My video contribution to A Day Without Dignity 2012 can be viewed on how-matters.org's YouTube Channel! 

Below are some other posts featuring local champions on…

“What is our motivation? What drives us at work?  What do we get out of our journey?”  These are questions for our reflection this week after a nun shared her motivation and challenges in journeying with under-aged girls exploited for prostitution.

So what is mine?  Shortly after I joined Beyond Social Service last June, I fell sick so often and I wonder why.  Looking back, I realised that one of the reasons was because I was not emotionally ready to handle the multiple…

By Beverly Bell

April 9, 2012

Welcome to Birthing Justice: Women Creating Economic and Social Alternatives. The series features twelve alternative social and economic models which expand the possibilities for justice, equity, and strong community. They are based in the US, Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Some are national-level, some global-level. Some are propelled by people’s movements, some forced or adopted into government policy.…

This journey began in May 2011 when I return from the learning experience applying CLCP to WASH in Suriname. I was aware of a similar project in Guyana being implemented by Red Cross. Now I understand that it as a collaboration of the French and Guyana Red Cross project but that had ended but that a new phase was about to begin. A casual conversation with Xavier Zimmerman and Suparna Bera-Narine resulted in “We are interested in you making us, our Facilitators SALTy or learn the…

Last week I was at an inspiring meeting in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  A dozen of us gathered from different parts of the US to continue an exploration of common ground.  There's a confluence happening.  Especially over the last decade people have been working with different words to explore the same questions: How do we create healthy communities?  Communities where happiness is pursued, not  consumption.  Communities where people live with the graceful bounty of this planet rather than…

Some time back in one of the meetings with an organization, we all were asked to describe what our regular work day is like. Well, after giving it a brief thought, I said I do not have a regular work day. My work days are rather medium or large!! I mean, not a day passes for me when I don’t learn anything. Every day I meet people, talk to them, learn so much from them and get inspired from them. Do u think it’s a regular work day.. Nah, don’t think so!! Consciously or unconsciously…

I have started to put content on a site called 'Constellation Learning'. The hope is that it will contain material for people who facilitate the Community Life Competence process.

I have added a section called 'Learning tools' to this site. It contains a description and discussion on the Constellation Learning tools. It is taken from the updated version of Blended Learning. The tools discussed are AAR, learn-and-share, story telling, peer assist, knowledge asset and knowledge…

GLoCon is travelling this year to many communities throughout the world, to say thank you for the courage, faith and resilience each has demonstrated, in the face of serious challenges to life and health. In 25 countries, over 30 communities will be visited, for up to a week.   The team that forms is drawn from AFFIRM facilitation associates and other people who want to explore the vision and direction of GLoCon. In short, every community counts and no neighbourhood should be…

The Indigenous People’s Commission (IPC) is one of four Rights Commissions established under Article 212 G of the Guyana Constitution and tasked, inter alia, with setting up mechanisms to enhance the status of Indigenous Peoples.2012 is the first year of effectively working and one of the major activity is outreaches to Amerindian villages helping them to know and understand why IPC, its functions and how they can benefit from the IPC’s existence. During the visit IPC wanted to also get some…