amman

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It was great to welcome Selene to Brighton today. She arrived hot from Buenos Aires where she's been teaching NVC-based mediation.

So now Selene and I have a couple of days together before she leaves for Amman in Jordan - where she'll be running the NVC component of Terre des hommes' child protection project with Iraqi refugees. The idea is to help local staff create more connected relationships with adults and children using NVC, and to help families use NVC in the home and so improve child protection. The work is based on projects in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan run in 2008-2009.

For a full report of this work click here (or; save target/links as).

A little bit on marketing

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This week I emailed many managers around the UK with a November news update. This is a part of work that I often feel uncomfortable about, given that when I was a training manager I used to experience frustration - at least - when I would receive emails from training organisations. However, I believe deeply in the work that I do, I know it makes a difference to people, and so I'm always trying to balance my need for people to know that I exist with others' needs for things like respect and control.

So I tried to keep the message short with more info in a more detailed attachment and I'm happy to report that about 5% of those contacted took the option to ask for no more emails! People saying no helps me with authenticity!

Continuing Professional Development

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I'm feeling anxious and excited about the MA programme I'm starting today at the University of Sussex, UK http://www.sussex.ac.uk/anthropology/1-2-3-4.html

I'm registering as a part time, visiting, student to give myself the flexibility my consultancy work requires. My MA in Sydney at CPACS http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/centres/cpacs/ had a big impact on my thinking and work - I'm now going to Sussex to keep that momentum up :)

Our miracle child was born!

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Dylan James Ronald Mason

was born on 17th August 2009, 16:55, weighing 8.2 pounds

we are over the moon, in bliss and very very tired!

but it's all so very worth it!

♥

Hiatus

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Tam & Andy are about to have a baby so are on a bit of a hiatus - though we're responding to emails and enquiries.

Most recently, Andy has been doing the following:

• Facilitating a local charity in Brighton to implement a year long organisational review. Outputs to date include the adoption of a new values framework and development and implementation of a revised governance structure. All initiatives have come from the organisation's Trustees, workers and centre users.


• Mediating between neighbours involved in community level disputes in Brighton


• In April 2009 Andy extended the work from Lebanon to Jordan and Syria. This involved training staff from local NGOs and UN agencies in using NVC-based approaches in their work with Iraqi refugees.
  
  It also included specific training for psychologists and psychological counsellors who support Iraqi families and children. A key part of this work is the emphasis on connection with the needs of the beneficiaries, on giving empathy, rather than trying to 'fix the problem'. Time and again people have reported the transformation in relationships and ease that is created when this connection is made. Interestingly, by being aware of their own needs in the situation, those working with Iraqi refugees have been able to move away from their traditional aproaches of 'doing something for' the other. Crucially it this desire to meet our own needs in the only way we know how that often blocks us connecting with, and being led by, the needs of the beneficiaries.

MasonLaporte Blog Launch!

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Welcome to MasonLaporte Conflict Transformation BLOG! :)


MLCT is a small specialist consultancy offering support and training on conflict transformation and related topics such as mediation, assertiveness and staff management as well as personal therapy. Our services are backed by our own in-depth training, many years of experience and application of ideas in our own lives.