I realize this section of transcript maybe a better introduction to the play. It is from an interview with David Sonnie, which occurred the day before the interview with him and Larry. I promise that I will get some transcripts from women online soon. It is just that I started the"finetuning" of transcripts with the ones that I thought would be hardest to do and these interviews both had a lot of interruptions and people talking at once, so I started with them.
Also, a quick note on the transcripts. The only things I have left out without any explanation are a lot of "um"s and "uh"s and "you know"s. I've done the traditional "..." to indicate such matter is left out. However, to confuse things a little more, I've also used "..." at the end of a sentence or phrase to indicate that a sentence sort of died out in the middle, and also to indicate where someone interrupted a thought. Those of you who know me, know that I am often the interrupter, but with David and Larry, I had stiff competition in that area.
Anna
DS: ...Now this happened a funny way... It was after the thing in 1976...where everybody [at Head Start] quit and all that. Not everybody was fired.
AW: It was after that?
DS: Yes, it was a reaction to it. And I said, “You know what? We’ve got a problem here, our own employees don’t understand what’s happening. Uh they don’t understand what we’re up to any more. You know we’ve lost. We’re trying to run all these programs, you know, like to be a CAP, or something, and we’ve lost the thing, and so, if there’s some way to let them know.”
Now we used to do something in the clinic, uh on a ritual basis, where we’d invite the, the, you know, what do they call them, the caseworkers, and all those counselors, and all those people were invited to clinic. And um it was wonderful. The, the clinic women would cook, uh, uh surplus food and stuff, you know, like bulgur, and all that. And they would cook these wonderful meals, you know, and uh you’re eating bulgur. And the guy, you know they would go, “What’s bulgur?” And you know, “That’s what they would give us to eat.”
You know, uh one of my memories of early Roseburg was out on uh, uh north of town, you know out 99 really. Uh I was for some reason going early in the morning, up at five or something like that. And I saw in the fog, you know cold wet fog, I saw a line of bedraggled people stretching as far as I could see them, next to this building. And I went, “What the hell is that?” It looked like a painting, you know. It was the commodity, uh surplus foods commodity handout. And that’s what they did, have them line up ungodly hours of the morning to get this bulgur and this stuff, you know, and that was routine.
Uh, so we invite all the caseworkers, and counselors, and all those people from the agencies, all very middle class, you can bet on that, and feed them food. And we would show them a skit. And we would, and they would play the role of the welfare recipient, or whatever, you know. And uh, and the women in the clinic would play the roles of the receptionist, caseworker, and everything else. And these were so funny, and they were mostly like role plays, spontaneous, right?
But they were, I used to sit in the room and just go, “My God, they’re expressing things that I don’t, that I thought that couldn’t be expressed,” you know. They would treat them a certain way and they would ask them questions, you know. This was back in the day when they used to talk, if a woman became pregnant, you know, uh they would ask her about when, where, how, and what positions they’d used. This was supposedly helping out the uh investigation into paternity. But actually it was just absolute insulting, everything, it was very offensive.
And so they would ask them questions like that, in terms of the interview, or something, and it was, and everybody laughed, it wasn’t just me. You know what I mean, it was just so funny in telling, you know. So out of that grew, uh we said we ought to, you know, have a big skit, which turned into a play. And that’s “Flowerville and the Greenies.” I’ll never forget, one night about 8 o’clock, I called up Margaret, and I said, “Listen to this Margaret, blah, blah, blah, this is what I want to do.” And she goes, “Ooh, let’s do it!” That’s Margaret, you know, “Let’s do it!”
AW: She said that you did it for a Head Start conference, or something. There was one that came out of, from out of town, district or something.
DS: Well, uh, what happened was, yeah, it started off, you know, like small, and then like it, I’ll never forget we were at the uh, we used to meet frequently, for all reasons, at the uh, community building in the housing project. And uh, so here all the… See I didn’t know everybody wanted to be in the play, I really didn’t. But every woman in the clinic wanted to be in the play. And pretty soon, oh my God, so I had to go back and re-write the entire thing to make it a cast of thousands, you know. And, and so every woman in the clinic was involved, and most of the people in Head Start, you know, a couple of employees thrown in. Mary.
AW: I heard she was the nice lady and Margaret was the, the narrator and addressed it with green face. And she said afterwards she went and they went uh with a little bit of green paint and anybody who wanted to be a greenie could get a little dot of green on them somewhere.
DS: They went. We went to Portland and bought fabulous amounts of green make-up. You know, what do you call it, grease paint.
AW: Uh-huh.
DS: And uh so that was the punch line. See, and so here’s the premise, well you’ve read it, I guess, it doesn’t look good on paper, by the way. But with those people that you know so well, and I know so well, doing it, it’s just amazing. So Margaret was the narrator, like you said, and uh here I was the director, behind the scenes, which is just exactly what I like, huh.
And so when we finally got to a certain, we did it one time small, one time bigger, then we went to Umpqua College and did it in their beautiful new facility, you know. They had a great thing with lighting and all that stuff. So, house lights dim and here comes inexplicable, right, “It’s not easy being green.” Real softly sung by Kermit, you know. And then Margaret would, the spot would come up. I just love that equipment out there. And there’s Margaret, inexplicably, with a green face and she would say, “I, I want to tell you a story.”
And you know Margaret. We worked a lot on this, right, uh because she’s a very good actress. I mean she takes direction real good, you know. And she’d lean forward, “And I want you to listen.” And the big pause I got in the audience, “Um, you know, what is this?”
So, anyway, the story goes, there once was a little town, called Flowerville, get it? And uh the Flowerville people were very upset, you know there’s a lot more to it than this. But, and the nice lady said this, and there’s Mary, [in a high pitched voice] “Well! I da da da dah.” And uh here’s a logger, and one of our dad’s, you know a guy that went to the pre-employment clinic, came in [in a gruff voice] “These people don’t know how to act!” You know they would say all these terrible things about the poor people. And then so finally the city council and the, everybody decided to do something about it. They would pass a law that everybody had to have their face painted green. All poor people had to have their face painted green so we could tell them from the others. Isn’t that great?
So, then act two is uh, you know this is uh we had production levels, but uh suddenly all the actors came out uh green. See everybody was green, not just Margaret. And then the nice lady, uh Mary, uh I used to take her back stage and just, and she was all prettied up, you know and nicely talking about these people don’t know how to act, they have no manners, and you know. And then uh I would, I, to get her into it, I would rough her up, you know, and do this little, and put green spots all over her face, right? And then we would literally throw her on stage and so Mary would come staggering on and say, [high voice] “Uh, my nice husband left me, my nice children, I don’t even think, my nice children, what am I going to do?” See what I mean, she was slowly turning green. And she was, and, and, and she was capturing that uh one uh, one pay check away from welfare. It was magnificent.
The logger, all these people, the caseworkers, all concerned. And then people started having a little bit of green on them, in the play. They, we, we had half greenies, you know. We had polka-dot greenies. We had all kinds of greenies. And don’t forget we had a big cast because so many people wanted to be in it. So uh there were actually four big productions and one was for a state wide conference. And that was a blow out, I mean that was unbelievable.
