The Community Awareness and Impact Program: Bridging and Healing the Violence, Trauma & Grief Divide

We live in a real and social media world saturated with sources of aggression, weapons, and violence, – whether random or “home-grown.”  Almost daily, media headlines affirm this grave reality…with another and another, and yet another tragic loss of life.  In addition to societal forces and pressures, the “home-grown” battlefront may involve:

a) intense family stress or breakup along with reintegration of a family member, e.g., a returning Veteran,

b) peer bullying – whether in a schoolyard or workplace, or gang-related activity,

c) cyber-bullying: with greater isolation and anonymity, with the loss of genuine human connection, empathy decreases, aggression increases,

d) substance and/or domestic abuse and its spiraling tension on family members, friends, colleagues, etc.

In such a volatile culture and work-life-cyber space, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish vulnerable from “it can’t happen here” communities, schools, playgrounds, shopping malls, workplaces, etc.

What is truly critical in such volatile, TNT – Time-Numbers-Technology – Driven & Distracted times is for individuals, couples, families, businesses, organizations, institutions, and communities to dismantle these “us vs. them” perceptual walls.  Such mind-culture barriers prevent seeing our vulnerable space-time as a “human ecology” problem that transcends cultural diversity, ethnicity, or financial disparity.  (Alas, sometimes with more money we just build higher and more rigid, seemingly “impregnable” walls.)  These mental blocks make it harder to empathize with our neighbors – whether “inside or outside a beltway” or on the “right or wrong side of the tracks.”  Such ideas also feed the illusion that one community’s “life and death” struggles can be quarantined or isolated from surrounding communities.  And sadly, such a mindset, as Lincoln noted many score years ago, impedes our reaching “the better angels of our nature.”

So, if you are wondering whether this is a time of breakthrough or breakdown…There’s a multifaceted team on call:  Dr. Charles Hicks, acclaimed Baltimore Psychologist and Personal Empowerment Life Coach and Mark Gorkin, MSW, LICSW, the “Stress Doc” ™, acclaimed Speaker, Workshop Leader, and Critical Incident/Trauma Intervention-Debriefing Consultant.  Let this Dynamic-Diverse Duo help you and your social and work groups, institutions and neighborhoods engage in “Community Bridge-Building as a Healing Response to Violence, Trauma and Grief.”  In this workshop, engage with lively "Get FIT" -- FUN-Interactive-Thought-provoking – “on-point” presentation, powerful social-psychology-communication concepts, tools, and techniques, along with real, “hands on” group exercises/role plays, and care-griever/caregiver strategic discussion.  Expanded awareness, dialogue, and collaborative action planning, will help us design a “One Human Touch Relationship:  Community Bridge-Building & Healing – Model and Method”:

Ø  Be part of the emerging and integrative community conversation

Ø  Collaborate and develop tools with individuals and families, colleagues and groups

Ø  Develop stress resilience and trauma/grief/anger management and creative adaptation skills for emotional intelligence maturation and personal-organizational recovery and growth

Ø  Build psychological and cognitive agility to respect tradition and think out of the box

Ø  Learn how other families, organizations, companies and leaders grapple with emerging challenges and opportunities

Ø  Identify and begin to repair and overcome communication-culture barriers

 

Ø  Experience challenges and benefits of conflict thru creative thinking: building bridges and designing your personal Grief Rejuvenation/Stress Resilience Tool Kit.  (Remember, your mind is the most creative psycho-social medium!)

And, of course, this half-day workshop is only the first step.  There will be a follow-up program to discuss, plan, and launch community action initiatives.

Program Objectives

A.  Community Bridge-Building as a Healing Response:  Overview

1.  Provisional Vision/Mission Statement:  educate and sensitize, increase and inspire the public's knowledge and awareness of those persons, families, and organizations that have been impacted by the random and societal acts of violence, trauma, and grief!

2.  Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress:  Is it a personal illness and/or a societal issue?

3.  Do we know enough about "human behavior" to advocate a frame work of understanding that generates opportunity to provide programs/services of relief-help-healing-resiliency-recovery?

