Youth – Transformative Leadership

EXPERIENCES IN STUDYING “THE BENEFITS OF UNITY IN DIVERSITY”

By Wade and Angela Fransson

In a world where religious diversity is becoming increasingly prominent, it is vital to embrace unity in diversity and promote understanding and respect among people of different faiths. In that spirit our family hosted a youth camp last summer for adolescents aged 11-14 and invited a documentary filmmaker, Jafar Fallahi, to film the event. Our intention was to celebrate Unity in Diversity, inviting a wide variety of staff and campers. The camp was a wonderful success, and we wondered if we could somehow duplicate the experience for adults.

Then Angela stumbled upon Joan Hernandez’ little book – The Benefits of Unity in Diversity: How to Use the Clash of Ideas to Make Better Decisions and we, along with Jafar Fallahi – decided to launch a discussion group to study the book together and see where that led us.

The book’s practical guidance and strategies have proven very beneficial to the individuals in this group, which was composed of 9 individuals from different Christian, Baha’i, and non-affiliated spiritual backgrounds, including a former Jew and a former Hindu participant, who are now Baha’i and Christian, respectively. Everyone was open to building bridges and fostering mutual understanding, but none of us had a way of advancing this beyond a vague desire until we discovered this book.

The book encourages individuals to seek out commonalities and appreciate differences, leading to a deeper understanding of diverse perspectives and values. One participant from the group, Jill, a Christian, said, The book The Benefits of Unity in Diversity has opened things up for me. It has helped me to appreciate and celebrate the diversity within my community and to engage in meaningful dialogue with individuals from different religious backgrounds.”

The book’s insights into effective communication have also been invaluable for individuals seeking to promote understanding and respect between people from diverse religious backgrounds. The book provides practical guidance on active listening, empathetic communication, and conflict resolution, all of which are essential skills for building bridges between different communities.

The book’s focus on effective listening to foster a greater understanding of diverse viewpoints has been critical in helping us further develop the skills necessary to navigate interactions with people from diverse religious backgrounds effectively, creating a positive and respectful environment for all.

Another participant, Joah, a Bahá’í, shared the following experience: “I experienced firsthand the benefits of having studied Joan’s book while participating in another discussion group, studying quotations and questions from the Baha’i writings on the subject of the immortality of the soul, with a diverse group of individuals from Jewish, Christian, and Baha’i religious backgrounds, not to mention our cultural, ancestral and diverse racial, educational, and professional differences. Frankly, I was aghast at how many different ideas and opinions were being expressed. It seemed almost like a random collection of theological outlooks, divergent orientations, and use of terminologies that were far from being able to be reconciled. Yet, as I slowly began to recognize that each person was emptying their own cup, sharing their heart and mind, it became a way for all of us to become better acquainted. As our discussion progressed, it did not seem to matter who was correct, right, or wrong, or that it was even necessary to figure everything out. And even more amazing to me was the light-hearted and respectful attitude that was maintained, though inside, I had to hold my tongue and avoid going to a place of judgment. Our first gathering was concluded in a prayerful and harmonious way. I felt as if I could let go of my own attachments and ways of articulating my understanding so I could make room for receiving what others had to say and become more receptive to greater truths to unfold.”

As a family, The Benefits of Unity in Diversity has given us the tools to effectively communicate with individuals of different faiths, promoting respect and understanding, leading to greater unity and cooperation.”

We are so excited by the results of this group that we are developing an enhanced curriculum based on the work of Joan Hernandez for an expanded Summer Camp this year, and we are working with other organizations to run similar programs at other facilities over the course of 2023. We’re so grateful to Joan for working with us to achieve these ambitious goals.

Wade and Angela Fransson, Brooklyn, WI

Transformative Leadership in a School Setting

Carl Ewing continues to seek out opportunities to share Transformative Leadership in his community. In January we published the article Transformative Leadership at Doña Ana Communities United in which he explained how he shared Transformative Leadership with the staff of DACU and then with the wider community. In this article, Carl shares his initial experiences in including Transformative Leadership in classes in a high school and community college.

TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP IN A SCHOOL SETTING: Article by Carl Ewing

Background

When I moved to Las Cruces 5 years ago, I knew that I wanted to work with young people, especially those from Hispanic backgrounds. I approached the Community College that welcomed me with open arms, asking me to mentor new students in architecture. Two years ago, the faculty chair asked me if I would be interested in teaching a class that introduced new students to the professions of architecture and engineering. I accepted and developed a class that would give students an overview of all the varied facets of these careers. I taught this class for a couple of semesters with great results. Then, I got a call from the Dean, asking me if I would do two courses, one at the community college and another at an early college STEM high school. While discussing this with the Dean, I suggested to him that we include Transformative Leadership in the courses. He said that this is exactly what is needed in education and that he would support it. He purchased the book to read.