And so like, like Margaret said, at the end, uh, “Can you listen? Can you?” You know, and, and they would, and so all the greenies were looking at the audience, like this, and then the lights would go up. And Kermit would come back, “Its not easy being green.” They walk out and just offer some of this make-up to people. And some people would go, you know, “Thank you.” [dabs at his face] And some people would go “smerrrh!” [smears his hands over his face] You know what I mean? And it was just amazing. It got to be its own thing, you know what I mean. Uh, casting was an issue because people, they started competing for who got the best parts and stuff. I had to create new parts for, there were so many people wanting to, from the clinic.
AW: I can tell. There, there’s greenie 1, greenie 2, and new greenie 1, new greenie 2. [laughs]
DS: But it was really something, and uh they tried to reproduce it a couple of times uh after that, but you know you can’t ever... You know, it’s like everything else. You have to, you have to be there, or whatever. And so it kind of gets lost in the translation. Or I was looking at the script and realizing, “Wow, man that script just doesn’t quite capture it for me.” You know, the script is the old one from those days. But there, if you noticed, they’re, what do you call it, reproduced all over the place and everybody had their own script. [David is referring to the fact that the copy of the script is a mimeographed copy.]
AW: Uh-huh, uh-huh.
DS: And see that was it, now there you go, it was the philosophy being played out. Is these people, I said, “Now don’t worry about memorizing this stuff, I mean the hell with that, if you want to take your script on stage and read it, it doesn’t matter. Right?” But almost nobody, you know how people rise to the bait. They go, and they, they memorize it and do beautiful, beautiful things, the most touching. They, they embellished the speeches and stuff to where they were just over the top, it was just.
AW: A collective effort again.
DS: Again, a collective effort. And, and uh I, a germination that went crazy, kind of, it was just wonderful, just wonderful. Hell, we wanted to go on the road, you know, we were all full of show biz.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
Who am I interviewing?
David Morrison suggested that I post a list on this blog of the names of people I am interviewing. I thiink that is a great idea, because it not only shows you all who is involved, but it also gives you a chance to correct any misspellings of your names. :)
So far I have interviewed 50 people in 34 different interviews. I've interviewed both women and men. I've interviewed former program participants, former staff, volunteers, funders, family members, supporters, and really anyone who was involved or associated with the early days of PAC or any days up to the present of the Confidence Clinic.
At this point I have four people scheduled for interviews and about twenty more identified and in some stage of being contacted or scheduled. And I haven't even really started on a major outreach effort (ads in newspapers, Craig's list, etc.) which I plan to do this month. Flo Shively has promised to help me with that effort.
I have a past participant, Debi Mesburg, volunteering to do the initial transcribing, and I am going over each one to do fine tuning as to punctuation, figuring out indeciferable sounds, etc. Debi is an expert at grammar and spelling and is doing a fabulous job, so my part of the job is relatively easy. About half of the 34 interviews have been transcribed, although most of the transcriptions still need fine tuning. Considering that we have only been working on this full out since March of this year (only three interviews of four people had been done before March, and no transcripts at all), I think we have accomplished a lot.
The people interviewed so far (as of July 4, 2008) are listed below, alphabetically:
Lori Agost, Lois Allen, Barbara Beatty, Marge (Clark) Bladorn, Jean Burpee, Dr. Jon Burpee, Arlene Dugan, Patrick Dugan, Doug Eckstein, Margaret (Walker) Ellison, Larry Flanagan, Kathy Frazer, Bonnie Ford, Allison Green, Katie Hankins, Victoria Hawks, Karen Horne, Lois Inmann, Neal Itzkowitz, Myrna Judd, Carolyn Kemp, Peggy Kennerly, Judy Lasswell, Larry Lissman, Jerry Lopez, Betti Manfre, Charity McSperitt, Barbara Miles, Betty Moore, Michelle Moore, David Morrison, Toni Morton, Martha Mosely, Mary (Bowden) Murphy, Sylvia Nichols, Lenore Paulsen, Beverly Paulson, Jacie Pratt, Sonya Pullen, Eva Reynolds, Joy Rich, Doug Robertson, Patrick Robertson, Shantel Rice, Sharon Sawicki, Cindi Shepard, David Sonnie, Mary Waggoner, Shannon Waggoner, Al Walker.
A heartfelt "Thank You" to all of you who have given me your time and your thoughts in interviews.
I will update this list periodically to include new interviewees.
Anna
So far I have interviewed 50 people in 34 different interviews. I've interviewed both women and men. I've interviewed former program participants, former staff, volunteers, funders, family members, supporters, and really anyone who was involved or associated with the early days of PAC or any days up to the present of the Confidence Clinic.
At this point I have four people scheduled for interviews and about twenty more identified and in some stage of being contacted or scheduled. And I haven't even really started on a major outreach effort (ads in newspapers, Craig's list, etc.) which I plan to do this month. Flo Shively has promised to help me with that effort.
I have a past participant, Debi Mesburg, volunteering to do the initial transcribing, and I am going over each one to do fine tuning as to punctuation, figuring out indeciferable sounds, etc. Debi is an expert at grammar and spelling and is doing a fabulous job, so my part of the job is relatively easy. About half of the 34 interviews have been transcribed, although most of the transcriptions still need fine tuning. Considering that we have only been working on this full out since March of this year (only three interviews of four people had been done before March, and no transcripts at all), I think we have accomplished a lot.
The people interviewed so far (as of July 4, 2008) are listed below, alphabetically:
Lori Agost, Lois Allen, Barbara Beatty, Marge (Clark) Bladorn, Jean Burpee, Dr. Jon Burpee, Arlene Dugan, Patrick Dugan, Doug Eckstein, Margaret (Walker) Ellison, Larry Flanagan, Kathy Frazer, Bonnie Ford, Allison Green, Katie Hankins, Victoria Hawks, Karen Horne, Lois Inmann, Neal Itzkowitz, Myrna Judd, Carolyn Kemp, Peggy Kennerly, Judy Lasswell, Larry Lissman, Jerry Lopez, Betti Manfre, Charity McSperitt, Barbara Miles, Betty Moore, Michelle Moore, David Morrison, Toni Morton, Martha Mosely, Mary (Bowden) Murphy, Sylvia Nichols, Lenore Paulsen, Beverly Paulson, Jacie Pratt, Sonya Pullen, Eva Reynolds, Joy Rich, Doug Robertson, Patrick Robertson, Shantel Rice, Sharon Sawicki, Cindi Shepard, David Sonnie, Mary Waggoner, Shannon Waggoner, Al Walker.
A heartfelt "Thank You" to all of you who have given me your time and your thoughts in interviews.
I will update this list periodically to include new interviewees.
