From: Donna Kuelz [mailto: donna@cgpp.org]
Sent: Friday, September 11, 2009 3:19 PM
Subject: What we learned from our visit to Oakhill Correctional
Institution
Dear Friends:
On September 9th, Tajali and I had the privilege of meeting with 25 inmates at
a low security correctional facility near Evansville. Many of these
inmates are nearing the end of very long prison terms and are about to be
integrated back into society. Tajali is good friends with Jason Garlynd,
a fellow Dance Leader and student of Sufism, who teaches horticulture at the
facility. He invited us in to meet with his students and we accepted the
invitation thinking that this would be an excellent way to continue to grow a
culture of peace in Southern Wisconsin. Jason has developed a program
where his students sell seedlings to pre-schools and children's groups at
discounted prices, enabling kids to plant flowers and have gardens. We
think there might be some connections we can build here with the Evansville
School District.
It was apparent as soon as we were invited into the room, that Jason has a trusting
relationship with his students. We were warmly welcomed into the
classroom. I expected more hesitation, perhaps resistance at the sight of
two women walking in with art supplies and musical instruments. Instead
there was a hesitant curiosity.
Tajali told the group how she started the program, described it, and shared how
her work as a family therapist working with difficult life issues inspired her
to find ways to reach out to children and give them the skills to find peace
and thrive. The men understood this, and they were more than willing to
share their wisdom with us. We asked them to identify a list of qualities
that they thought children might need to feel peaceful and to grow up as
productive citizens and leaders. They developed a list of about 20
characteristics.
Then we asked each individual to identify his top three choices. The top
picks were love (#1), leadership skills, courage, responsibilty, and respect.
Then Tajali asked them to get into small groups (which we were told that they
don't do) and she asked them to brainstorm how they would teach that
quality! Almost everyone participated and each small group shared
their list with the whole class. Tajali led them through a heart and
breath practice. After this, we watched the video and asked the group for
feedback and ideas on what to include in future videos. During the video,
the group shared food with us that they had grown in their gardens as a part of
the horticultural program.
When the video was complete, Jason led us all outside to the healing medicine
circle he had created on the property next to the garden. It was a
beautiful space. A large boulder stood in the middle of the circle on a
large bed of gravel. The boulder was aligned with the four directions and
each face of the boulder was engraved with a word symbolic of a stage of
seasonal and personal growth. The circle was surrounded by beautiful
landscaping. We all gathered in the circle and shared some of the songs
and dances we did with the children. First we taught them "It's a
Big Beautiful World" complete with signing. Though I am sure this
stretched their comfort zones, the men bravely joined in and sang with
us. Tajali shared the power of this song's message and how the children simply
love it. "Imagine what it feels like to be a child and to hear
someone say to you, You are beautiful." And then she said
this to several of the men. "You are beautiful. You are
beautiful." I'm grinning at them. They are grinning
back. Then we danced to "Emalama." All but two men
chose to participate, and those who didn't stayed with us to share the
experience. Jason had forewarned us that this would be a difficult group
to get to dance, but dance they did. And they smiled. They even
held hands. They did the dance moves. Hearts were opening up all
around. I found it to be an incredibly sweet and beautiful moment.
After dancing together, we all walked over to the garden and the men showed us
their creation. It was one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen...incredibly
healthy and well-tended. The men were so honoring. They picked
produce for us, carried our instruments, and started to share their stories
with us. When we went back to the room afterward, they all applauded us
and cheered. Jason made some comment about how they all needed women like
us who defied the rules, (rules like "There will be no dancing. We
don't dance.") which generated a lot of laughter. Several of the men
came up to us to shake our hands and thank us for coming. They asked us
to come back. A number of them wanted information so they could donate to
the program or ask their church to donate. Some wanted to find ways to
volunteer.
This was an incredibly moving day for me. I saw the absolute value of
this program in action. The power of witnessing the beauty of another
human being...of acknowledging that they belong and have something of great
value to contribute. I witnessed how our program reaches into the hearts
of all people, no matter their age or their life experience. The
transformational power of that heart connection is incredibly inspiring.
With love,
Tajali and Donna
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