I am in the middle of my first semester teaching these courses. Since I have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I decided to focus on the introduction to architecture and engineering on Tuesdays, and Transformative Leadership on Thursdays. This works quite well so far. I find a lot of interest in the Transformative Leadership material and am getting good assignments back from the students, who are 95% Mexican or children of Mexican immigrants.

Experience with the Students

The Transformative Leadership classes are held virtually once a week. The class at the community college is asynchronous (pre-recorded lecture sessions, including slides and paragraphs from the book) with a weekly virtual meeting to interact with the students. This class has 10 students. The dean suggested that I not require the book since many of the students are from low-income situations. However, the library has a number of copies and many of the students have purchased the book for themselves.

TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP CLASS AT THE EARLY COLLEGE STEM HIGHSCHOOL

The class at the high school is held synchronously online. This class has 20 students. I give the lecture on the topic of the week based on Transformative Leadership: Developing the Hidden Dimension and then the students meet in four groups to discuss the questions I have posed regarding the topic. They then choose a person to report back to the larger group. Again, the students are not required to buy the book but have access to it through the library.

In both institutions, I am using the learning cycle to continuously improve the lectures and classes. After my experience with this semester’s classes, I will be making improvements to my presentations, based on the results of my reflection. I may incorporate more ideas from the book, Transformative Leadership for Youth in the high school class.

Reaction of the Students

So far, I am pleased with the responses expressed by the students. In both classes, they have responded enthusiastically, and have commented that the course makes them think about topics about which they have not reflected previously.

A couple of examples of student responses are:

What does the process of disintegration look like in families, neighborhoods, schools, communities, and the world? Give examples based on your own experience and what you have seen or heard on the news.

“The process of disintegration can be seen in families, neighborhoods, schools, communities, as well as in the world through hate crimes due to racism or even through the homeless and their struggles with money. Some examples of disintegration that I’ve experienced myself include racism. Being a person of color, I often see many people discriminate against me and instead see me as the many stereotypes that come with being a Hispanic person. Being called slurs or being asked if I have stolen something from a store is a very clear example of the process of disintegration as they cause people to not work together and still use outdated thinking causing the very root of this problem…”

What do you think is the relationship between personal transformation and social transformation?

“Personal transformation occurs when an individual develops specific qualities and abilities. Therefore, it focuses on the growth of an individual while social transformation occurs when an individual focuses on helping develop a better society. However, ultimately, they both help an individual grow, due to the fact that they either grow strong qualities for themselves through self-improvement or through the improvement of themselves as well as a society.”

Youth Move The World Thru Transformative Leadership

Watercolor art inspired and symbolizing the society-building power of youth moving the world.

Transformative Leadership for Youth and Releasing the Society-Building Powers of Youth integrated multimedia art within the 8 weeks sessions and provided the online community culture where skills in graphic art, photography, music, and media were nurtured through professional accompaniment and encouragement. Diverse art was created and inspired by the youth’s innate attraction to beauty and thirst for knowledge combined with their commitment to personal and social transformation. It is clear that youth are the change we want to see in the world and through our recent sessions, the youth have cultivated authentic friendships founded on mutual support imbued with passion and purpose of service to humanity.

Digital art designed and created by Anis Neakakhtar, one of the youth participants in the Transformative Leadership for Youth empowerment seminar with Wilmette Institute.

In the midst of the world pandemic and the immensity of today’s challenges, youth from around the world have dedicated themselves to study and service through Transformative Leadership and the arts. In the most recent youth seminars hosted by Wilmette Institute, youth ages 11-17 investigated humanity’s current need for a new model of shared-leadership based on ethical principles, scientific evidence and strengthened a new conceptual framework of 6 elements and 18 capabilities that support personal transformation, better interpersonal relationships, and contribute to social transformation.

The Transformative Leadership conceptual framework provides the support to live a life of material and spiritual coherence. It has complemented youth in their engagement in the Ruhi Institute society-building activities and fostered greater capabilities as they engage in the three areas of endeavors; expansion and consolidation, social action and societal discourse. In addition, vital to the processes of personal and social transformation are the relationships within the family. Youth have applied their learning within their families by imbuing thoughts and actions with love, practicing effective consultation, giving encouragement and promoting unity in diversity. Ultimately, their commitment to principles of love, unity, justice, truthfulness and unity are cultivating families and community through conscious knowledge, volition with purpose and action inspired with love.