Anna
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Excerpt from transcript about "Flowerville and the Greenies"
Here is an exceprt from one of the interviews. David Sonnie and Larry Lissman were an essential part of the early PAC/Confidence Clinic team. As case workers in the county-based Welfare Department and then the Employment Department, they played a key role in helping to set up the organization, locate resources, bring people to meetings, find funding, and recruit women to the early sessons of the Confidence Clinic. As Margaret (Walker) Ellison, the first Director of the Confidence Clinic, says, "None of this would have happened without them." (David Sonnie has said none of it would have happened without Margaret. Both views appear to me to be correct.)
As David explains, below, the need for the skit arose because the Confidence Clinic and the whole PAC organization were very unconventional operations (to say the least) and a good many people disapproved of their attitudes and were unsure of their methods, including some of the staff.
But no one could quarrel with their results - which were moving people off of welfare.
AW: And we were talking about “Flowerville and the Greenies”...
DS: Well, you know, see remember we were talking about how things work and how things got done. It was just like that because the first script was really different from the final copy. . . But it went through this thing where first it was a skit, and it was performed in the welfare office. Didn’t it?
LL: Yeah. Yeah.
DS: And it was sort of in the lobby, or something like that, is that right?
LL: It was, it was, it was amazing because I remember, I remember being strucken...
But, but what I remember was that there was a mother who had had her children removed, or at least some of them, from her, by caseworkers in that office, because of child neglect or child abuse.
DS: See how that works, huh?
LL: And, and she was one of the people, who circulated at the end of the play, and was putting green paint on. And she put green paint on like the nose, and did it with some care, feeling, not, not angry, not in an attempt to hurt, but kind of uh, uh I felt it was kind of an endorsement almost. But on the, the nose or forehead of the caseworker who took her child away.
DS: See, now that’s interesting because see I was the director.
LL: Yeah.
DS: And the instructions, the stage directions had to do with offer. And some people would turn that corner, every performance. Instead of offering, “Would you like some?” They would go “Have more!” I mean all that.
LL: No, it, it was, I don’t want you to think. It was not an aggressive thing.
DS: No, that’s it, loving.
LL: It was. It was. It was sort of like okay I know you had to do what you had to do. And uh, here, we’ll both be kind of green, and she put some green on.
DS: So, then, it finally ended up at, at Umpqua Community College and it was… I was just in another space because it has all this stuff. It had lighting and sound effects, and dim the lights, and everything else. I was just completely, I couldn’t uh. I was obsessed.
AW: Well, Margaret says it was a wonderful production.
DS: It was.
AW: And you were the director, and the producer, and the writer, and the…
LL: Oh, he wrote it, yeah.
AW: …is what she says.
DS: Exactly.
DS: The thing was I started to say about the uh African American,... But anyway, there was a huge issue in Roseburg for years - given, huh? And so the big uh black program, in Portland, didn’t know if they wanted to come to Roseburg. Roseburg was famous for this redneck weirdness, you know.
DS: ...[They] decided, “Okay, I’ll give it a try,” you know. And so we had, uh they brought a whole tribe of people. And the uh chairman of their policy council wanted to come, a black man, and he was uh physically impaired. You know, he, he was a wheelchair person, I guess. And he came. He, and so what did he do, he went to his wife’s employment and got her car, the car, whatever, and drove to Roseburg. So the Roseburg Police had a stolen car report, you know. Oh, there it is, and a black man at the wheel. And they, of course, I mean they had to draw their guns, he was a Negro. No, but uh, uh, and they did and they came up and they said, and he tried.
AW: “Get out of the car, please.”
DS: Bingo. “Come out of the car now. Show your hands.” Do you know this deal? [lifts his hands up] I’m sure you’ve been through it many times. Anyway, uh, and so, he couldn’t do it. And so he had to fall out of the car, and crawl towards the police.
LL: Jesus.
DS: And this whole bunch of people from Portland, came sort of grudgingly came to Roseburg, even though it was the redneck capital of the world. And that incident took place on top of it. And so it was terrifying because [the director of the Portland Program]Ronnie said, “We’re all, we’re going home.” So I persuaded them to stay for the play at least. And “Flowerville and the Greenies,” see it has that generic racial idea of people separate, and people colored, and all that.
LL: Yeah.
DS: And they loved it. They loved it. You’d see black people, from Portland.
LL: Yeah.
DS: You know, coming out with green on their face. I mean it was just, and, and Ronnie told me afterwards, he says, “Well, I guess it was worth it.”
LL: Geez.
DS: Yeah, but that’s what did it for me, is that… Of course, don’t forget after each performance, we went and got roaring drunk somewhere, and told each other how wonderful we were.
LL: Yep.
DS: That was a big moment, “Flowerville and the Greenies.” Don’t forget, as you already know, all participants were clinic women... But it was wonderful.
LL: It was fun. It was cool. It was fun.
DS: And like I told you, it was in response to uh an uprising in the program.
LL: Yeah.
DS: Where the [Head Start] teachers, and that sort of thing, didn’t approve of our behavior, and all, you know.
AW: So you created the skit to educate them.
DS: It was to, it was to bring our, my goal was to get everybody to pay attention, to get back on track, to listen.
AW: Well, you know, and that’s the same goal as this oral history.
DS: I don’t think so.
LL: Yeah.
DS: Is it, different approach, same goal.
(interview with David Sonnie and Larry Lissman, both case workers who were involved with PAC in the early days.)
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Flowerville and the Greenies
I'm posting the script to "Flowerville and the Greenies," a play written and directed by David Sonnie, who is one of the case workers who originally worked with the women to create Parents Action Council (PAC) and the Confidence Clinic. This was created as a training tool for the community, for staff, and for the many participants (who played the parts in real life as well as in the play), to remind people of what Parents Action Council stood for, which was:
- to treat people and their personal choices with respect
- to recognize their incredible strength and indominatable spirit
- to work "with" people rather than "on" them or "for" them,
- and to create opportunities rather than to inflict mandates.
Help me, guys, if you think this description is not full enough. Remember I wasn't there - I'm just trying to summarize what you have taught me.
I will post some excerpts from transcripts about how this play was performed and how it was received.
(Note: The script was retyped from an old imeographed copy and in a few places there were words missing. We did the best we could. Also, as word got out about the play, more and more people wanted to be in it, so it was re-written several times. This appears to be a later version, though not perhaps the last one.)
Parent’s Action Council, Inc.
