Group XI (2004-2006) News
Seminar on Fusion and Tension in Rights and Obligations of Individuals,
Groups and Societies, January 11-14, 2005
by: Bill Ver Voort, Group XI participant
The snow gently covered the ground and sub-zero temperatures were
on the way as the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program (WRLP) participants
huddled around the fireplace in Trego, Wisconsin. Although it was
cold outside, the topics of individual, group and societal rights
were the hot topics at the Schwan Retreat & Conference Center.
This WRLP conference was set up for individual reflection, and it
could not have had a better setting. Beverly Stencel, Professor and
Community Resource Development Educator, Washburn County Extension,
started the conference off with a welcome and introduction.
It would be impossible to encapsulate this seminar in a couple
of paragraphs, and do it any justice. It kicked off with Gerry Campbell,
Professor, Department of Agriculture & Applied Economics, UW-Madison
and Center for Community Economic Development, UW-Cooperative Extension,
showing a movie entitled ‘Pleasantville’, which allowed
us to then participate in an active listening session. This was followed
by an excellent presentation by Calvin Brutus, Assistant Professor,
Life Sciences Communication, UW-Madison and UW-Cooperative Extension,
about critical vs. non-critical thinking. I think what really stood
out for me was the statement Calvin made that the average community
member can be a leader. Calvin used the Civil Rights Movement as
an example of how it was the ordinary person who contributed greatly
to this movement.
Karen Kaufman, a certified personal coach, worked us through a
couple of exercises designed to assist us in searching for our values.
The reflection and review of our own personal values was an invigorating
experience. This was followed by a couple of free hours to reflect
and try to determine our values.
This seminar gave us all the opportunity to see the effects of
individual, group and societal rights, but most of all it gave us
the opportunity to look within ourselves. We would like to thank
Gerry Campbell, Calvin Brutus, Beverly Stencel and Karen Kaufman
for challenging us to look within our selves and see the leaders
that we hope to become.
Co-chairs for this seminar were Beverly Stencel, Calvin Brutus,
and Gerry Campbell.
L-R: Annette Bjorklund, Michael Berg, Glen Calnin,
and Paul Mayou work on a presentation.
Paul Mayou & Beverly Stencel
L-R: Tom Gwidt, Andy Morton, and Ellen Rulseh present
to the group their concerns about global warming.
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