4.  How do mental, emotional, psychological, (age), developmental (including early childhood/family experiences), environmental, and social maturity factors, along with access to supportive and healing resources, influence one's vulnerability to violence and rage or one’s capacity for managing anger, trauma, and grief?

5. Who are the caregivers?  Who are the care-grievers?  How best to support each group?

6.  The criticality of professional and public as well as communities wide-recognition of the impact of social-cultural violence and aggression, trauma and grief on individuals, families, schools, workplaces, churches, and an array of institutions

7.  The collaborative challenge of building interpersonal-group bridges within and between communities and social-cultural-religious institutions for “Bridging and Healing the Violence, Trauma & Grief Divide.”

B.  Rage, Trauma, and Grief:  A “Crisis” Model

1.  Definition of “Crisis” and “Crisis Stages Model”

2.  Key components of the “Vulnerable State”:  Threat, Loss & Challenge

3.  Time-limited “Crisis Window of Danger and Opportunity”

4.  Different types of trauma/grief situations:  “Fight & Flight, Freeze & Flow”

5.  Link between past and present pain and loss in traumatic stress reactions

C.  Violence, Loss, and Trauma (VLT):  Overview

1.  Defining the VLT Sandwich (and each of its ingredients)

2.  What are key personal-situational precursors to Violence? Self-Defeating Conflict? Domestic Violence, Bullying? Workplace Disruptions? Road Rage? and Suicide, etc;

3.  The special cases of Violent Death and Loss of Young Life

4.  Stress-Trauma Assessment:  Holmes-Rahe Life Change-Stress Index

5.  The critical issue of sense of control of one’s emotions and one’s environment; “You Can’t Make Me” and “You Fumbled the Data” Exercises

D.  Nature of Trauma

1.  TNT Trauma:  Overwhelming Crisis or Chronic Condition; Illness or Socio-Cultural Issue?

2.  What is the nature of trauma? Why is it so devastating?  Can the process be reversed?

3.  Situational Trauma:  "homicide trauma," "war trauma," "rape trauma", "discrimination trauma," "socio-economic/job loss trauma," "domestic violence trauma," "oppression trauma," etc.

4.  “Bad Kids or Traumatized Kids”:  Understanding the person-situation context

5.  Dr. Hicks’ “Trauma:  Twenty Questions”:

6.  Witnessing Violence or Second-Hand Exposure:  PTSD contexts and reactions

 

 

E.  The Nature of Grief and the Grief Process

1. “Unfinished Grieving,” “Grief Ghosts,” and the multifaceted types and dynamics of loss and grief

2.  Classic Stages of Loss and Grief, including Shock, Denial, Rage, Helplessness, Guilt, Ambivalence, etc.

3.  Cognitive, Affective, Behavioral, and Social-Cultural Methods of Grieving

4.  Difference between “Feeling Sorry for Yourself and Feeling Your Sorrow”

5.  The Magical Healing Path of Grief

6.  The Stress Doc’s Recipe for Group Grieving the Loss of a Vital Member

F.  Violence, Loss, & Trauma Interventions

1.  Once the rage or anxiety (or depression) trigger has been engaged…how can I press the pause button?  How can I steadily moderate my intensity?

2.  Basic self-regulation and constructive conflict resolution mindsets and communication skills and strategies; the “Four ‘R’s of PRO Relating:  being Respectful-Real-Responsible-Responsive

3.  Building the the TnT Relationship:  The Power of Trust & Transparency

4.  Gaining a basic understanding/application of “Emotional Intelligence” for self-regulation and empathic emotional connection

5. The Power of Psycho-Drama:  enabling participants to act out these emotions/reactions in a safe environment, more effectively managing emotional and cognitive-behavioral responses and social interactions through support, guidance and shared experiences

6.  The “Power of “Creativity” and “Engaging with Nature” for expressing grief and healing trauma

 

G.  Save the Retreat Wrap-up

1.  Brainstorming “Community Building & Healing” next steps

2.  Forming action plan/task groups

3.  Choosing a “Stress/Battlefield Buddy” and the Power of the Stress Doc’s TLC

4.  Go round:  What will I take home, what workshop seeds will I plant:  on a personal-professional, family, organizational, and/or community level?