Presents a Fable:
Flowerville and the Greenies
Act One
Narrator:
I am going to tell you a story. I want you to listen. Once upon a time there was a place called Flowerville. Now Flowerville was a funny place. Some things didn’t make sense there. It was a beautiful place to live because of all the tall trees. But almost everybody made money by cutting down those trees and cutting them up to make toilet paper and houses and things for people that didn’t live there. It had beautiful rivers full of fish. But many people went to the bathroom in those rivers and made them dirty. There were many different kinds of people, but there were almost no brown people, or yellow people, or black people. Many people had plenty of money and were happy, but lots of people had no money and were not happy. But people had opinions: Let’s listen to a logger-----
(pause)
(Curtain opens)
Logger: (angrily)
I work damn hard for my money!!! Busting your butt in the woods ten-twelve hours a day is hard work. People that don’t work hard like me don’t deserve money. And I don’t want to share my money with them. Why should I kill myself cuttin’ timber and these people sit around and eat up my profits!!! They are bad people. My ex-wife is one of them and I know she is a bad person. She doesn’t ever work!! She sits around the house and takes care of my four kids and never does a lick of work!! All she does is bitch at me about money. I can’t afford to work my tail off and turn around and give my money to her!!! A lot of pointy-headed intellectuals I’ve seen on T.V. say that somehow we owe her a living!! That is bull!!! I’m not going to work as hard as I do and turn around and give my money to her. You should see what those kids eat!! I can’t afford it. These people are just going to have to find someone else to sponge off of. No Sir!! Not this guy!!!
(pause-----steps back and glares)
Narrator:
Telling the logger that all kids have to eat didn’t help. And there were more opinions. Let’s listen to a “nice lady”.
(Turns toward stage) (Nice lady enters primly)
“Nice lady”:
These people do not act right!! My husband makes “nice” money and I have a “nice” house and “nice” children and I do “nice” things. What is the matter with these people? I can’t think of anything they do properly!! Their clothes are not stylish and their speech is improper and I can’t imagine what they do at night!!! I know they drink too much in scary-looking places and they don’t look right and I suspect they mingle sexually. My friends and I are all offended!! I do not approve!! They are not “nice”
(walks back huffily to join logger)
Narrator:
Telling the “nice” people that there are different strokes for different folks didn’t help. And there were more opinions. Let’s listen to a business man.
(turns toward stage) (business man enters)
Business Man:
Let me tell you something from my many years of experience. There is no money to be made with these people. Even during the peak Christmas season, they just stare in the window and don’t buy a damn thing. Their kids paw all over the merchandise and leave without spending any money. And even if you work out some low payment high interest system for them, they usually don’t keep up with payments and you have to go out and take the stuff back!! Why just last week I had to repossess a couch, a chair, and three beds from some woman and all she did was stand around and cry!!! No profit in it at all!!!
(pause) (turns around and turns back)
Do you thing this is easy for me? I work hard to display attractive items and all they want is something for nothing!!! It’s the same thing with my rentals-----these people are always after me to do something for nothing-----you know-----fix the toilet, replace the windows, install a heater-----I will tell you right now!!! I am sick of it!!
(turns to join others) (pauses---over shoulder) I’m sure you understand!!
(joins others)
Narrator:
Telling the business man that lots of kids and no money is bad business didn’t help. And there were more opinions. Let’s listen to a teacher.
(teacher lazily enters)
Teacher:
[You have] to wonder about the children. They seem lazy and unhappy and their clothes are a disgrace!!! I’ve gone to college for five years and sometimes even I can’t understand them. They act different from the nice children. I try to educate these parents during conferences in my office and they just sit and look at me. You would think we didn’t speak the same language. It really makes you wonder!!! If I ever get married and have children I am going to make sure they don’t act that way!!! Why don’t their parents discipline them??? Where are their fathers?? I often wonder if these people should be allowed to have children!! Or keep them!!! Maybe nice people should do something to control production. Honestly!!!!!
(stomps off to join others)
Narrator:
Telling the teacher that children can learn more in six years than some people learn in a lifetime didn’t help. --------------------------------
I feel so unhappy----- Let’s listen to one of those people-----a poor person.
Poor person:
I swear to God, everyone is mad at me. I don’t know why----but everyone seems mad at me. I spend a lot of time thinking about it and I can’t understand why. Lots of people seem to hate me wherever I go. The worst part is that after awhile, I begin to agree with them. You know, I begin to hate myself. I know it’s dumb, I know there is no reason to feel that way, but God. Its impossible not to when you feel hate almost everywhere. I’ll tell you something----I don’t really think they hate me----I really think they need to have someone to look down on. (pause) But Lord it’s so confusing. I know I haven’t done anything or if I have, I sure don’t know what it is. I just wish I knew what to do besides survive day by day. I just wish I didn’t remind everyone of what might happen to them.
(walks slowly near to backstage group----they all stare at her hatefully)
Narrator:
Nobody knew what to say to her. Maybe the government knows something. Let’s listen to a public official.
Public Official:
These people cost too much money. And they probably don’t spend it right anyway. They don’t vote, so I don’t have to like them. I think responsible people should decide what to do about them.
(huddle with much discussion)
Narrator:
(while huddle is going on) Well, they thought they had to do something.
(to audience) Let’s all hope that they do something “nice”.
Public Official:
(clears throat) We responsible people have decided that we need to control these people. We have made new rules that will now be the law of the land.
(slowly, clearly, and loudly)
NUMBER ONE: To keep them happy, we will give them just enough money to squeeze by. This shall be called welfare and shame on those who take it.
NUMBER TWO: To keep them full, we will make them go grocery shopping at the post office. They will use monopoly money at the store so we can spot them.
NUMBER THREE: To keep them dry, we will rent them all the junky houses in Flowerville. This way we get most of the welfare money right back to us.
NUMBER FOUR: To tell them what to do, we will set up a special government. The officials will be called caseworkers and counselors and sometimes planners. They will get paid pretty damn good for doing this.
NUMBER FIVE AND MOST IMPORTANT: (slower and louder) To keep track of them, from henceforth and hereon all of these people will color their faces a bright green color. Bright green, so that at least Flowerville will know who is who. We have spoken!!!!!!!
(curtain closes on Act One)
Act Two
Narrator:
So Flowerville got its greenies, as they came to be called, and now you understand my complexion. The new rules did some good, people didn’t starve, but they sure felt bad. They felt lonely and they felt stupid and they felt ashamed. Except for sometimes when they drank special drinks to take away the pain or when they all sat down together to share their feelings.
(curtain opens to five greenies)
#1: What do you guys feel like doing?
#2: Let’s get drunk!!
ALL: I don’t have any money.
I don’t have a baby-sitter.
I don’t want to.
#4: It doesn’t do any good anyway. We really ought to think of something else.
#6: Like what?
#4: I don’t know, but it sure feels good just talking to other greenies.
#2: I don’t think we’re supposed to.
#3: Who says?
#2: My caseworker!!!
#4: I don’t know about you guys but I’m sick of always being told what to do.
#3: Shut up!!! What if someone heard you?
#4: I just don’t care anymore. If we got together maybe someone would listen.
#5: (sarcastically) Oh sure-----you know damn well we don’t even speak the same language.
#1: They’ll take away our welfare!!!! How will we feed our kids?
#5: I met some people the other day who were kind of half greenies. Maybe they would help us. They know both languages.
#2: I heard of some greenies from north of Flowerville over the mountains who have meetings and every thing.
#4: And I heard of some other greenies from south of Flowerville who got money to help other greenies. Maybe we could do something like that.