Fiber art crafted by Ruha Ghafoori representing promoting unity in diversity, the capability that betters interpersonal relationships.

Youth translated learning and new insights through many forms of art including photography. The above image photographed by Kian Bahin-Aein captured one of the elements from the Transformative Leadership conceptual Framework; the development of capabilities.

The Youth Move the World video is dedicated to all the youth and their commitment to being the change we want to see in the world. It shares a highlight of the art created by youth and is a celebration of their society-building powers that are fostering and building an ever-advancing civilization. Our next Transformative Leadership for Youth sessions will begin on January 16. For more information visit wilmetteinstitute.org or contact Jessica Kerr, lead faculty for Transformative Leadership for Youth, jkerr@wilmetteinstitute.org.

For older youth and adults who have studied the conceptual framework of Transformative Leadership, a level-2 course, “Cultivating the Capabilities of Transformative Leadership”, focusing on the 18 capabilities of Transformative Leadership that contribute to personal transformation, improving interpersonal relations, and bettering society will begin on February 25. For more information write to translead9@gmail.com or go to https://wilmetteinstitute.org/courses/capabilities-of-tl/

The level-1 adult course “Cultivating Transformative Leadership” for those who have not previously studied the framework will begin on April 1

Transformative Leadership Activities in Congo

In February and March, Transformative Leadership Education gave a virtual course through Wilmette I nstitut e with over 40 participants from all over the world. In the course, we encouraged the participants to identify initiatives they could take to share Transformative Leadership in their communities.

One of the participants was Fabrice Mouketa Doha from Congo, who formed two groups to study the Transformative Leadership book. He has shared the following information about his activities

“The first group is in Nanga (my neighborhood).

This group is comprised of my wife, who is a school principal, another school teacher, and two other friends, as well as myself. The group participates in a Ruhi Institute study circle during the week and has a Transformative Leadership session on Sundays.

With this group the aim is to help every member to grow personally and professionally and to build a creative group of friends serving the community together. Among the actions this group has taken was an informational campaign about Covid-19, which included the distribution of free simple masks and information about home gardens.

Studying Transformative Leadership in Amour du Pays, Congo

The second group is in Amour du Pays.

This group started after a friend who attended a session of Transformative Leadership shared the ideas with a few of his friends in his neighborhood. The young people with whom he spoke were interested and thought that leadership would help them build capacity and better manage their band.

So I have a 60 to 90 min session with them every Tuesday. The aim is to help these youth reach their potential and become aware of how this potential can serve them not only in their work with the band but also with the community at large.

In all cases, I encourage them to foster friendship and participate in group dynamics where they learn and serve together. My challenge is to find ways to adapt my teaching/learning style to the needs and context of each group and to give sessions a structured approach.

Recently, I have decided to take my two junior youth children with me to help as assistants during sessions. I’m attaching a drawing of the last study session in Amour du Pays made by Nabyl (my 13-year-old son).

Fabrice has also begun to translate Transformative Leadership into French.

Youth and Junior Youth Enjoy 6-Week Online Seminar

Youth from all over the world have found themselves at home with schools closed due to the high infectious rate of the Coronavirus. In response, the Transformative Leadership Education team, coordinating with the Wilmette Institute, offered a free 6-week online seminar that empowers junior youth and youth, ages 11-17, for social action, based on the books Transformative Leadership for Youth and Transformative Leadership: Developing the Hidden Dimension. Our goal was to create an online creative learning group that would empower young people in their path toward personal and social transformation and foster their attraction to beauty and innate thirst for knowledge, by integrating the Transformative Leadership conceptual framework with photography and multimedia arts.

The response was immediate and fantastic! Approximately 115 youth and junior youth signed up in the first two days, and the Wilmette Institute had to close registration for the first cohort. However, since youth and their parents continued writing, asking to participate, almost immediately we decided to start another group in May, for which pre-registration is now available at bit.ly/TL4YWait. If you know any youth who may be interested, they should sign up as soon as possible, while there is still space available.
In light of our current reality with many youth living in communities that have issued statewide stay home orders, we divided the junior youth and youth into two groups to ensure that all who registered were able to fully engage. We then invited several individuals who were familiar with Transformative Leadership to guide breakout sessions in each group, in which 8-10 youth participate. In our sessions, the youth have the opportunity to study together while strengthening new and past friendships. Many offer each other suggestions on how to cope with the difficulty of not being able to go out, while others find enjoyment when learning is translated through the sharing of art.