5.  Stress Doc will close with a “Healing Humor” Shrink Rap ™

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Presenter Bios

Dr. Charles Hicks

Charles’ professional career started as a Public School Teacher, evolved into Teaching in Academic Departments at various Universities – Howard University, Duquesne University, Morgan State University, Towson State University, the University of Baltimore, and The Johns Hopkins University.  Dr. Hicks was also a staff member in the Student Affairs Department at the California Polytechnic State University where he served as a Career Counselor and Career Center Coordinator. He was an Industrial Social Psychologist in the Human Resources Department of Gulf Oil Corporation, a Sr. HRD Consultant at Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and a Staff Consultant at Personnel Decisions, Drake Beam Morin, Lee Hecht Harrison, and Right Management - Career Outplacement Firms. In addition, he has been an executive coach with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) for 25 years and has staffed programs at the Greensboro facility and also at the National Leadership Institute – a CCL Affiliate at the University College, University of Maryland. Roles have included facilitator of experiential team activities in the program modules and as also as a developmental assessment feedback coach, delivering 1 on 1 client assessment feedback, and follow-up coaching services. In addition, Charles has extensive adjunct affiliation (25 years) with the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, VA. Currently he is affiliated as a Personal Empowerment Coach with the Inspirit Counseling Services of Baltimore, Maryland.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark Gorkin, “The Stress Doc” ™

Mark Gorkin, MSW, LICSW, "The Stress Doc" ™, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is an acclaimed keynote, kickoff and webinar speaker as well as "Motivational Humorist & Team Communication Catalyst" known for his interactive, inspiring, and FUN programs for both government agencies and major corporations.  The Doc is a Training and Stress Resilience Consultant for The Hays Companies, an international corporate insurance and wellness brokerage group.  He has also led “"Stress and Communication,” as well as “Managing Change, Humor, and Team Building" leadership retreats for a variety of units at Ft. Hood, Texas and for Army Community Services and Family Advocacy Programs at Ft. Meade, MD and Ft. Belvoir, VA as well as Andrews Air Force Base/Behavioral Medicine Services.

A former Stress and Violence Prevention Consultant for the US Postal Service, the Doc is the author of Practice Safe Stress and of The Four Faces of Anger.  The Stress Doc blog appears in such platforms as HR.com, WorkforceWeek.com, and MentalHelpNet.  His award-winning, USA Today Online "HotSite" – www.stressdoc.com – was called a "workplace resource" by National Public Radio (NPR).  For more info on the Doc's "Practice Safe Stress" programs or to receive his free e-newsletter, email stressdoc@aol.com or call 301-875-2567.

“Who’s Coming through the Door” Lyric and a Shrink Rap ™ on Team

Here are the latest lyrical (and quite poignant) adaptation and a playfully punchy “Shrink Rap"™ on Team.  Both reflect on the dynamics and consequences of groups of people either working or not working together.  Do you believe the tune of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again” lyric to be too dark or is it shining light on serious issues that need to come out of the domestic closet?

----------------------

 

The Stress Doc explores a range of family life dynamics in this powerful lyrical piece based on a familiar Civil War tune.  This offering has relevance not only for families, and also for the military, educators, social workers, counselors, and a wide array of family-allied health professionals.  And while sliding from the joyful to the poignantly painful, the lyric closes on an uplifting note of grace and hope!

 

Who’s Coming through the Door Again?

[To the tune of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again”]

When mommy comes walking through the door, hurrah, hurrah
When mommy comes walking through the door, hurrah, hurrah
My mind will dance, my heart will sing
When I hear the doorbell ring
And we’ll all shout “Hurrah” when mommy comes home again!