(all agree and think except #3)
#3: (jumps up) Shit!!!! You guys are nuts!! You’re just going to start trouble. (hysterical) I don’t want any part of this!!!! (starts rubbing off makeup)
#4: What are you doing?!?!
#3: (exiting) I’m getting married!!!!!!
(pause while everyone stares at door where #3 exited)
#2: Wow!! May she wasn’t as green as we thought.
#1: Maybe we ought to try it. We sure don’t have anything to lose!!
#2 I am scared!!!!
#4: So am I but at least we can be scared together.
If we stayed together-------we could be strong and people would listen!!!
#5: And we could always be good to each other even if nobody else was.
#1: (thinking) What should we call ourselves??
#4: (idea) How about the “Green Action Group”?!?!?
ALL: Laughter----------------reaction
#2: (sarcastically) Oh great!!!! G—A—G = GAG!!!!
ALL: Reaction (laughter and discussion)
#4: Sounds good to me.
#5: God, its going to be a lot a work. (thoughtful pause) And a lot of meetings!!!!!
(great commotion offstage-----------all react)
(“nice lady” rushes in, hysterical, clothes torn up, hair messy, weeping)
ALL: What happened?!?!?!
Nice lady: I don’t want to be this color but my “nice” husband left me!!!!
(all sympathize and calm her down)
#4: Sit down. We’re with you.
We’ve got work to do.
(all talk together and show love)
(curtain close on Act Two)
INTERMISSION
Act Three
(Curtain opens on busy office with giant sign saying Green Action Group in background.
First act and second act players plus five more greenies, some with all green faces, some
with half/half, some with polka dots, some with single green dot in middle of forehead –
-----rush around shuffling great heaps of forms and with much discussion and acting
busy. Two typewriters click busily and telephones ring)
(actors become quiet and pantomime roles)
Narrator:
(when all quiet) Years passed in Flowerville, and thousands of hours of meetings
happened, and people fought and people made up, and people came and people went
away, but the one thing that stayed was green power!!!! (pause) Green Action Group
became an idea that worked and Flowerville was never quite the same again. (pause)
But-----It wasn’t easy. There were always problems. But many people worked very hard
and greenies were able to do many things to help their fellow greenies.
Flowerville changed!!!
Let’s watch: ------------- (turns toward stage)
#4: Let’s get organized around here!!!!
#2: That’s easy for you to say!!!
#10: Yeah-----Who made you top greenie anyway??
#1: Hey-----let’s be nice.
#6: We’ve got work to do!!
(phone rings-------all listen as #4 answers and has conversation)
(#4 hangs up----with disgusted look on face)
#5: What wrong now??????
#4: That was Capitol City--------our greenie clinic has been de-funded again!!!!
#3: Oh shit!!!!!!! (general reaction)
#2: Well you gave up before------why not do it again?!?!?!?!
#3: I’ve learned my lesson-----let’s think instead of run!!
#6: Do we still have the picket signs from the last time?
#4: Yeah, but we better have a “GAG” meeting to decide what to do.
#8: My God, that’s the fifteenth meeting this week and it’s only Tuesday!!!!!
Public Official: Let me talk to some people and see what I can do. The Greenie Clinic is
too important to let it die!!!!
(pause while official dials phone)
#10: (sadly) Sometimes I think there’s too many problems and not enough Greenies!!!!!
#3: That wouldn’t be true if you’d get off your ass and recruit some more people.
#10: Hey, listen!!!! I’m only a damn volunteer!!!!!
(pause)
#7: (wondering) What’s de-funded mean anyway?
#4: Don’t you know their language yet? That’s “nice” people talk for screwed!!!!
(pause) (commotion off stage----------all react)
(new Greenie # rushes in, dropping papers and very upset)
ALL: Calm down!!!
What’s the matter???
Get hold of yourself!!!!
New Greenie: My God-----we’ve got trouble!!! (slowly a bunch of the polka we hired in
the green start program are going to quit!!!! They say green power is dumb!!!!!
“Nice lady”: (when all quiet) Oh swell-----who is going to teach my kid?
#2: This is disaster!!!
#1: I give up!!!
(#3 grabs #1)
#3: What are we going to do now?!?!
(reaction)
#8: (sarcastically) I know----have another thousand meetings!!!
(all agree and worry)
#7: (unhappy) Maybe they are right. I’ve got to go home and think about this.
(#7 exits unhappily)
#3: Giving up won’t help!!
#2: Maybe she wasn’t as green as we thought!!!!
“Nice lady” It takes awhile to learn!!!
(all discuss nosily)
#4: Wait a minute. Don’t panic!!! Maybe we can hire some greenies who need the money and love the kid!!
(all agree)
“New” Greenie #2 (polka-dot) enters unhappily with head bowed and flops in chair)
Logger: What’s wrong with her?
#10: Who knows?!?!
Please talk to us
“New Greenie”: I give up!
Nice Lady: You might as well say it.
Public Official: Please do!
“New Greenie”: Greenshine house has to find a new home!!! And we’re broke!
#9: What happened!!
#10: (to Greenie) Don’t worry!!!
Logger: Somebody please tell me--------how am I supposed to work if there’s no place for my kids?
(pause----------all depressed)
#6: I’m sure we can learn something from all this. I think Flowerville cares!
“Nice Lady”: (hysterically) I just don’t think I can take it anymore!!!!
(all react noisily)
#4: (when noise dies) (with great feeling) Wait a minute, listen to me, I think we better start talking about the real problem. (slowly) We get so busy running around, we forget to explain what we’re really up to.
#5: But its so complicated!
(reaction)
#2: Not really. Green is beautiful!!!!
(reaction: agreement)
#6: If we are together we can be strong. We have to stick together.
#1: If we learn to deal with our own problems, we can grow together!!!
#4: If we can take care of each other, there will always be someone who cares!
#3: But will people really listen if we explain what’s happening?? Does Flowerville really care what greenies think?
(all frown and think) (long silence)
(slowly all the greenies turn and stare directly into the eyes of audience)
Narrator: (stands up) (loudly) Will you??????
All: Listen!!!!!!
Narrator: Can you?
All: Listen!!!!!!
Narrator: Have you?
All: Listened!!!!!!!
(all continue staring at audience)
Narrator: (slowly) Maybe someday Flowerville won’t need special laws for greenies. Maybe someday there won’t be greenies but just people. We all need each other. Fighting can destroy us all. Flowerville’s greenies need all people so we can all throw away our masks. (pause) And that is the end of my story.