Our study is complemented with art projects that empower youth to see with their own eyes and develop basic skills in photography and multimedia arts. By integrating photography, drawing, music, creative writing, and art journaling, the youth translate learning into action that inspires others for positive change. Art from our first project was recently shared in which youth had the choice to photograph their family’s eyes and/or draw an eye with pencil.

*Art created by a Change Agent in the seminar highlights what the artist wants to see in the world.*

In the first week, participants examined the twin processes of disintegration and integration that are caused by humanity’s rejection or acceptance of the transformation process, propelling us into a new stage of existence…a world civilization that is unified and just.

One of the junior youth was inspired to create art that highlighted how we can choose to respond to the challenges we face in today’s world, becoming part of the problem, remaining passive spectators, or choosing to be agents of transformation, consciously contributing to cooperation and unity in our personal, interpersonal, and societal relationships.

The artist states: “This image shows a strong leader who is helping to bring together the spectators and destructive forces to make positive changes along with her.”

Another exciting and empowering component of the Transformative Leadership seminar are the special guests. On Tuesday, Eric Harper – Canadian composer, musician, music engineer and producer — joined our seminar to offer his support, guidance, and advice for youth who are interested in developing skills with music. After introducing Eric’s passion for service and his love for music that is expressed through his style that integrates Flamenco, Fado, Rock, Pop, and Bossa Nova traditions with passion and purpose, Eric asked the youth, “What inspires you? What are you guys interested in? How can I help?”

One youth immediately responded, “I play guitar during the musical portions of study circles and devotional meetings. I would like to take my music to the next level. Do you have any advice?” From that point on, the youth asked questions relating to the purpose of music, where inspiration comes from, and how to write songs. Eric has offered to facilitate a regular music group with interested youth to assist them in developing their instrumental and vocal skills. The group will be writing songs with plans to produce an original piece by the end of the seminar.

On Friday, Dr. Deborah Rana presented facts and responded to questions about the Corona Virus for seminar participants. The youth had many questions relating to how they can ensure the safety of those that are most susceptible to the virus and how best to navigate channels for accurate up-to-date information.

On behalf of the Transformative Leadership Education team, we are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the empowerment and well-being of the youth who are participating in this program and filled with joy to be a part of the dynamic power and vision of the youth. We are also grateful to the Wilmette Institute for providing an online platform for learning and to all our facilitators and special guests.

Leadership Motivated by Love

Lately, the seminar students have studied dominant models of leadership found at all levels of society with the goal of better understanding what it means to be an ‘agent of change’.

A foundational element of Transformative Leadership is that it is ‘service-oriented’ leadership. Rather than focusing on a leader, as someone in a position of authority, service-oriented leadership emphasizes that each and every member of a group or organization can exercise leadership by:

Using his or her knowledge and capabilities to help others develop theirs, rather than dominating them and telling them what to do;
Striving to exercise “invisible leadership”, assuring that progress is made, without calling attention to oneself;
Being motivated by love or devotion to an ideal in order to serve to the best of his or her ability.

In order for the youth to fully explore what service-oriented leadership looks like, we first engaged in an exploration of common models of leadership that are founded on domination using different forms of power.

Students consulting on a dominant leadership model in preparation for a skit

To begin, I divided the youth into groups and asked each group to role-play a scene depicting a particular style of leadership — authoritarian, paternalistic, know-it-all, or manipulative. First, they depicted the characteristics of the leader and how she/he affected the other members. Secondly, in the absence of the leader, the group members commented on how they felt toward the leader. You can view one example of this activity at https://youtu.be/_gPPfusVDs8.

*Students role-play Paternalistic Leadership during Being the Change seminar in Fort Collins, Colorado.*

After each group presented a particular style of leadership, all of the youth reflected on the characteristics of that style of leadership, reactions by members of the group to that style, and the degree to which it incorporated the three functions that lead a group to success.

In the process, I discovered that the youth had a difficult time relating to some of the models of leadership, since many of these styles play out in places of work or in society in a way that is not obvious to youth. So I replaced the word ‘leadership’ with ‘relationship’. This helped the youth to better understand the characteristics of ‘dominance’, based on their experience of relationships that were founded on power and control.