When daddy comes walking through the door, hurrah, hurrah
When daddy comes walking through the door, hurrah, hurrah
He’ll lift me high, like a bird I’ll fly
“Never put me down,” I’ll cry
And we’ll all shout “Hurrah” when daddy comes home again!

When mommy can’t come home again, boo-hoo, boo-hoo
When mommy can’t come home again, boo-hoo, boo-hoo
Now my shouts turn to self-doubt
As I pout or just lash out
Oh we miss you mommy, please come home again!

When daddy can’t come home again, boo-hoo, boo-hoo
When daddy can’t come home again, boo-hoo, boo-hoo
My heart no longer has a song; my hero’s missing
Something’s so wrong
Oh we miss you daddy, please come home again!

When mommy and daddy fight again, uh oh, uh oh
When mommy and daddy fight again, uh oh, uh oh
When mommy yells and daddy hits
Now my tummy’s having fits
And we all feel bad when mommy and daddy fight!

When mommy and daddy drink again, oh no, oh no
When mommy and daddy drink again, oh no, oh no
“No place like home” more battle zone
And all I want to be is gone
And we’re all sad when mommy and daddy drink!

When mommy and daddy fight and drink, watch out, watch out
When mommy and daddy fight and drink, watch out, watch out
My head against the wall I’ll bang
Help…I don’t want to join a gang
And we’re all mad when family fight and drink!

When angry silence comes marching in, please no, please no
When angry silence comes marching in, please no, please no
A once happy home feels like a tomb
Covered by a shroud of gloom
I can’t even hide in my room
For overhead the sword of doom
We’re all numb when angry silence comes through the door.

Why can’t we be a family again, oh please, oh please?
Why can’t we be a family again, oh please, oh please?
We’ll laugh and sing and even fight
Not might – but help – will make it right
Talking together helps shine a light
And fear will finally sleep tonight
Holding each other warm and tight
And we’ll be a family, ‘Hoorah,” we’ll be a family again!

© Mark Gorkin  2015
Shrink Rap ™ Productions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who Says “There Is No ‘I’ in Team”?

Do you ever want to scream
When you hear that tired theme
Or see the poster in your dreams?
There is no “I” in team!

All you do is close your mind
Leave real differences behind
Learn what it means to be aligned:
Fall in line with the group grind!

I scream, you scream
There’s no “I” in our team!

Of course you need to check EGO
As you relate with sis and bro
And know connections ebb and flow
As your team evolves and grows.

But I’m about to start spinning
Even worse, maybe sinning:
There are two “I”s in the word “WINNING”
And this, my friend, is just the beginning!

I scream, you scream
There’s still no “I” in our team!

No “I” teams push conformity
Winning “I”s have identity:
First…”Individuality”
Next comes “Interactivity.”

And these two “I”s most surely “C”
One sheds new light – “Creativity”
The other builds live “Community”
Advantage:  non-conformity!

I scream, you scream
It’s just a dream:  an “I” in team.

So “Winning Teams,” can we agree?
Take “Individual Creativity”
Mix with “Interactive Community”
Voila…IC² yields “Synergy.”

When the “whole is greater than parts” sum
The Beatles group – a rule of thumb
Marching to a different drum
Healthy conflict makes teams hum.

I scream, you scream
Maybe there’s an “I” in team.

Less need to shut down, become numb.
Nor hurry up, just get it done
Partly jazz riff, minds on the run
Takes more time…Wait, Here Comes the Sun!

Open channels make all smarter
No superheroes or those martyrs
Just groups pushing tired borders
Or jumping into unknown waters.
Sections work a little harder
When not just “parts” but truly “partners.”

I scream, you scream
Can we be an IC team?

Teams that foster this give and take
Despite ideas that seem half-baked
Are ones that “C” and learn from mistakes
Forge the big picture:  know what’s at stake…
Take that lead foot off the brake
Leaving No “I” teams in their wake!

I scream, you scream
We are now an IC team!
I scream, you scream
We are now an IC team!