(at the word “story”--------all bow from the waist. Applause----applause----more bows----applause----toward end of applause all cast move toward audience offering small container of green makeup-------laugh and talk)
Finis
Act One
Narrator:
I am going to tell you a story. I want you to listen. Once upon a time there was a place called Flowerville. Now Flowerville was a funny place. Some things didn’t make sense there. It was a beautiful place to live because of all the tall trees. But almost everybody made money by cutting down those trees and cutting them up to make toilet paper and houses and things for people that didn’t live there. It had beautiful rivers full of fish. But many people went to the bathroom in those rivers and made them dirty. There were many different kinds of people, but there were almost no brown people, or yellow people, or black people. Many people had plenty of money and were happy, but lots of people had no money and were not happy. But people had opinions: Let’s listen to a logger-----
(pause)
(Curtain opens)
Logger: (angrily)
I work damn hard for my money!!! Busting your butt in the woods ten-twelve hours a day is hard work. People that don’t work hard like me don’t deserve money. And I don’t want to share my money with them. Why should I kill myself cuttin’ timber and these people sit around and eat up my profits!!! They are bad people. My ex-wife is one of them and I know she is a bad person. She doesn’t ever work!! She sits around the house and takes care of my four kids and never does a lick of work!! All she does is bitch at me about money. I can’t afford to work my tail off and turn around and give my money to her!!! A lot of pointy-headed intellectuals I’ve seen on T.V. say that somehow we owe her a living!! That is bull!!! I’m not going to work as hard as I do and turn around and give my money to her. You should see what those kids eat!! I can’t afford it. These people are just going to have to find someone else to sponge off of. No Sir!! Not this guy!!!
(pause-----steps back and glares)
Narrator:
Telling the logger that all kids have to eat didn’t help. And there were more opinions. Let’s listen to a “nice lady”.
(Turns toward stage) (Nice lady enters primly)
“Nice lady”:
These people do not act right!! My husband makes “nice” money and I have a “nice” house and “nice” children and I do “nice” things. What is the matter with these people? I can’t think of anything they do properly!! Their clothes are not stylish and their speech is improper and I can’t imagine what they do at night!!! I know they drink too much in scary-looking places and they don’t look right and I suspect they mingle sexually. My friends and I are all offended!! I do not approve!! They are not “nice”
(walks back huffily to join logger)
Narrator:
Telling the “nice” people that there are different strokes for different folks didn’t help. And there were more opinions. Let’s listen to a business man.
(turns toward stage) (business man enters)
Business Man:
Let me tell you something from my many years of experience. There is no money to be made with these people. Even during the peak Christmas season, they just stare in the window and don’t buy a damn thing. Their kids paw all over the merchandise and leave without spending any money. And even if you work out some low payment high interest system for them, they usually don’t keep up with payments and you have to go out and take the stuff back!! Why just last week I had to repossess a couch, a chair, and three beds from some woman and all she did was stand around and cry!!! No profit in it at all!!!
(pause) (turns around and turns back)
Do you thing this is easy for me? I work hard to display attractive items and all they want is something for nothing!!! It’s the same thing with my rentals-----these people are always after me to do something for nothing-----you know-----fix the toilet, replace the windows, install a heater-----I will tell you right now!!! I am sick of it!!
(turns to join others) (pauses---over shoulder) I’m sure you understand!!
(joins others)
Narrator:
Telling the business man that lots of kids and no money is bad business didn’t help. And there were more opinions. Let’s listen to a teacher.
(teacher lazily enters)
Teacher:
[You have] to wonder about the children. They seem lazy and unhappy and their clothes are a disgrace!!! I’ve gone to college for five years and sometimes even I can’t understand them. They act different from the nice children. I try to educate these parents during conferences in my office and they just sit and look at me. You would think we didn’t speak the same language. It really makes you wonder!!! If I ever get married and have children I am going to make sure they don’t act that way!!! Why don’t their parents discipline them??? Where are their fathers?? I often wonder if these people should be allowed to have children!! Or keep them!!! Maybe nice people should do something to control production. Honestly!!!!!
(stomps off to join others)
Narrator:
Telling the teacher that children can learn more in six years than some people learn in a lifetime didn’t help. --------------------------------
I feel so unhappy----- Let’s listen to one of those people-----a poor person.
Poor person:
I swear to God, everyone is mad at me. I don’t know why----but everyone seems mad at me. I spend a lot of time thinking about it and I can’t understand why. Lots of people seem to hate me wherever I go. The worst part is that after awhile, I begin to agree with them. You know, I begin to hate myself. I know it’s dumb, I know there is no reason to feel that way, but God. Its impossible not to when you feel hate almost everywhere. I’ll tell you something----I don’t really think they hate me----I really think they need to have someone to look down on. (pause) But Lord it’s so confusing. I know I haven’t done anything or if I have, I sure don’t know what it is. I just wish I knew what to do besides survive day by day. I just wish I didn’t remind everyone of what might happen to them.
(walks slowly near to backstage group----they all stare at her hatefully)
Narrator:
Nobody knew what to say to her. Maybe the government knows something. Let’s listen to a public official.
Public Official:
These people cost too much money. And they probably don’t spend it right anyway. They don’t vote, so I don’t have to like them. I think responsible people should decide what to do about them.
(huddle with much discussion)
Narrator:
(while huddle is going on) Well, they thought they had to do something.
(to audience) Let’s all hope that they do something “nice”.
Public Official:
(clears throat) We responsible people have decided that we need to control these people. We have made new rules that will now be the law of the land.
(slowly, clearly, and loudly)
NUMBER ONE: To keep them happy, we will give them just enough money to squeeze by. This shall be called welfare and shame on those who take it.
NUMBER TWO: To keep them full, we will make them go grocery shopping at the post office. They will use monopoly money at the store so we can spot them.
NUMBER THREE: To keep them dry, we will rent them all the junky houses in Flowerville. This way we get most of the welfare money right back to us.
NUMBER FOUR: To tell them what to do, we will set up a special government. The officials will be called caseworkers and counselors and sometimes planners. They will get paid pretty damn good for doing this.
NUMBER FIVE AND MOST IMPORTANT: (slower and louder) To keep track of them, from henceforth and hereon all of these people will color their faces a bright green color. Bright green, so that at least Flowerville will know who is who. We have spoken!!!!!!!
(curtain closes on Act One)
Act Two
Narrator:
So Flowerville got its greenies, as they came to be called, and now you understand my complexion. The new rules did some good, people didn’t starve, but they sure felt bad. They felt lonely and they felt stupid and they felt ashamed. Except for sometimes when they drank special drinks to take away the pain or when they all sat down together to share their feelings.
(curtain opens to five greenies)
#1: What do you guys feel like doing?
#2: Let’s get drunk!!
ALL: I don’t have any money.
I don’t have a baby-sitter.
I don’t want to.
#4: It doesn’t do any good anyway. We really ought to think of something else.
#6: Like what?
#4: I don’t know, but it sure feels good just talking to other greenies.
#2: I don’t think we’re supposed to.
#3: Who says?
#2: My caseworker!!!
#4: I don’t know about you guys but I’m sick of always being told what to do.
#3: Shut up!!! What if someone heard you?
#4: I just don’t care anymore. If we got together maybe someone would listen.
#5: (sarcastically) Oh sure-----you know damn well we don’t even speak the same language.
#1: They’ll take away our welfare!!!! How will we feed our kids?
#5: I met some people the other day who were kind of half greenies. Maybe they would help us. They know both languages.
#2: I heard of some greenies from north of Flowerville over the mountains who have meetings and every thing.