In addition, as a group, we played a collaborative card game and role-played each of the dominant styles of leadership or relationship. It was challenging for the youth to keep focused on the game while hearing comments like, “I can play this game better than anyone” and “you aren’t playing right; you should play like me.” As a group, we role-played different styles and all would have to guess which model was demonstrated by its characteristics. At one point, I ‘helped’ a youth move cards he hadn’t seen he could play. He responded: “Stop being paternalistic and let me play!” It was great! He recognized my paternalistic actions and knew that as long as I played for him, he wouldn’t learn the game and couldn’t build his skills.

In another activity, Being the Change thru the Lens photography students highlighted one of the models of leadership that is especially detrimental to their school environment: ‘manipulative leadership’. I invited them to photograph elements of current school culture that negatively affect interpersonal relationships. The youth depicted manipulative leadership by posing as two students telling secrets. Negative comments and words are commonly experienced and serve as a cause of distrust and detrimentally affects the spirit of the school community.

*Students in Being the Change thru the Lens seminar* exemplify “manipulative leadership” through photographic art

Through these activities, the youth were able to personally experience each model of dominant leadership . This helped them to recognize how relationships with dominant characteristics influence attitudes and behaviors that keep a group from achieving its overall purpose, inhibit group unity, and prevent mutual collaboration in the development of one another’s capabilities. It empowered each of them to consciously make a decision on what kind of leadership they want to practice, and enabled them to see what qualities and characteristics are necessary for their own personal transformation, as well as to contribute positively as a group.

After a session in which we explored these common models of leadership, one of the younger students commented to me:“I don’t see you as a leader. I see you as a friend. You are always there to support us.” I believe that may be one of the most cherished comments I’ve ever received from a young person . I have also deepened my awareness that the exercise of this model of leadership must be motivated by love or devotion to an ideal. I know my motivation lies in recognizing the endless potential and society-building power of the youth…and my love for each of them.

Empowering students to see through their own eyes and creating spaces where they experience learning through reflection on action, has nurtured their purpose of leadership, which is personal and social transformation motivated by love and a true desire to help others.

Youth Interrupt the Forces of Racism using Transformative Leadership

Six elements of the Transformative Leadership conceptual framework.

One of the six elements of Transformative Leadership’s conceptual framework defines the purpose of leadership as personal and social transformation. These two processes of transformation occur simultaneously and are imbued with giving purpose to one’s existence. Personal transformation calls for the development of qualities that are eternal and universal in nature. It also includes developing capabilities that integrate concepts, skills, attitudes and qualities, endowing us with the ability to develop and contribute in all areas of life. The second process is one of social transformation where our qualities and capabilities contribute to the betterment and social good of society. This could manifest in a family, school, neighborhood, business, or town.

*The twofold process of personal and social transformation orients us toward a meaningful life.*

The relationship between personal and social transformation is ever evolving as a person strives to develop. Essential to this process is application. Recently, several youth, who are active in the Transformative Leadership program, and I had the opportunity to engage in an ongoing community book study and discussion on racism. Some might say this topic can potentially be filled with contention, anxiety and hopelessness. In Transformative Leadership Developing the Hidden Dimension, we read: “Racism is a pernicious example of the adversarial mental model that divides the world into ‘us’ and ‘them’.” The authors present mental models as “unexamined assumptions” that when not in alignment with the higher nature of individuals and the needs of society inhibit progress and the development of all. As Agents of Change engaging in personal and social transformation, we felt it was a perfect opportunity to apply the Transformative Leadership conceptual framework to analyze the ‘unexamined assumptions’ related to racism in order to promote social justice, equity and the elimination of racism.

*Over 40 community members attended the first book discussion on January 26, 2020 hosted by* *Diverse Fort Collins* *and held at* *Wolverine Press* *in Fort Collins, Colorado.*

The Change Agents joined Diverse Fort Collins’ community book discussion on Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism. The event will continue for 3 months, and in that time, participants read specific chapters and meet to discuss and reflect on learning once a month.

As I accompanied youth in the book study and supported their efforts toward personal and social transformation, I felt grateful for a space in the community where the youth could engage and learn alongside others. From my experience working with young members of our community, I know that it is common for youth to feel anxiety and unwelcome in community spaces. However, through Transformative Leadership, they have learned to practice the element of transcendence – connecting to eternal and universal values outside of themselves, using art do to so. Transcendence empowers them to face social anxiety or other difficulties. Institutions and communities who acknowledge the talents and capacities of youth to effect positive change are imbued with the youths’ enthusiasm, zeal and passion for justice for all people. Being welcomed by adults of all backgrounds instilled purpose and unconditional love in the youth who face navigating the challenges of youthhood daily.

