Author Archives: Sue

About Sue

I work as a facilatator and consultant and am passionate about Appreciative Inquiry, education and working with other like-minded folk to help make this a better world for our children and young people.

Interview with Christina O’Guinn

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by Patreece Thompson

Patreece: Thank you so much Christina for the opportunity to speak with you about Youth in the Middle, (YiM) a pilot program that seeks to address youth development from holistic and systemic perspectives. We would like to learn a little about you. What inspired you to become involved with the  YiM Program?

Christina:  I was a former teacher for the 5th and 6th grades. Then I obtained my Masters in Education in Instructional Technology and curriculum design and later was involved as a program manager for NASA and The Tech Museum in STEM education – (STEM is an acronym for “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics”).

I became interested in schools and reform. Through my network, I became connected with YiM because I wanted to be:  a. more in touch with school reform, b. in touch with schools that are doing the work of reform, c. in situations to think about school as a system.

(Read Christine’s Bio)

Patreece: As I understand it, this program started as a conversation between John W. Gardner former, Secretary of HEW during LBJ administration, and Dr. Milbrey McLaughlin, professor of education and public policy. What is a community school? How did Kennedy School come to be chosen for this “pilot”?

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Workshop: 26 & 27 March 2010

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The Art of Questions for Social Change:
Applications of Appreciative Inquiry

Date: March 26 and 27, 2010
Time: 8:30AM-4:30PM
Venue: William Penn House
515 East Capitol St., SE, Washington, DC 20003

A 2-day workshop for individuals, groups, and group leaders to gain a fresh perspective to an old idea.

This workshop is ideal for people in position of leadership, and for groups with projects or tasks that call for creative and innovative approaches. Teachers, community organizers, and people looking to build bridges for positive social change will all benefit from this workshop.

It is an opportunity to learn how to find common ground in a divisive world, turn dialog into action, and turn economic challenges into opportunities.

Sometimes simply finding the right question keeps people engaged, so we can find common ground, build community, and bring change to the world.  Appreciative Inquiry is a proven method for effectively doing this in the corporate, community and non-profit world.

Workshop Facilitators Marge Schiller and Joyce Lemke have worked with a variety of groups from schools to social service and advocacy groups to business leaders.  Marge is the founder and President of The Positive Change Core, and Joyce is an active member.  They have national and internation experience supporting education and youth communities with Strength-Based whole system approaches.

Cost: $125/person
($100/person for groups of 4 or more*)
$75 for students
Lunch is provided
Lodging is available
*groups of 4 or more from same organization/project

For questions, or to register:
Contact Brad Ogilvie
Phone: 202-543-5560
Fax: 202-543-3814

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Marge Schiller, PhD, Founder of PCC

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This is the first in a series of interviews with the founders and members of Positive Change Core (PCC) to create a mosaic of relationship, perspectives, and reflections of their experience.

On Friday, February 5, 2020 Patreece Thompson interviewed PCC Founder, Marge Schiller, PhD.

Patreece: What are the images of hope that have evolved since PCC emerged from the ashes of 911?

Marge:  It is clearer than ever before that the universal, multicultural image of hope is in children. We see it now in Haiti that what affects and moves us to action is the hope we see in their eyes.

What is remarkable about children is their purity, their deep connection to what is best in us as humans.  They show us love, hope, and joy.

Patreece: As you are speaking, I’m remembering the picture of the young Haitian boy pulled out of the rubble left by the earthquake, raising his hands in victory, despite the ordeal he had just gone through.

Marge:  Yes, Children ARE victorious…

Patreece: What are some high points for you in PCC creating a culture where the strength of children are uplifted and expanded?

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Biking for Dollars

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The world has been touched and saddened by the devastation and destruction wrought by an earthquake in Haiti. Rescue teams including religious organizations, medical and military personnel swarmed Port Au Prince in an effort to prevent further loss of life and hope.

But back in Fulham, West London, a little 7 year old named Charlie Simpson cried at the images of Haitians suffering from homelessness, lack of food and death of loved ones. He was particularly touched by the children many of whom became orphans. He appealed to his mother to help him set up a sponsored bike ride around a nearby park. She set up a web page on www.justgiving.com which allows donors to contribute to UNICEF.

His simple message: “My name is Charlie Simpson. I want to do a sponsored bike ride for Haiti because there was a big earthquake and loads of people have lost their lives. I want to make some money to buy food, water and tents for everyone in Haiti.”

With that simple statement, his simple act of riding his bike eight kilometers (five miles) around a park and the dream of raising $500 (US), Charlie has to date raised over £100,000 ($160,000). There was an outpouring of support, encouragement and money from those who were inspired by this act of compassion on the part of one so young.

The learning lesson here is one of the elegance and simplicity of the dream and the act. Charlie’s dream is huge – to be able to supply the needs of everyone in Haiti – but his action was wonderfully simple. Only a child or one that is child-hearted could combine these elements into effective action that can change the world.

Patreece Thompson

Life Lessons from Children and Youth

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“We saw him put his hand up and saying, ‘help, help,’ so we went over to him and pulled him on our board,” Satherley said on Monday.

Jake Satherley and his partner in this extraordinary exploit, Spencer Jeams, rescued a middle aged man who was drowning in the ocean off the east coast of Australia. They are members of a lifeguard training program for under 14 year olds.

This brief story was cited over 5,000,000 times in Yahoo and Google between 1/11/10 and 1/12/10 with almost the exact wording except for one report on abc.net that was different. There Mrs. Satherley reveals that the children had not been taught how to save people; that training would come in a couple of years. Jake’s mother added that her son has always been the type of child to save sick animals, birds, or lizards.

This story is an inspiration about the innocence of children who, under the belief that they can, actually did – and jumped into a situation to save a life. Jake and Spencer used the training they received and took it to the next level instinctively. They responded without hesitation to their innate gift to be aware of a need and to act.

Who would have thought that saving a lizard could translate into rescuing a person?

May we as adults take the opportunity nurture that spark in every child that coul someday blossom into the fulfillment of a dream for them, for others and for ourselves.

Patreece Thompson

A Paradigm Shift

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I read about this in the Sun Sentinel Newspaper, Florida USA

State Senate President Pro Tem, Rosa Franklin, who is a Democrat from Washington State, understands the power of negative labels. She wants 54 state law designations such as “at risk” and “disadvantaged” to be re framed to a new term, “at hope”.

Here is what she said: “We really put too many negatives on our kids. We need to come up with more positive terms.”

Senator Franklin believes that this could lead to a paradigm shift in State Government and in classrooms.

Marge Schiller