#4: And I heard of some other greenies from south of Flowerville who got money to help other greenies. Maybe we could do something like that.
(all agree and think except #3)
#3: (jumps up) Shit!!!! You guys are nuts!! You’re just going to start trouble. (hysterical) I don’t want any part of this!!!! (starts rubbing off makeup)
#4: What are you doing?!?!
#3: (exiting) I’m getting married!!!!!!
(pause while everyone stares at door where #3 exited)
#2: Wow!! May she wasn’t as green as we thought.
#1: Maybe we ought to try it. We sure don’t have anything to lose!!
#2 I am scared!!!!
#4: So am I but at least we can be scared together.
If we stayed together-------we could be strong and people would listen!!!
#5: And we could always be good to each other even if nobody else was.
#1: (thinking) What should we call ourselves??
#4: (idea) How about the “Green Action Group”?!?!?
ALL: Laughter----------------reaction
#2: (sarcastically) Oh great!!!! G—A—G = GAG!!!!
ALL: Reaction (laughter and discussion)
#4: Sounds good to me.
#5: God, its going to be a lot a work. (thoughtful pause) And a lot of meetings!!!!!
(great commotion offstage-----------all react)
(“nice lady” rushes in, hysterical, clothes torn up, hair messy, weeping)
ALL: What happened?!?!?!
Nice lady: I don’t want to be this color but my “nice” husband left me!!!!
(all sympathize and calm her down)
#4: Sit down. We’re with you.
We’ve got work to do.
(all talk together and show love)
(curtain close on Act Two)
INTERMISSION
Act Three
(Curtain opens on busy office with giant sign saying Green Action Group in background.
First act and second act players plus five more greenies, some with all green faces, some
with half/half, some with polka dots, some with single green dot in middle of forehead –
-----rush around shuffling great heaps of forms and with much discussion and acting
busy. Two typewriters click busily and telephones ring)
(actors become quiet and pantomime roles)
Narrator:
(when all quiet) Years passed in Flowerville, and thousands of hours of meetings
happened, and people fought and people made up, and people came and people went
away, but the one thing that stayed was green power!!!! (pause) Green Action Group
became an idea that worked and Flowerville was never quite the same again. (pause)
But-----It wasn’t easy. There were always problems. But many people worked very hard
and greenies were able to do many things to help their fellow greenies.
Flowerville changed!!!
Let’s watch: ------------- (turns toward stage)
#4: Let’s get organized around here!!!!
#2: That’s easy for you to say!!!
#10: Yeah-----Who made you top greenie anyway??
#1: Hey-----let’s be nice.
#6: We’ve got work to do!!
(phone rings-------all listen as #4 answers and has conversation)
(#4 hangs up----with disgusted look on face)
#5: What wrong now??????
#4: That was Capitol City--------our greenie clinic has been de-funded again!!!!
#3: Oh shit!!!!!!! (general reaction)
#2: Well you gave up before------why not do it again?!?!?!?!
#3: I’ve learned my lesson-----let’s think instead of run!!
#6: Do we still have the picket signs from the last time?
#4: Yeah, but we better have a “GAG” meeting to decide what to do.
#8: My God, that’s the fifteenth meeting this week and it’s only Tuesday!!!!!
Public Official: Let me talk to some people and see what I can do. The Greenie Clinic is
too important to let it die!!!!
(pause while official dials phone)
#10: (sadly) Sometimes I think there’s too many problems and not enough Greenies!!!!!
#3: That wouldn’t be true if you’d get off your ass and recruit some more people.
#10: Hey, listen!!!! I’m only a damn volunteer!!!!!
(pause)
#7: (wondering) What’s de-funded mean anyway?
#4: Don’t you know their language yet? That’s “nice” people talk for screwed!!!!
(pause) (commotion off stage----------all react)
(new Greenie # rushes in, dropping papers and very upset)
ALL: Calm down!!!
What’s the matter???
Get hold of yourself!!!!
New Greenie: My God-----we’ve got trouble!!! (slowly a bunch of the polka we hired in
the green start program are going to quit!!!! They say green power is dumb!!!!!
“Nice lady”: (when all quiet) Oh swell-----who is going to teach my kid?
#2: This is disaster!!!
#1: I give up!!!
(#3 grabs #1)
#3: What are we going to do now?!?!
(reaction)
#8: (sarcastically) I know----have another thousand meetings!!!
(all agree and worry)
#7: (unhappy) Maybe they are right. I’ve got to go home and think about this.
(#7 exits unhappily)
#3: Giving up won’t help!!
#2: Maybe she wasn’t as green as we thought!!!!
“Nice lady” It takes awhile to learn!!!
(all discuss nosily)
#4: Wait a minute. Don’t panic!!! Maybe we can hire some greenies who need the money and love the kid!!
(all agree)
“New” Greenie #2 (polka-dot) enters unhappily with head bowed and flops in chair)
Logger: What’s wrong with her?
#10: Who knows?!?!
Please talk to us
“New Greenie”: I give up!
Nice Lady: You might as well say it.
Public Official: Please do!
“New Greenie”: Greenshine house has to find a new home!!! And we’re broke!
#9: What happened!!
#10: (to Greenie) Don’t worry!!!
Logger: Somebody please tell me--------how am I supposed to work if there’s no place for my kids?
(pause----------all depressed)
#6: I’m sure we can learn something from all this. I think Flowerville cares!
“Nice Lady”: (hysterically) I just don’t think I can take it anymore!!!!
(all react noisily)
#4: (when noise dies) (with great feeling) Wait a minute, listen to me, I think we better start talking about the real problem. (slowly) We get so busy running around, we forget to explain what we’re really up to.
#5: But its so complicated!
(reaction)
#2: Not really. Green is beautiful!!!!
(reaction: agreement)
#6: If we are together we can be strong. We have to stick together.
#1: If we learn to deal with our own problems, we can grow together!!!
#4: If we can take care of each other, there will always be someone who cares!
#3: But will people really listen if we explain what’s happening?? Does Flowerville really care what greenies think?
(all frown and think) (long silence)
(slowly all the greenies turn and stare directly into the eyes of audience)
Narrator: (stands up) (loudly) Will you??????
All: Listen!!!!!!
Narrator: Can you?
All: Listen!!!!!!
Narrator: Have you?
All: Listened!!!!!!!
(all continue staring at audience)
Narrator: (slowly) Maybe someday Flowerville won’t need special laws for greenies. Maybe someday there won’t be greenies but just people. We all need each other. Fighting can destroy us all. Flowerville’s greenies need all people so we can all throw away our masks. (pause) And that is the end of my story.
(at the word “story”--------all bow from the waist. Applause----applause----more bows----applause----toward end of applause all cast move toward audience offering small container of green makeup-------laugh and talk)
Finis
What Makes Confidence Clinic Work? "My Laundry List"
After one more conversation trying to explain the Confidence Clinic to someone who knew nothing about it, I finally wrote down the following list of "things we do" at the Confidence Clinic (in no particular order). I called it my "laundry list" and after a while began to use it to train staff and volunteers. While I have been interviewing people, I have been pleased to find that many of you have echoed the items on this list, which tells me basically that we have been on the right track for the past 18 years.