One of the youth described why she wanted to participate in this activity; “I want to help spread awareness about racism and its often negative effects” on all members of the community. As a 9th grade Windsor High School student, she continues: “it is important to eliminate racism, but we need to learn ‘what racism is’ and ‘what it looks like’ so we can learn how to build racial stamina and interrupt the social forces of racism.”

*Makayla Watson (14) and Bella Kerr (16) implement the Transformative* *Leadership conceptual framework at the first White Fragility community* *book study on January 26, 2020 hosted by Diverse Fort Collins.*

Notes made by youth while analyzing White Fragility in the light of Transformative Leadership *during their first community discussion* .

During our first community discussion, the group formed an action plan that included another element of the conceptual framework; the moral responsibility to investigate and apply truth. We also included the 3 functions that lead a group to success–contributing to its goals, strengthening unity among its members and helping other members to develop their capabilities. Overall, we talked about strengthening all 18 capabilities that contribute to the betterment of personal, interpersonal and social relationships, but emphasized a few: self-evaluation, learning from reflection on action, effective consultation, establishing justice and understanding historical perspective. The Transformative Leadership conceptual framework has given us a solid foundation as we begin our life-long collective journey in developing anti-racist skills in all areas of life, and in the youth’s case, especially school.

It was clear that in our case, we were approaching this goal by identifying with our ‘whiteness’ and acknowledging our inherent privileges that are woven into the fabric of society at all levels. It was the first time the youth had engaged in this level of study.

At the end of the event, groups gathered to share collective insights and learning, where the youth presented highlights from their Transformative Leadership framework. Upon reflection, Bella Kerr stated: “It was interesting to be a part of this community space. Youth need to be included in these community spaces to learn and develop how to break the patterns of ignorance, prejudice, oppression and injustice that fuel racism in all areas of society. We are the change and are building a new world.”

This is part one of a series of how youth are applying the Transformative Leadership conceptual framework in the context of racism.

Youth Light the World through Transformative Leadership

On December 17, 2019, students from Compass Community Collaborative School in Fort Collins, Colorado, presented artwork from the Being the Change through the Lens seminar in the Illumined Youth Art Exhibition.

The 6 elements of Transformative Leadership framework and the four capabilities that better interpersonal relationships were displayed for peers, family, and community during the Illumined Youth Art Exhibition.

Compass students and participants of Being the Change through the Lens seminar enjoy photo mobiles that express newly developed skills in basic photography and are inspired by the elements and capabilities of Transformative Leadership.

Students explored capabilities that help them nurture positive and authentic relationships with others, practiced skills and techniques with cameras and experimented with diverse lighting in preparation for the Illumined Youth Photo Exhibition. For several weeks we explored and practiced the Transformative Leadership capabilities that better interpersonal relationships, such as:

Imbuing thoughts and actions with love,
Giving encouragement,
Effective consultation and,
Promoting unity in diversity

Participants in one seminar learned basic photography skills and were invited to photograph their environment and each other through the lens of capabilities that better interpersonal relationships.

Photos by Compass students during Being the Change through the Lens seminar.

In another seminar students formed creative working groups and learned how to photograph in manual mode, setting shutter speed and aperture as they used a variety of lights to create designs and words with light. The class was asked, “how do youth light the world?” and were invited to express themselves through painting with light. Each student created a unique piece of art that captured their vision of inspiration and creative expression.

Talen, age 12, who has been engaged in Transformative Leadership seminars for over a year stated, “Transformative Leadership has helped me become a better person by having better relationships with family and friends. A capability that I practice is promoting unity in diversity.” When reflecting on the capability of promoting unity in diversity, Talen said: “It has helped me when I have a disagreement with someone. I say to myself that it is okay if we have different opinions and beliefs. What we believe shouldn’t define us or restrain us from having unified relationships.”

During our recent photography session Illumined Youth, Talen integrated this capability into his photo. Talen reflected that “some people see rain as a sad, gloomy, depressing thing. But I think rain is beautiful & refreshing. Rain is like mother nature’s way of washing away the bad. I want my photo to inspire others to not be one-sided. I want to help others to see things in a different ‘light’.”

