| In
this Volume...
|
| |
 |
St
Luke's Innovative Resources
137
McCrae St
Bendigo
3550 Australia
|
|
Innovative
Resources
Training
THINKING
ABOUT
YOUR ORGANISATION'S
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
FOR
2008?
Like
to know more about how our cards, books,
stickers and other resources can be used
to create strengths-based conversations
and foster creativity in a variety of settings
and situations?
Why
not host an Innovative Resources workshop
at your organisation or within your professional
network!
For
more information contact our training coordinator
Linda
Crawford
click
here
to
view our training page
*
* * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
Want
to read more stories, reviews and feedback
from Innovative Resources' publications?
Visit
the Strengths Cafe
click here
* * * * * * * * |
|
What
was the question again?
Computers are useless. They
only give you answers.
Pablo
Picasso
Pablo
Picasso liked to shock, but today when
we view his art or read his overtly provocative
comments it's easier to see that his tongue
was generally planted firmly in his cheek.
 The above quote has very little to do with answers and even less to do with computers. Picasso wants us to think about questions. Answers can be relatively easy, once you know the question. However, coming up with new and inventive questions can be difficult. Asking original, relevant questions takes creativity and insight.
One
of the tenets of strengths-based practice
is that each person has the power to discover
their own answers. The role of the human
service worker (or teacher, or therapist...)
is not to provide neatly packaged answers
but to foster the kind of environment
where reflection and an openess to possibilities
can take place. Often it's the right questions
that make this possible.
In
this issue of SOON we take a look at Picture
This - a set of 75 colour photographs
designed for conversation and reflection.
These are powerful photographs, but how
do we find the conversation-building spark
to make them truly transformational in
a human services setting or educational
setting?
Read on and you'll find a whole list of potential questions for using with Picture
This - or any other hands-on, conversation-building resources.
|
|
'I
refuse to answer that question on the grounds
that I don't know the answer.'
Douglas
Adams - Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
|
|
Now available...
75 colour photographs for conversation
and reflection
Since
its earliest origins, photography has proved
to be a powerful catalyst for conversation-building.
As photographic technology and approaches
to psychotherapy have developed, a broad spectrum
of ways in which photography can be used in
counselling have evolved.
 Picture
This
is a set of 75 original colour photographs
that capture different aspects of our journey
through life: the mundane, the whimisical
the soulful, the playful, the challenging,
the imaginative, the chilling and the joyful.
can be used separately, as a whole, or by
selecting sub-sets.
 The
photos that make up Picture This are
particularly accessible because they provide
slices of both urban and rural landscapes
and lifestyles, and are culturally diverse.
As
a conversation-building tool, Picture This needs minimal introduction. Like
all Innovative Resources' tools it does not
require any special training and can be used
just as effectively with individuals, groups
and teams. It can be used by people of any
age, in just about any setting.
 Picture
This
is a powerfully interpretive tool. Photographs
have a unique ability to stimulate the imagination,
memory and emotions. They can be catalysts
for people to tell their stories and prompt
reflection about values and priorities. For
this reason Picture This will be
used in schools and prisons, in group work
and in counselling sessions – even in creative
writing classes. We hope it will take its
place as an essential component in the ‘toolkits'
of anyone who wishes to work creatively with
others.
|
|
'One
hundred tellings are not as good as
one seeing.'
Chinese
Proverb
|
|
Picturing
questions
Some
interesting questions to build around Picture This are listed below. Some might be
considered ice-breakers; useful in the early
stages of engagement with an individual or
group. Some will be out of left field; seemingly
unconventional but perhaps vital for overcoming
the grip of ‘stuckness'. Some demand a solid
trusting relationship and others are reflective
and invite memories, reviews of events and
movements towards change. Some questions are
more oriented to one-on-one conversations
while others lend themselves easily to group
discussions.
- Can
you choose a photo that says something about
you as a person?
- Which
photos would your family, friends or loved
ones say typified you or reflected your
personality?
- Is
there a particular photo that resonates
with you? Can you say why?
- Is
there a photo that challenges you or makes
you feel uncomfortable? Can you say why?
- Is
there a photo that represents how you feel
about your situation at present?
- Can
you say what it is in this photos that speaks
to you; a detail, the composition, the colour,
the people, the background, the time of
day?
- What
in the photo would you change, if you could?
- If
you were to put yourself in any of the photos
which ones would they be? Would you be sitting
or standing? What would you be wearing?
What would you be doing?
- If
you were in one of the photos who do you
imagine would be behind the camera?
- Are
there two photos that describe contrasting
parts of who you are?
- Might
this be your private self compared to your
public self?
- Which
photos remind you of your strengths and
the strengths of others?
- Can
you select photos to represent the blessings
in your life? The times of joy and enchantment?
- Does
one photo reflect that part of you that
you are comfortable with as compared to
a ‘shadow side'?
- Is
there a series of photos that sums up your
life journey?
- Are
there photos that represent your childhood
or adolescence?
- Are
there photos that allude to significant
times of change and transition in your life?
- Are
there photos that say something about your
‘picture of the future'?
- Which
photos remind you of things lost; people,
places, pets, abilities, treasures...?
- Is
there a photo that you would like your loved
ones to associate with their memories of
you?
- Can
you choose a photo that you would like to
give someone as a ‘blessing' or as good
wishes for them?
An
alternative method to spreading and scanning
is building on serendipitous connections.
