Rejoice Where Ever There is Peace

Detail from The Vitex Singing Tree of Healing Relationship with Self, Others, Earth and the Divine, designed by Co-Heart 8 of Singing Tree Facilitators for International Day of Peace

Dear Friends of Unity Through Creativity,

Every moment, every place, every relationship where conflict is productive instead of bitter, overwhelming and violent is a moment to rejoice. We are witnessing brutal, high conflict with its excruciating human cost in so many places on our planet.  I experience the pain of this cruelty. I feel discouraged and overwhelmed daily, hourly. The International Day of Peace's Symposium in El Paso was a small antidote to the massive impulse around the world, both structured and unstructured, to respond to conflict with violence.  The eight-hour Peace Symposium was a day for rejoicing.  Months of planning, led by Unity Through Creativity (UTC) with The University of Texas at El Paso's (UTEP) Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Garden and Liberal Arts Department and the Interfaith Alliance of the Southwest, resulted in deep connection and strengthening between 140 people gathered for the sake of Peace.  The Symposium was part of over 5,200 events taking place in the United States celebrating the importance of peace that took place from Sept. 21-Oct. 2, according to Pace e Bene.

Many of the keynote and panel discussions will be available on Unity Through Creativity Peace Day 2024 webpage (Scroll to the bottom).  Here the head of UTEP's Women's and Gender Studies, Dr. Hilda Ontiveros, shares the importance of feminine wisdom in Peace Building and the words of Afghan scholar activist, Neema Soratgar. 

In the program, we state: The Peace Symposium was dedicated to the heartfelt energy of this entire collective to the eradication and healing of war, pain, and suffering anywhere in our world where there is hatred, violence, and trauma to any living beings. 

Here is some feedback from the "heartfelt collective": 

I loved the diversity of people. I believe unity is different than uniformity and today I saw unity.                                                               

     Samuel Bonilla, Dragon's Garden

The best thing about the day was  meeting a community of people working for a better, more engaged El Paso. I thought the format worked. Lacking resources to actually bring the speakers, and just the main speakers presence on zoom was impactful, followed by very articulate panelists, and ending with the roundtable discussions. Having the art all around! Music and joyful movement! Meditations! Splendid!!

Bettina Escudero, Paso del Norte Mindfulness

I go to lots of #conferences. I can't get enough of them. Love them. This was one of the best I've ever attended. The best description I can share is that it felt like church but without the baggage. The room was so diverse..., the atmosphere was "open", and it presented new or insightful ideas/perspectives which my brain adores.

                                                                        Monica Jasso, County of El Paso

Below: Ruth Aparacio, Maria Cadillo, Abuela Bea Villegas, Beatriz Vera (co-chair of the Symposium) and Edward Schuldt (VP and Operations Director, UTC)

Around the World

Unity Through Creativity continues its international efforts, building Martin Luther King's Beloved Community, one mural at a time. The Olive Singing Tree of Becoming on Cyprus and The Kyangwali Singing Tree to Heal the Trauma of War in Uganda are currently in progress.

Below you'll see a picture of Cyprus Singing Tree Fellows Evita Vida and Emel Ramiz painting the image which portrays a DNA connection between the north and south of the divided island. Two members of the UTC team, Katia Petersen and Edward Schuldt, will be traveling there in October to participate in Creative Community conversations and the celebration of the completed mural

Members of 10 villages in the Kyangwali refugee settlement, seen below, came together under the facilitation of Emma Kavuma and Kanizius Nsabimana to co-create The Kyangwali Singing Tree to Heal the Trauma of War on traditional bark cloth.  Please watch the short video below in order to see the healing joy unleashed by creating together.

All over the planet there are pockets of peace and sanity that are protected, nurtured and growing.  Let us rejoice in these pockets of peace.  May they cause a far-reaching ripple, like a pebble thrown in still water. May the pockets of peace hold all all children. We paint the infant on the earth in The Vitex Singing Tree for this prayer.

Laurie and the UTC Team

Daring Team Building

Dear Friends of Unity Through Creativity,

The Singing Tree® Project conducted a breakthrough program last month with the Japanese-based automation company Azbil. Azbil brings technological solutions to large-scale building automation challenges such as ventilation and fire detection for skyscrapers. Their work impacts the areas of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) articulated by the United Nations. Azbil desires to bring their technological innovations into harmony with the SDGs, and they turned to Unity Through Creativity to amplify their commitment.

Twenty-six managers, engineers, marketers, and trainers from Japan, Singapore, and the U.S. came together for a three-day team building program entitled “The Science of Creativity and Collaboration”. Azbil’s driving question was “How can AI, iCloud, and wireless technology be used to support the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?” By asking this question, Azbil is a leader in corporate responsibility.