Ryden, a Compass student taking the Being the Change thru the Lens seminar for the first time shared that he was “attracted to taking photos that had light and make others happy.” It was exciting to see Ryden use his creative initiative in composing photos. “I want to make challenging photos that look interesting”, stated Ryden when we were reflecting on our learning through action. His creative vision was expressed when we worked with light painting.

He chose to draw a sword and shield of light to represent how youth arise to overcome today’s challenges. I have found when using the Transformative Leadership framework for personal and social transformation and teaching photography skills, it creates a foundation for young people to see the world with their own eyes, fosters powers of expression that are sometimes difficult to put into words which empowers them to inspire others through art and brings meaning and purpose to life.

Opal, another student of Transformative Leadership reflected on the capability of imbuing thoughts and actions with love. She said, “I learned that I am a very caring person. I think I have always known that but I feel like I have more tools to show that now.” She continued, “my photography has grown with love because I take photos of things I find beautiful.” Recently Opal had the opportunity to travel to Belize with her family which provided her with time for further reflection. She shared, “I would say that I have grown because of my trip to Belize. It was humbling because there I am seen as ‘wealthy’ but here I am seen in society as ‘poor’. So when I catch myself feeling ungrateful I think of how the people in Belize live. I consciously fill my thoughts and actions with love.”

Watercolored card art imbued with love and encouragement created by Compass student.

In addition to Opal practicing filling her thoughts and actions with love during her travels, she created watercolor art cards of ‘love’ and ‘encouragement’ for her peers at school. Opal shared why Transformative Leadership is important to share, “because it helps us change the world for the better in whatever we are doing.”

Photo of Jessica Kerr, facilitator of Being the Change Through the Lens, taken by Compass student.

As the facilitator of the seminar, I strive to inspire the youth by sharing skills and techniques with the camera while integrating elements and capabilities of Transformative Leadership which cultivates personal and social transformation. The youth have so much to contribute to their social spaces. I am learning to listen and hear the voice of the youth through their art and to appreciate each individual’s thoughts, experiences, perspectives, difficulties, and joys. Transformative Leadership enables them to take ownership of their learning by creating photographs filled with a vision of purpose. I have seen a student’s face light up with excitement and joy as they talk about their work. It is beautiful.

The power of the youth is filled with potential. They have the power to create beauty, influence peers for positive change and express their vision for the world they want to live in. I am witness to how impactful and transformative their work is to themselves personally, to peers, families and to their educators and community members. They inspire everyone to be the change. Youths are the light that illumines the world.

A Reflection on Relationships by a High School Student

What makes a relationship? Is it the bonds and connections with other people? Is it how we feel towards ourselves? The answer is, both. Interpersonal and personal relationships are fundamental to being human. Relationships are necessary; unfortunately, they can be challenging to manage.

Do you have perfect relationships in your life? When was the last time someone told you that their relationships were perfect? No one has ideal relationships. People aren’t perfect.

Environments and opportunities dedicated to learning, analyzing and practicing relationship skills are valuable, especially for young people. I personally partake in these activities as a high school student.
I do my best to make sure that my thinking is always self-reflective and analytical. In our Transformative Leadership seminar, we listened to an extract from the audiobook Giving Love and Encouragement, then looked at what we can do to fill our minds with positive thoughts. It was very reflective. Questions included “What actions resulted from these positive thoughts?” and “Share examples of actions you have taken in the last 2 days that have contributed to positive thoughts.” I found these questions interesting; not only do they ask for a reply, they ask you to take responsibility for your actions or lack thereof.

Group of students reading and answering reflection questions on “Imubing Thoughts and Action with Love”, one of the capabilities of Transformative Leadership that betters interpersonal relationships.

*Handout with questions and answers*
*from a recent seminar.*

As a young person, I go to school. I am continuously surrounded by the type of relationship issues people have in their lives. Common ones encompass friend drama, lack of trust between parent and child, and the pressures of graduating from high school and applying for college as well as authority figures who are disconnected from what we are facing every day. As a teenager, these matters are life. Your parents are in charge of everything, you need good grades to graduate, and problems with friends can feel like the world is crashing and burning.

Students consult on how elements of Transformative Leadership can be applied to everyday challenges.

This last week, we did a puzzle-like exercise. Every participant wrote down a situation that included problems youth face today. These situations were not light topics. They included bullying, depression, suicide, and abuse. We then mixed all the situations up and gave one to each group. The groups were to look at the areas related to the situations, and find where the 6 elements of Transformative Leadership would be effective. This was to exhibit the use Transformative Leadership has in real-life situations.

