1 Fourth World People’s University Theme: Facing Change May 30, 2020 Welcome and Introduction Virginie: You can see on screen the picture of the lilac bud, covered by armor. During the preparation meetings Marie Claire reminded us that nature is always changing and the lilac blossom is protected while it is changing. How can even the most difficult change be a learning experience, a growing experience? It’s important to remind ourselves that we chose that theme back in September when we gathered together to choose the three themes to cover the year 2019-2020. One of us chose the theme Facing Change because she knew a really personal change was happening inside her, and needed support for that inner change. Others spoke about being homeless, or moving to a new community, and you need support for that too. How do we choose what supports are needed, what supports are missing, in order to face those changes and to make those changes a growth opportunity? 2 Introductions: Icebreaker time Marie Claire: Everyone get a piece of paper and a marker to write on this paper what does change mean to you? One word, you can mime it, or write the word or draw it or choose an emoji. 3 Guest Biography In FWPU the Prep Team reflects on who to invite to FWPU, to have different perspectives from the community. The FWPU Prep Team invited both a pastor and a motivational consultant. Unfortunately, the pastor could not make the meeting. For this session we had one guest and nevertheless a lively discussion. Jane Kendall is a leadership coach and organizational change consultant and facilitator who is ​ committed to helping individuals and organizations maximize their effectiveness. She has worked with UNICEF, the National Urban League, Children’s Village, New York Foundling Hospital, International House, the South African Partnership program (New School), and many corporations and nonprofits. Her early career was in a large American corporation, building complex telecommunications computer systems as well as a large national training organization. Jane has researched and spoken internationally about individuals moving between cultures, and the impact of personality when addressing change, creativity, communications, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. For 6 years, she lived in France, working with a French university, the Center for Creative Leadership, and many organizations. In NY, she built and was the director of the New School’s Leadership Center, focused on leadership and organizational development. While there, she was the director of a South African non-profit leadership program at the end of apartheid. She also taught in graduate school. Today, Jane sits on several boards: one deals with challenges faced by people living in poverty, another is focused on supporting several overseas churches, and a third deals with environmental challenges. Jane is also a fine arts photographer and has been involved with ATD Fourth World for over 30 years. Presentations of the groups’ preparation We met twice. On April 25, we exchanged very freely about the biggest changes in our lives. In the second meeting, on May 7, we each chose a change and talked about what supports were needed to get through that change and how the change was a learning experience. The groups’ preparation notes are in the appendix (and were shared with a PowerPoint slide show during the Zoom meeting). Summaries for Group 1 and Group 2 workshops: Both groups chose a topic from the themes that emerged in the first workshop. Each group discussed their topic through a variety of lenses: what personal and institutional supports are or are not available, what could be improved, and what were the greatest learning experiences? To conclude, each small group answered the question: what keeps us open to change? Group 1 chose technology as their theme and discussed the pros and cons of technology in our lives whether for learning a new subject, helping each other, or facing the challenges of online education and robotization of help. 4 Group 2 chose several related themes: moving to a new community and by contrast the stress of living in a shelter, unacceptable housing or homelessness. They also spoke about internal changes that were needed and also achieved. Time of dialogue Questions inspired by our guest’s bio: Jane: I am curious if any of you had looked at my background, if you had anything that you specifically would like me to talk about...anything you are curious about? a) Something that fascinates me in your journey in life is how you support positive change to happen, keyword innovation, transformation, supporting companies during leadership transitions—to go with the change, but also to encourage change. Around this word innovation, because we talked about new technologies, if you react from there that would be super helpful for me. b) You have a lot of experience in institutional and organizational change. How does all the knowledge you built around organizations relate to personal change? c) I am very interested in conflict management - especially in South Africa dealing with change, cultures coming together, sharing knowledge back and forth, working together, even in light of people moving to a new country or place. d) I am very interested in learning about overseas work with the churches. e) I see that you worked with NGO at the end of apartheid. A lot of the challenges and difficulties that people encounter have to do with structural problems. Structures often don’t help people to make changes. How to make appropriate changes at all levels, housing, education, acquiring new skills to survive. What was your experience addressing those structural situations, practical solutions that you saw and were part of that perhaps we can learn from and use and adapt to at this time? Responding to participants’ questions: Jane: I am part of the American Foreign and Christian Union, founded in 1847 in France. A group of missionaries banded together and petitioned the emperor at that time to found an English-speaking Protestant church in France. That was the founding of the American Church in France and later in the US. This period of Covid made me think. I lived for many years in France. Today the COVID restrictions limit people to walking only 1 mile. People have been very isolated. Many people living in France were used to working and sending money to their families overseas. So this church is going through unbelievable amounts of change during Covid trying to figure out how to care for loved ones and nurture people when you can’t be with them. And, it’s become extraordinary, because when you tie this into technology, a church that would normally have 400-500 people going to it at last Sunday’s church service, there were people from 70 countries! So people from all over the world were looking for some sort of spiritual connection. It’s very interesting that all three churches are dealing with refugees. The American Church in Berlin has a mother and a child who took a boat from Sicily and walked across Italy and Switzerland and came to 5 Germany. There are many challenges they are facing. The group that I am part of is trying to help them deal, figure out how to solve those problems. I have been involved for many years of my life, looking at different personalities, and how personalities affect how people communicate in the world. Some people speak, some prefer to write, some are nonverbal, you have to look at their faces. Young people are connected to their cell phones, and use body language. I worked a lot with the work of Carl Jung, European psychologist. Not only individuals, but organizations and countries have personalities. For example, Switzerland is so organized; their trains are never late. In the US we can’t say that. In NYC on Saturday night, you can wait forever, and can’t depend on the time. All have personalities. Some of us have an easier time dealing with change. You mentioned that I seem to look outward with change and transformation, that’s my personality. No matter what country we come from, personalities like me look out at the world and possibilities. I didn’t plan to do this, but some, if you were to look at people like me—people who look outward and look at possibilities for people. That is how I evolved as a human being. I help people through change. What changes are difficult for you, the personal ones? Jane: Challenges that are difficult for me are my body, being on a diet. I prefer to look outward to help people change, nurturing, but am not that good at doing that for me. A lot of how we deal with the world has to do with our personal framework. Some has to do with family upbringing. Most is how we deal ourselves, with the drive in human nature to try to be who we are meant to be. Families, organizations, culture, educational systems want to change the way people learn. We have a drive and human spirit that wants to be who we are and do what we want to do. One of you also asked about institutional change and how that impacts personal change. I think the opposite – that the personal transforms the organization. Participant: You made a statement that it’s not so easy to deal with change for yourself. You help people but helping yourself is not as easy. Jane: We have a twenty-four hour day, things capture our interests, we are lucky enough to do the work we want to do.