© Mark Gorkin  2015
Shrink Rap ™ Productions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark Gorkin, the Stress Doc ™, www.stressdoc.com, acclaimed Keynote and Kickoff Speaker, Webinar Presenter, Retreat Leader and Motivational Humorist, is the author of Practice Safe Stress and The Four Faces of Anger. A former Stress & Violence Prevention consultant for the US Postal Service, the Stress Doc leads one-day "Stress Resiliency" workshops for "METRO" Managers and Supervisors of the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA).   "The Doc" is also a Team Building and Organizational Development Consultant as well as a Stress Resilience/Wellness Consultant for the international corporate wellness/insurance brokerage group, The Hays Companies.  Mark leads highly interactive, innovative, and inspiring programs for corporations and government agencies, including the US Military, on stress and brain resiliency/burnout prevention through humor, change and conflict management, and leadership-partnership team building.

Email stressdoc@aol.com for his popular free newsletter & info on speaking programs and phone coaching sessions.  And click https://vimeo.com/69053828 for the Stress Doc's wildly pioneering "Shrink Rap" video.

Stress Doc Mantra: "Think out of the box, perform outside the curve (the Bell Curve) and be out-rage-ous!"

North (Dakota) toward Home: Designing Diversity -- an Integrative Incubator for “Individual Creativity” and “Interactive Community”

Confession time: I owe North Dakota an apology. About six months ago, in light of the economic pressures on government employees, budget cuts and downsizings, further calls for their jobs or at least slashing their pensions, I wrote a satirical “Shrink Rap” ditty called “The Reorg Rag.”

It started:

It can’t happen here, I have too much to do…
Who took my desk and chair, my computer, too?
They can’t replace me; the Branch Techno-file
What do you mean I’m still in denial?

Reorg Rag, Reorg Rag,
Why does it feel I’ve been fragged?
Reorg Rag, Reorg Rag,
Maybe I’m just on a jag.
Reorg Rag, Reorg Rag,
I’m still on the Reorg Rag!

Rejoice, you’re employed…so they’ve frozen your pay
And put on your backs the recovery.
Two free weeks furlough to re-“leave” your stress
What a friend you have in the 112th Congress!

Work’s now a casino, a high tech RIF** RAFFle
When will we know? Why does management waffle?
Buddha Computah… who’s pink slipping away?
Here’s your ticket to ride; shopping’s good in Bombay.

Reorg Rag, Reorg Rag
Why do I just want to gag?
Reorg Rag, Reorg Rag,
Whatever happened to my swag?
Reorg Rag, Reorg Rag
I’m still on the Reorg Rag!

The lyrics and predicaments progressed till finally…

Now you’ve had enough, playing Raggedy Ann
Start calling their bluff; draw a line in the sand.
You are a survivor; just never forget
To bring out your “Inner Rambo or Rambette!”

So “Do know your limits; don’t limit your ‘No’s”
There’s life beyond widgets; you’ve taken their blows.
Break away from the mob, you’ve surpassed your quota
And have won your job…but now in North Dakota!

(Email stressdoc@aol.com for the entire lyric.)

In fact, my new mantra is “Go North young wo/man.” If economic opportunities are drying up “down south” (that is, in the “Lower 48”) my advice: head for Alaska…or for Alaska-lite, i.e., North Dakota! The past two months I’ve done speaking programs in both states and while the differences are obvious, the similarities are also palpable. First the differences: Alaska has a vast coast line, and an extensive rugged, forested mountainous wilderness, including the highest point in North America, Mt. Denali, formerly Mt. McKinley, at 21,000 feet; and while permafrost underground means Alaska is not the bread basket for the world, the salmon and halibut, in particular, are yummy. In contrast, flying into Fargo appears to validate my presupposition that ND is mostly farmland flat. Your eyes are captivated by large checkerboard squares of light and dark rich agricultural soil; the state does help feed the world. Actually, the eastern half of North Dakota consists of Drift Prairie, with elevations of 1300-1600 feet above sea level, and the western half of the state has the highest point, White Butte, at 3500 feet.