Despite the differences in language, culture, gender, age and different and disciplines within the company, the group created an 8’ x 4 painting in three days called The Azbil Singing Tree® of Innovative Technology Based in Love. They expressed their deepest values and made a shared vision of success by painting the mural. The multi-national corporation made a bold choice to hold a training where the results would be unknown. The practice of “Emergent Wisdom” prepared participants to have increased faith in their own creativity and in the creativity of their colleagues. It strengthened the tools of imagination and solid relationships that are the key to flourishing in a changing world.

The following feedback from some of the participants describes their experiences:

I gained creativity and speaking myself from the workshop. It was the most amazing experience I ever had.

Reiko Kuga, Japan

This training was a sprint of challenge.

Masaru Murakami, Azbil FTC

I am proudest of being able to communicate and relate to many of my colleagues from Japan.

Armen Garabedian, Azbil North America

What stood out to me the most was the inclusive environment, where participants listened to everyone's opinions without excluding anyone, and felt encouraged to actively share their own thoughts. I would like to leverage this experience, as the workshop encouraged taking risks and not being afraid of failure. I will bring these practices to my family.

Takumi Komatsu, Japan

I think my next mission is to continue this workshop and provide an environment where more Azbil employees can participate.

Joe Kaseda, President, Azbil North America

The trunk contains a miniature earth resting in water. The Azbil Singing Tree of Innovative Technology Based in Love reminds us that, when we allow ourselves to be held in the palm of the earth and treasure her heart, we can create a life of abundance for everyone. We can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, which are ultimately a manifestation of Love for each other and our planet. We are proud to partner with a corporation who is committed to this vision.

Yours for the world we know is possible,

Laurie

Creative Activism: We Steward the Blessingsof Creation with Love

Dear Friends of Unity Through Creativity,

Those of you who have raised children or taught adults know how difficult it is to focus attention on the behavior you want to foster - and how positive the results can be. Focusing on the world we want, envisioning it and making it visible, is the work of Unity Through Creativity. Our approach of Creative Activism includes celebrating Earth Month in El Paso with Eco-El Paso, the Department of Parks and Rec, the Environmental Services Department, the El Paso Zoo and Paso del Norte Trails, all working to focus attention on the joy of living in the Chihuahan Desert. All ages contributed to The Mesquite Party for the Planet Singing Tree. All skill levels were present; all were welcome. The whole world was invited to make a painting together, and these people did.

From left to right Rachel Quintana, Carmen Navar and Fernanda Lugo at the unveiling of the mural at the El Paso Zoo. Rachel, Secretary of Unity Through Creativity, and Fernanda are both Singing Tree Facilitators in-training.  Carmen is a celebrated El Paso Artist whose students contributed to the "Conservation Meets Creativity" show being held throughout the Zoo until August.

Below are details of the mural, which was partially funded by Eco-El Paso and the El Paso Rotary Club. The painting brings attention to the life-giving native mesquite tree, based on one in my neighborhood whose branches form a heart. We honor the bat (upper right) who depends on the agave plant (colorfully portrayed to the right of the mountain lion); the prairie dogs who escaped the Zoo two years ago; the endangered Mexican grey wolf; and the wild yellow poppies that appear every spring. A chakra rainbow encircles the earth as a protective labyrinth.

We are also raising awareness of the need to preserve the 372-acre Rio Bosque wetlands, nurtured for 20 years by the University of Texas in El Paso. A beaver has returned. We honor this sacred land in our painting. The Texas Department of Highways is studying the impact of three proposed new highways by and over the wetlands. Citizens are seeking permanent protection.

The mural will be on display in the Zoo's amphitheater through August.

Training Opportunity

The next Co-Heart of training Singing Tree® Mural Project Facilitators will start with the July 13-15 weekend. This will be hybrid, both in-person in El Paso and online. Artists, activists, and concerned members of local communities will learn how to lead their own the Singing Tree® Murals that address community issues and concerns. If you believe that creativity, collaboration, and compassion are a birthright, this training is for you. You do not have to be an artist. The training includes

• A weekend intensive with me focusing on:

  • designing and executing a Singing Tree®

  • art practices

  • the neurobiology of communication

  • peace literacy skills

• Five months of mentoring while you do your first Singing Tree®

• A 100-page Singing Tree Facilitator Guide

• An invitation to join the worldwide Singing Tree® Facilitators Guild.

We are working with schools, non-profits, government agencies, and corporations—you can too. You can make a difference in the world through the practice of the Singing Tree®.

I end with a quote from Sherri Mitchell in her book, Sacred Instructions: 

“If we hope to create a new reality, we have to shift our emotional energy away from the reality being presented and focus on the reality that we wish to create.”

Dystopian narratives for our future abound right now. Unity Through Creativity invites the story that we CAN collaborate and that it's FUN and BEAUTIFUL.

Please join us,

Laurie and the UTC Team