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The Story of a Boy from Iran who became a Man in Coventry
Photo: Anne Mofid
"Father Forgive"-these two words which I discovered at the ruins of Coventry Cathedral in 1973 changed the course of my life.
Father Forgive: It’s Impact on Me
'...In short, looking back, I believe one experience of that day, has had a major impact on me. That was when Annie (my future wife) and I were at the ruins of the old cathedral. I saw the ruined altar, with a charred cross, a replica of the original, its burnt blackness in startling contrast to the clean polished wood of most church crosses I had seen in Oxford or London. Then on the wall behind the altar, I noticed two words that had been carved into the red sandstone, their letters a foot high: FATHER, FORGIVE.
I asked Annie: “Who is the Father?” and “Forgive who?” She tried to the best of her ability to answer me. But, I am sure she knew that I was not getting it:
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, All in one! Forgiving the Germans, who had just destroyed the cathedral and the city! Wow! What next?!
Now, who would have guessed, who could have believed, one day, that young man inspired and fuelled by what he had seen in an early morning visit to Coventry Cathedral in 1973, would end up co-founding the Centre for the Study of Forgiveness and Reconciliation at Coventry University in 1996: This is the story, “My Coventry Story” which I would love to share with you all.'...
ST MICHAEL'S HOUSE, Coventry Cathedral,
11 PRIORY ROW CV1 5EX
7.00pm Wednesday 26 July 2017
My Story is My Witness: A Story of Suffering and Hope
The Healing Power of Storytelling
“To be a person is to have a story to tell.” — Isak Dinesen
Storytelling has the capacity to touch our deepest emotions and it can allow us to peer at beauty. We glance at our own creativity and breathe our own thoughts. But more than that: Storytelling is also a wonderful path to set ourselves free, by opening our hearts to others and letting them in; becoming one with one another.
Because, after all, as many have reminded us, the best way to know truth, wisdom or beauty is to try to express it and share it with others.”
Storytelling - opening our hearts to others - is instrumental in enhancing inclusion, social justice, cultural life, and improving physical and emotional health at the individual, local, national and international levels.
Moreover, storytelling nurtures both the young people and the older generation by providing a spiritual path to a meaningful and rewarding intergenerational dialogue, benefiting each group equally.
Storytelling also builds community. Storytelling, as has been noted, is a means of bridging gaps of cultural difference. Hearing another person’s story promotes empathy and recognition of a common humanity that is a basis for respecting human rights. Knowing and celebrating one’s own cultural stories builds self-esteem. Knowing and celebrating others’ cultural stories creates cross-cultural awareness and understanding.
I am grateful to the Reconciliation Ministry at Coventry Cathedral and St. Michael’s House, for their invitation, enabling me to tell “My Coventry Story”.
For further details and contact please see: St. Michael's House, Coventry Cathedral-EVENTS
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It’s Time To Face The Facts On Children’s Mental Health
A study by Children’s Commissioner for England has found many children face having their future happiness blighted by their background
Millions of children in England are growing up in vulnerable or high risk environments, according to a pioneering report by the Children’s Commissioner for England, which warns that an “unacceptably high” number face having their future chances of happiness blighted.
The report notes that, more than 800,000 children are suffering from mental health problems; whilst 580,000 young people - equivalent to the population of the city of Manchester - are receiving interventions from the state due to a range of causes including slavery, trauma, family problems, parental unemployment and poverty.
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As it has been noted many times before, often mentioned and discussed goals of education relate to ‘meeting our children’s needs’, ‘responsible citizenship’ and ‘equipping students for the future’. Yet, what do such goals mean in a practical sense? How much actual attention is given to a ‘futures dimension’ in the curriculum? How much consideration is given to the needs not only of this generation but future generations? How seriously do we value what young people are saying about the future? How might we enhance the quality of our responses to unmet student needs? How might we begin to contribute more effectively to building cultures of peace and sustainable futures?
To my mind, if education is truly going to contribute to building a better person and a better world, then, it must be values-led, meaningful, spiritual and above all in harmony with nature.
Some may say this is wishful thinking. Not possible. Schooling and education must be all about the world of work, technology, business, money, production and consumption, IT, and such like.
Perhaps, but, I beg to disagree.
Photo:theaimn.com
Below, I have tried to show three examples of “different” schooling that have shown us it is possible and it is not wishful thinking to have values-led, meaningful, spiritual and above all an education that is in harmony with nature.