Now the similarities: The states share plenty of cold weather, (in both states I saw electrical power plugs attached to the front of cars), the two have small populations relative to their land mass, and now with the boom times happening in western North Dakota, both states are reaping the benefits of oil production. (Of course, there may be some specific economic boom town winners and losers. Word is that qualified truck drivers can easily earn a $100,000 a year and popular pole dancers may draw $2,000/night; apparently not many other ways to spend money way out on the oil range. And today I just read that seniors are being forced out of their life-long apartments as landlords, in pursuit of oil money, are raising rents astronomically. Hey, it’s the American Way; capitalism at its finest. Turning natives into immigrants in their homeland; we've seen this movie before!)

But I digress…in addition, at least in Anchorage (pop. 270,000) and Fargo (pop. 200,000), cities bounded by waterways, each, paradoxically, has a small town-cosmopolitan feel; both are fueled by a diverse, friendly and articulate citizenry as well as the visible presence of a vibrant and clean downtown, humming with artistic activity and Native American culture – visual arts, theatre, dance, etc. And the “symbiotic cities” of Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN area, striding the opposite banks of the Red River, boast numerous colleges and universities.

Harnessing and Harvesting a Multicultural Mindset

And with the economic revival both are attracting people from around the globe. And while in Alaska oil may be a primary magnet (the state’s motto: North to the Future) in small towns throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas there’s another “future”-oriented engine driving the influx. The US Government has been settling immigrants in upper-Midwest towns, towns that until recently (late 20th century) were precipitously losing population, especially their young people. The towns were also struggling with a withering tax base; survival was definitely a communal conundrum. Hence the idea of resettlement. And it’s been working. At least in the last few years the immigrant population is doubling; the long-established (mostly Caucasian and Native American) citizenry has had some small growth. And while there has been tangible economic progress, such demographic social change rarely comes without a measure of cultural conflict. (Not to mention the personal and family stress generated by major relocation, loosening ties to geographic-family-cultural-national roots, engaging with a new language, and, at least initially, often feeling like “a stranger in a strange land.” I certainly experienced some of this disorientation when I moved from NYC to New Orleans in my mid-20s. I will say more shortly.)

The challenge of integrating these diverse populaces led to the formation in the mid-1990s of a non-profit group, Cultural Diversity Resources, led by an Asian female fireball of energy and enterprise, Yoke Sim Gunaratne. As stated in the conference brochure: "In 1993, Fargo-Moorhead area leaders held several community forums to identify community issues needing urgent attention…The community needed to embrace its increasing ethnic diversity and assist diverse populations in overcoming barriers to community participation. Leaders wanted to ameliorate intolerance of all kinds, increase understanding of the value of diversity, and develop a permanent system wide framework aimed at celebrating the ever-increasing cultures of the community. Action to develop a proactive regional diversity project to cover four cities and two counties began."

In fact, at the start of my luncheon keynote, I shared an associative image of being in a Star Trek movie; our multicultural-intergalactic crew was piloting the Starship Enterprise, exploring the depths of outer and inner space. I thought this an apt segue to my talk on “Creative Risk Taking: Grieving, Letting Go and Inspiring Flow.”

I couldn’t resist establishing my cultural diversity credentials by letting the audience know that in addition to being a Type A New Yawka (born in Brooklyn, mostly grew up in Queens, and attended high school in Manhattan) I have a second gear: sixteen years in N’Awlins (from 1974-1990; eight years as a doctoral student at Tulane University), my “American in Cajun Paris” years. Lots of great stories including burning out as a grad student and, opportunistically, becoming a radio and TV Stress Doc ™. Eventually, however, “there were no more mountains to climb in the bayou and I had this urge to move to DC. I didn’t understand it till I got there, but then I realized if NYC and New Orleans had a baby it would look like Washington, DC.” That got a laugh, and so did my follow-up: “I still haven’t decided if this offspring is a love child!”