Cards can be shuffled into a pack face down
and one or more cards chosen at random with
similar questions asked of those particular
cards. At times, these serendipitous connections
can be surprising and enlightening.
- What
relevance, if any, do these cards have for
you at present?
- Can
you see any connections between the cards
you have randomly selected?
- Is
there anything that surprises you in the
cards you have chosen?
- Would
you like to replace one and select another
at random?
- Do
any of these cards suggest something very
meaningful for you?
|
|
'The
world today doesn't make sense, so why
should I paint pictures that do?'
Pablo Picasso
|
|
New
on Our Shelf List...
When
Lester Lost His Cool
There
are those rare children who never
seem to get steamed up about anything. But
many parents and carers tell stories about
angry kids who are unable to keep a lid
on their rage. This book has been specifically
written to provide two things: firstly,
an acceptance that anger happens and, secondly,
that anger can be expressed without doing
damage - unlike Lester the train.
 Lester
normally relishes cruising through the countryside
and racing the magpies. But when he gets
madder and madder and ultimately crashes,
the wise engine Jabba teaches him some valuable
ways to let off steam. The book concludes
with some great suggestions about self-awareness
and strategies for self-control.
Author,
Sophie Havighurst, is a child psychologist
and a lecturer at Mindful - Centre for Training
and Research in Development Health at the
University of Melbourne. Geoffrey Ricardo
is a Melbourne-based artist whose bold and
evocative images capture the range of emotions
that Lester experiences.
View
this book on our website
What
I be
If
I could be…well, what would you like to
imagine?
The
old saying ‘walk a mile in my shoes' takes
on fresh meaning as author and musician,
Michael Franti, imagines being the radiant
sun, the bountiful earth, the high sky and
the night filled by a moon that replaces
all electric lights. Franti reminds us that
the mountains are bountiful and the wind
invincible. Sparse use of language invites
the reader to consider how these sometimes
overlooked qualities of the elements can
remind us that each of us is ‘What I Be'.
In the end the message is that the way we
are is okay.
 Franti
has made a so cool CD that puts
the story to music. Quirky illustrations
by Ben Hodson create a shiny and bold celebration
of the great and small 'givens' of life.
View
this book on our website
Say
Hello
Jack
and Michael Foreman take the reader on a
journey that poetically explores the misery
of being left out. Exclusion is such a subtle
form of bullying; that sorrowful face can
be so easily ignored. In Say Hello minimalist
illustrations focus the eye on the heart
of the issue and also upon the ways that
change can occur.
 One
lonely puppy watches the group playing ball
and eventually finds the courage to ask
if she can play too. In the end she is the
one who draws in a little boy who just can't
bring himself to make that first move.
View
this book on our website
Books
reviewed by Jennie Mellberg
|
'Friendship
needs no words - it is solitude delivered
from the anguish of loneliness.'
Dag
Hammarskjold - United Nations Official
1905-61
|
|
Creative
mentoring
The
Skills R Us mentoring program was an initiative
developed by St Luke's Family Support Services
to provide young people with mentors who would
support them in a creative environment where
they could learn a skill of their choice.
When
nine year old Broc Baker decided to join the
mentoring program he had an interest in writing
and drawing and wanted to work with someone
who could help him write a short story. Fortunately,
Bendigo artist Carolyn Marrone generously
volunteered her time to support Broc. Carolyn
has worked on several projects for Innovative
Resources, including Shadows ... and Deeper
Shadows and has considerable experience
working with and supporting young people.
The
end result is the brilliant short story The
Island of the Robots which was written
and illustrated entirely by Broc with Carolyn's
guidance. During the course of the mentoring,
Broc and Carolyn developed a great relationship
with both of them committed to catching up
in the future and perhaps even working on
another story.
St
Luke's Family Services looks forward to seeing
more stories by this creative pair.
Mark
Halloran
St
Luke's Family Services
Click
here to read Broc's
story
in full at the
Strengths
Cafe |
|
'
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every
opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity
in every difficulty.'
Winston
Churchill
|
SOON
mailbox
Dear
John,
I
recently bought the Words, Symbols and Optimism Booster cards.
I
have used them in a grief and loss group,
and in individual counselling sessions.
They have all been spectacularly helpful
and useful tools. My clients report that
they initially thought, how can this
help, but once they choose a word
or symbol (or two or three), away the
session goes.
It
has helped people to verbalise feelings
and thoughts that they might never have
known were there.
I have used the whole bundle at once - sometimes a random 'chunk' out of the tin (or both tins). They are extremely versatile.
Thank
you.
Gill
Evans
Counsellor
in private practice
|
|
'Since
time is the one immaterial object which
we cannot influence - neither speed up
nor slow down, add to nor diminish-it
is an imponderably valuable gift.'
Maya Angelou - Poet
|
Micro-story
In Circles Around You
By
Step Forbes
You
tell me that Dad didn't like your slow pace
when you went for walks with us kids. My
brother and I would have trundled along,
distracted by stones, insects, patterns.
My sister would have had her little head
poking out from the pram. Dad - he was restless,
impatient. He'd jog instead of walk. He
ended up running in small circles around
our rag-tag group.
 You'd
call to him, ‘How can you enjoy the view
when you're running like that?' He'd say
it looked just fine to him.
I
wonder now if things would have worked out
differently if he had slowed down and walked
with you.
© Step Forbes 2007
|
|
|
|
SOON
