October 19, 2009
Difficult Dialogues Fall Symposium 'Visions the New'
We live in a time of unprecedented change. The financial crisis of the last year is just one of many disruptions and challenges to existing social constructs --the economy, governance, technology, media, and education – and to the environment. These challenges ask that we radically reassess the nature and scale of human activity on the planet; the possibilities for moving forward with creativity and wisdom are great, and the stakes are high.
This fall, Clark's Difficult Dialogues Symposium "Old Forms Give Way: Visioning the New" focuses on local forms of governance, agriculture, energy, green economy, the health of neighborhoods. We consider the processes by which we can move toward those more resilient ways of life -- through collaboration, democratic workplaces and dialogue.
The following events in the Fall Symposium are free and open to the public. They include:
Gallery exhibition
CONTINUA Sarah Walker
through December 10
Dana Commons, 2nd floor lounge, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets, Worcester
In this exhibition of new paintings on paper, the viewer is invited to operate in the space between building and unbuilding, erosion and accumulation, serenity and super-saturation. These works come about through a process where all layers are interwoven and a series of cancellations and resurrections offer a way of thinking about complex realities where multiple narratives of destruction and regeneration operate through and across one another.
conversation
"Considering The Second Coming"
Wednesday, October 21
Dana Commons, second floor lounge, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets
4 p.m.
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold" wrote W.B. Yeats after WWI. The famous poem The Second Coming by Yeats holds haunting images of unraveling and uncertainty in the face of massive change. Professor Steve Levin of the English Department will facilitate an informal conversation about the poem, the context in which it was written, and what it stirs for us in our contemporary circumstances.
lecture
"Envisioning Resilient Communities: The Transition Towns Initiative"
Wednesday, October 21
Dana Commons, second floor lounge, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets
7:30 p.m.
How can we increase our community resiliency in the face of the triple challenges of Energy, Climate Change and Economic Instability? Learn about the coming changes to our society and what these communities are doing to increase their sustainability, both in process and action. We will see a brief video by founder Rob Hopkins, hear from Tina Clarke and Transition Towns organizers in New England, and then join them in a conversation about the resiliency issue. Tina Clarke is a Transitions Initiative trainer, and a consultant with the Sustainability Institute. She has been an advocate, educator, consultant, and director of nonprofit programs since 1985. Recently, as a Campaign Director for Clean Water Action, she initiated and helped lead coalitions on environmental justice, toxins and energy.
public forum
"Visioning Peace in Worcester: A Public Forum"
Saturday, November 14
Dana Commons, corner of Maywood and Florence Streets
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
How can we envision and achieve peace in Worcester? Too often a cycle of violence damages lives within our community. Citizens of Worcester and members of the Clark community are invited to envision a peaceful city in a daylong forum. Community groups will come together to vision collectively, create conversations, and strategize around creating a culture of peace in the city of Worcester. Participants will learn skills and leave the workshop with a knowledge of action steps. Facilitated by Virginia Swain, founder of the Institute for Global Leadership and Tina Chery, founder of the Louis D. Brown Institute for Peace, and co-organized with Women Together and the Human Rights Office of the City of Worcester. By registration only: space is limited. Lunch will be included. To register, contact Lisa Gillingham at lgillingham@clarku.edu or call 508-793-7479.
dialogue
"Shaping a Local Green Economy: A Dialogue for the Future of Worcester"
Wednesday, November 18
Tilton Hall, Higgins University Center, 950 Main Street
7 p.m.
What can and will a local, green economy look like? Many social change organizations, institutions and individuals in Worcester are committed to creating a green economy here. Concerns include the importance of green job creation and the potential for environmental work to promote social equity and a more dependable economic system; the application of research models for energy innovation; and the economic and political benefits of Worcester and central Massachusetts as a green cluster. Members of various local initiatives will share their perspectives in a conversation about the common goal of shaping a local green economy
here in Worcester. Visionary entrepreneur Omar Freilla of Green Worker Co-ops in the Bronx (invited) will discuss his work promoting environmental justice and workplace democracy. Comments from Sarah Assefa of the Green Jobs Coalition, members of the new Institute for Energy Innovation and Sustainability (IEIS), and others from government and business will follow. There will be an opportunities for dialogue in small groups, and in the group as a whole, with light food provided.
Through these Difficult Dialogues programs the Clark and Worcester community have the opportunity to appreciate, learn and practice the skills of dialogue–the practice of conscious exchange in which different views and beliefs can be shared toward the goal of greater mutual understanding.
All of these events are co-sponsored by the Higgins School of Humanities and the International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE) Department at Clark.
For more information about any of these events, call x7479. For information about Clark's Difficult Dialogues programs, visit www.clarku.edu/dd/calendars.