Critical Quotes on Change and Conflict, Team Synergy and Society

Finally, I set the stage for my interactive presentation (even during a keynote the audience engages in arousing and fun exercises), by sharing two quotes, pertinent to communities with survival on their minds, needing to be both diverse and interdependent. The first was from Adam Gopnik’s book, Angels and Ages: A Short Book about Darwin, Lincoln and Modern Life. Gopnik extrapolates a key point of Darwinian Theory: Repetition is the law of nature but variation is the rule of life. We see repetition in nature through the cycle of the seasons; in many species migration and spawning patterns are also cyclical.

However, oftentimes, what enables a species to achieve survival fitness is responding productively and imaginatively to major change or crisis – whether brought on by alterations in its ecological environment or by a small deviation in its genetic makeup that spreads through the species, culminating in hereditary and adaptation advantages, that is, “natural selection.” I believe the influx of immigrants is providing an evolutionary challenge and a boost for these towns and townspeople. Both groups are experiencing a mind-and heart-provoking trial and error and maturational learning curve. While maintaining their roots, through interaction with the “natives,” the newcomers are learning about the customs, mores and morals, the strengths and vulnerabilities of the American Ways. And over time the establishment grows increasingly open-minded, slowly but steadily turning productive conflict into newfound commonality if not camaraderie along with creative variation on convention.

Together I’m seeing the basis for cultural synergy: not only does each group gain fresh ways of perceiving and acting upon new possibilities, but now these once disparate parts gradually transform into partners.

Of course, mutation and variation test the tried and perhaps once true. As was previously noted, conflict and change are often contemporaneous. But ultimately, if the conflict is harnessed through honest, hard-hitting yet also appropriately humble dialogue – focusing more on problems than personalities – then the words of John Dewey, 19th c. pragmatic philosopher and “Father of American Public Education,” may still ring out: Conflict is the gadfly of thought. It stirs us to observation and memory. It shocks us out of sheep-like passivity. It instigates to invention and sets us at noting and contriving. Conflict is the sine qua non of reflection and ingenuity.

I’m reminded of my readapting the familiar acronym TEAM – “Together Each Achieves More.” My TEAM mantra: Trial and Error Amplifies Mutation! And I did share my variation on the motivational standard or cliché, depending on your perspective, “There’s no “I” in team”: There may be no “I” in team…but there are two “I”s in winning – “Individuality” and “Interactivity.” And these “I”s definitely “C”: A winning team blends “Individual Creativity” and “Interactive Community”!

And the pioneering sociologist, George Herbert Mead, would agree. His mantra: Society is unity in diversity.

So in the Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN area an immigration-integration incubator is transforming the lives of individuals, families and institutions and inspiring – breathing life into and revitalizing the spirit of – long-standing communities. Perhaps it's not so surprising; the North Dakota state motto: Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable. Paradoxical and passionate words to help a complex, diverse world…Practice Safe Stress!

Mark Gorkin, MSW, LICSW, "The Stress Doc" ™, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is an acclaimed keynote and kickoff speaker as well as "Motivational Humorist & Team Communication Catalyst" known for his interactive, inspiring and FUN programs for both government agencies and major corporations. In addition, the "Doc" is a team building and organizational development consultant. He is providing "Stress and Communication, as well as Managing Change, Leadership and Team Building" programs for the 1st Cavalry Division and 13th Expeditionary Support Command, Ft. Hood, Texas and for Army Community Services and Family Advocacy Programs at Ft. Meade, MD and Ft. Belvoir, VA as well as Andrews Air Force Base/Behavioral Medicine Services. Mark has also had a rotation as Military & Family Life Consultant (MFLC) at Ft. Campbell, KY. A former Stress and Violence Prevention Consultant for the US Postal Service, The Stress Doc is the author of Practice Safe Stress and of The Four Faces of Anger. See his award-winning, USA Today Online "HotSite" -- www.stressdoc.com -- called a "workplace resource" by National Public Radio (NPR). For more info on the Doc's "Practice Safe Stress" programs or to receive his free e-newsletter, email stressdoc@aol.com or call 301-875-2567.