*Exploring and applying the element Transcendence from the Transformative Leadership framework to address challenges in daily life.*

My partner and I collaborated well. We were able to work together to find the elements we thought fit with each of the situations. We had two specific ideas on this. She made the point that Transformative Leadership isn’t always sufficient when dealing with themes like depression. I thought it was fascinating how an awful lot of accountability is put onto every person. In the end, we both came up with Transcendence as the appropriate element to apply to topics such as depression, suicide, and abuse. Transcendence consists of looking toward eternal values and achieving a broader vision in order to overcome challenges. Getting assistance from professionals can easily be incorporated into Transcendence.

*Bella Kerr and peer consult on problems youth face daily and explore how elements of Transformative Leadership can help better these challenges.*

Recently, I have been becoming aware of how much everything depends on perspective. We all have choices in life, I have been practicing Transcendence to look outside myself. Transformative Leadership is one of the driving factors behind this. Relationships give purpose, that’s why it hurts so much when they are lost. They take a lot of management and care, but if both sides contribute and make an effort, it’s worth it.

Bella is a sophomore at a school in Fort Collins, Colorado. She is the founder of DanceAgents a grassroots dance group that empowers and inspires youth through positive change and the arts. Bella serves on the board of Intercultural Community Builders, a Fort Collins based nonprofit that promotes diversity education and training for middle & high school students. She strives to ‘be the change’ through learning and action while mentoring peers.

Youth Building Community while Learning about Transformative Leadership during the Summer: Part 2

Youth Learning

*Jadan and Bella Kerr and Makayla Watson engage in consultation during Change Agents planning session for Intercultural Diversity Night where youth celebrate diversity through food from world cultures.*

As the youth engaged in their weekly study of Transformative Leadership, they were able to engage the community by including them in their activities. During our lesson on models of human nature, two youth asked Becca (the owner of the locale) if she considered it possible to establish a world of justice, unity, and peace, and inquired as to why she gave her answers. After the youth interviewed additional community members, the group reflected on the answers.

*Makayla Waston (14) and Jeremiah Baltz (15) interview Becca owner of the locale where they met during Change Agents Transformative Leadership study session.*

One of the results of this activity was strengthening their conversational skills with new people, especially adults. They also had a first-hand experience of learning that many people wanted to see a world of justice, peace, and unity but many didn’t know how it could happen. Some also felt that it wasn’t possible anytime soon.

A topic they had a hard time understanding was the inequality in the distribution of wealth within the world’s population. This generated a lot of conversation and led to the desire to understand more about this topic.

They were intensely interested in developing the ability to navigate the challenges they often face in today’s world, such as negative self-concepts and adversarial relationships which are an integral part of the culture of contest (see Michael Karlberg’s Tedx Talk) and in acquiring skills to contribute to positive change in the community.

*Change Agents integrate multi-media art into Transformative Leadership study.*

As the youth worked on the element of personal and social transformation, which Transformative Leadership identifies as the purpose of leadership, art provided a dynamic method for each person to self-reflect and connect to their innate purpose. It was surprising to me that the youth became so focused that they didn’t want to stop work on their art to reflect as a group. I really enjoyed seeing each one using their unique style and creativity.

Youth work on a project that represents elements of
the Transformative Leadership model
for personal and social transformation

What I Learned as I Facilitated This Summer Session

As I reflect on our time with Becca at the Colorado Feed & Grain Public Market & Coffee House, I feel grateful for the opportunity to partner with a local business that values youth and their positive contribution to our community. Becca and her business is a beautiful example of how local businesses can “be the change” we wish to see.

As I worked with the youth, my understanding of common mental models of human nature was enhanced. Transformative Leadership questions predominant mental models — for example, that humans are merely “rational animals”– and suggests that it is more helpful to see humans as possessing both a higher and lower nature. Until this summer, I hadn’t grasped the many diverse perspectives on man’s nature and how they can affect an individual’s self-concepts and attitudes. By identifying and understanding prevalent models of human nature, we were better able to examine common concepts and attitudes in society. This awareness strengthened their practice of another element of Transformative Leadership: The investigation and application of truth.

It also strengthened my personal conviction that youth are the change I wish to see in the world and that through accompaniment by individuals, community, and institutions, they can change the world.

Regarding my understanding of Transformative Leadership, learning with the youth helped me to explore how to better present the material using a collaborative method, using art media and projects to integrate new learning with applications toward personal development and social action focused on positive change.