I'm going to post it here, with hopes that you will ask questions or offer additions to the list. And from time to time I plan to do what I did in my staff trainings: take one item off the list and begin a discussion of how it works and why I think it is important.
I welcome input from past staff, volunteers, program participants, all of you at any stage of this process.
Also, if anyone wants to start a conversation on a particular item, feel free to get the ball rolling.
My Clinic Laundry List:
Recognize and celebrate small successes
Be prepared and flexible
Plan carefully
Follow through
Tell the truth
Listen-listen-listen
Detach from outcomes (let go – let go- let go)
Role modeling all the time
Safe space (confidentiality/ don’t keep records)
Nonjudgmental attitude
Compassionate curiosity
Mirror (“Who am I really?”)
Tool box - new tools all the time
Recognize opportunities to practice new skills
Create opportunities to practice new skills
Discover options/open doors (see possibilities and recognize opportunities)
Stay in the present moment
Responsibility and accountability
Acceptance
Help, don’t rescue
Ownership of program
Use of scenarios
Group process (impact on group/impact on individual)
Mutuality (everyone teaches, everyone learns)
Clarity about expectations, rights, and consequences
Do your best; then trust the process
Communicate everything/direct communication
Conflict resolution
Learn-learn-learn
Grow-grow-grow
Mutual respect (boundaries)
Question assumptions
Discover your own assumptions
Be there wholly (focusing)
Take care of yourself
Multiple layers all the time – each activity does many things
Repetition
I'm going to post it here, with hopes that you will ask questions or offer additions to the list. And from time to time I plan to do what I did in my staff trainings: take one item off the list and begin a discussion of how it works and why I think it is important.
I welcome input from past staff, volunteers, program participants, all of you at any stage of this process.
Also, if anyone wants to start a conversation on a particular item, feel free to get the ball rolling.
My Clinic Laundry List:
Recognize and celebrate small successes
Be prepared and flexible
Plan carefully
Follow through
Tell the truth
Listen-listen-listen
Detach from outcomes (let go – let go- let go)
Role modeling all the time
Safe space (confidentiality/ don’t keep records)
Nonjudgmental attitude
Compassionate curiosity
Mirror (“Who am I really?”)
Tool box - new tools all the time
Recognize opportunities to practice new skills
Create opportunities to practice new skills
Discover options/open doors (see possibilities and recognize opportunities)
Stay in the present moment
Responsibility and accountability
Acceptance
Help, don’t rescue
Ownership of program
Use of scenarios
Group process (impact on group/impact on individual)
Mutuality (everyone teaches, everyone learns)
Clarity about expectations, rights, and consequences
Do your best; then trust the process
Communicate everything/direct communication
Conflict resolution
Learn-learn-learn
Grow-grow-grow
Mutual respect (boundaries)
Question assumptions
Discover your own assumptions
Be there wholly (focusing)
Take care of yourself
Multiple layers all the time – each activity does many things
Repetition
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Hello out there!?!
My name is Anna Willman and I'm working on an oral history of the Confidence Clinic in Roseburg Oregon. I need your help.
If you were a participant or a staff member at any time in the Confidence Clinic's history (1971 to the present), I want to interview you. If you helped start the Clinic or were involved in the early years of PAC (Parents Action Council), if you volunteered to help or partnered at any time or have a family member who was involved in any way, I want to hear from you. You can add to this blog and give me your contact information, or you can e-mail me directly at awillman@mcsi.net.
I'm interviewing people on video tape to create an archive of information about the Confidence Clinic. I will also include in the archive any information you choose to leave on this blog. I'm looking for the whole truth about the Confidence Clinic, not just a string of success stories. I want problems unresolved as well as problems that found solutions.
A summary of the project follows:
The Confidence Clinic was begun by a group of low income women in 1969 to help themselves overcome barriers that they recognized were holding them back. Today the program still retains the essence of that original support group - a community of women voluntarily working together, creating a space of trust and mutual support, learning new skills, and helping themselves and each other.
After 37 years and more than 100 sessions of the Confidence Clinic, we believe it is time for a look at what we have accomplished and how we have done it – a time for drawing lessons from this rich reservoir of experience that can ensure a future for our program and for others like it.
We propose to videotape and transcribe interviews of past participants, teachers, volunteers, and staff from all stages of our history from the original founders up to the present.
We want to get these amazing women (and men) talking about the Confidence Clinic – telling us stories about successes and challenges, triumphs and failures, barriers and breakthroughs. We want to find out how curriculum was developed, programs designed, students recruited, partnerships formed, and finances managed. We want to hear stories of women challenged, problems addressed, conflicts resolved (or left unresolved), and all the consequences of different decisions made over the years. We want to hear how outside factors influenced the development of the program and how internal strengths and weaknesses worked to create the program and the solutions we are familiar with today.
Please blog with me. I welcome your comments and I hope you will all respond to each other to continue to build this rich reservoir of knowledge.
Anna Willman
If you were a participant or a staff member at any time in the Confidence Clinic's history (1971 to the present), I want to interview you. If you helped start the Clinic or were involved in the early years of PAC (Parents Action Council), if you volunteered to help or partnered at any time or have a family member who was involved in any way, I want to hear from you. You can add to this blog and give me your contact information, or you can e-mail me directly at awillman@mcsi.net.
I'm interviewing people on video tape to create an archive of information about the Confidence Clinic. I will also include in the archive any information you choose to leave on this blog. I'm looking for the whole truth about the Confidence Clinic, not just a string of success stories. I want problems unresolved as well as problems that found solutions.
A summary of the project follows:
The Confidence Clinic was begun by a group of low income women in 1969 to help themselves overcome barriers that they recognized were holding them back. Today the program still retains the essence of that original support group - a community of women voluntarily working together, creating a space of trust and mutual support, learning new skills, and helping themselves and each other.
After 37 years and more than 100 sessions of the Confidence Clinic, we believe it is time for a look at what we have accomplished and how we have done it – a time for drawing lessons from this rich reservoir of experience that can ensure a future for our program and for others like it.
We propose to videotape and transcribe interviews of past participants, teachers, volunteers, and staff from all stages of our history from the original founders up to the present.
We want to get these amazing women (and men) talking about the Confidence Clinic – telling us stories about successes and challenges, triumphs and failures, barriers and breakthroughs. We want to find out how curriculum was developed, programs designed, students recruited, partnerships formed, and finances managed. We want to hear stories of women challenged, problems addressed, conflicts resolved (or left unresolved), and all the consequences of different decisions made over the years. We want to hear how outside factors influenced the development of the program and how internal strengths and weaknesses worked to create the program and the solutions we are familiar with today.
Please blog with me. I welcome your comments and I hope you will all respond to each other to continue to build this rich reservoir of knowledge.
Anna Willman
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)