The first school, the Deep Green Bush School in New Zealand is the most recent one. The second one is the Sudbury Valley School in the US, a bit older, whilst the third one, A.S.Neill’s Summerhill School in UK, is the oldest one. It was founded in 1921, and has become an influential model for progressive, democratic education around the world.
The Deep Green Bush-School
The Deep Green Bush-School- inspired by the Sudbury Valley School, which in turn was inspired by A.S. Neill’s Summerhill School- is a democratic nature-immersion school for Years 1-13- based on thousands of years of indigenous wisdom and on how humans actually evolved to learn - in freedom. Our highest priority is the health and happiness of our children and future generations, and we will nurture a new generation of young visionaries who will rise to the challenge and help heal our world.
“Concerned that mainstream schools were not preparing children for the global problems of the future – such as climate change – Joey Moncarz, co-founder and head teacher at Deep Green Bush School- envisioned a radically different kind of education, rooted in the primal skills of hunting, gathering and survival.
Moncarz is an ex-mainstream teacher. After five, frustrating years in mainstream schools in New Zealand he quit to found Deep Green Bush school, which has a roll of eight, and no classroom walls, time-out chairs or tests.
“Our parents saw their kids were unhappy and stressed in mainstream education and they started questioning; is it normal or right for kids to come home stressed and unhappy? Having taught in a mainstream school, I’d say most kids are stressed and unhappy,” says Moncarz.
“Lots of people feel there is a disconnect with nature and the outdoors and people value that and are drawn to it.”
“In a modern society to be successful there are a range of skills to be developed and perhaps only some of those can be developed outside.”
Nature the Best Teacher: Re-Connecting the World’s Children with Nature
Moncarz insists that the school isn’t an “experiment” in education, and is based on two millions years of evidence of how parents have raised their kids, at one with nature.
“We don’t want to be one of a kind, we want to replace mainstream schools,” Moncarz.
“We are using the same wisdom parents have used to teach their kids for millions of years. Locking kids in a classroom and forcing them to learn just causes a lot of problems.”- Continue to Read: No classrooms, lessons or homework: New Zealand school where children are free to roam
Sudbury Valley School-USA
Sudbury Valley School, since its founding in 1968, has been a place where children can enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as they grow up in the newly emerging world. From the beginning of their enrolment, no matter what their age, students are given the freedom to use their time as they wish, and the responsibility for designing their path to adulthood.
In our environment, students are able to develop traits that are key to achieving success: They are comfortable learning new things; confident enough to rely on their own judgment; and capable of pursuing their passions to a high level of competence. Children at Sudbury Valley are adaptable to rapid change, open to innovation and creative in solving new problems. Beyond that, they grow to be trustworthy and responsible individuals, and function as contributing members of a free society.
At Sudbury Valley, students from pre-school through high school age explore the world freely at their own pace and in their own unique ways. They develop the ability to direct their own lives, be accountable for their actions, set priorities, allocate resources, deal with complex ethical issues, and work with others in a vibrant community: Sudbury Valley School-USA
A.S Neill's Summerhill School-UK
Founded in 1921, it continues to be an influential model for progressive, democratic education around the world.
Summerhill is the oldest children's democracy in the world. It is probably the most famous alternative or 'free' school. The system that Summerhill employs is not only about education - it is also a different way of parenting which eliminates most of the friction and many of the problems experienced by modern families.
Summerhill is a real place, not a utopia. Living in a community of around 100 people is not always easy. Everybody is learning about themselves, and on a bleak January day, with the east wind blowing, things are sometimes not wonderful!
But Summerhill in summer time is lush, green and not unlike never-never land. It is more of a family or tribe than a school - full of companionship, laughter and real feelings: A.S Neill's Summerhill School-UK
And now this is my dream:
That one day, in my lifetime, there will be universities, everywhere, embodying the values of these schools.
Believe me; given the state of our world today, we need Deep Green Bush, Sudbury Valley, and A.S.Neil’s Summerhill Universities. Seize the day. Carpe diem.
To achieve this, we need to act with wisdom and the commitment to the common good.
How this might be possible?
By focusing on life’s bigger picture:
What is this life all about?
Why am I here? What’s my Life’s purpose? How can I make the most of my Life?