Resource for communities and individuals who are working toward peace

I have to admit that I have struggled with this week's post (or actually last week's post, since I am very late...).  I have been thinking about all the different aspects of process design that are important to talk about, but really my mind has been elsewhere.  This blog is in part an evolutionary process for me, and  in the past few weeks there has been a significant leap forward in my thinking.  I decided that instead of only talking about process design, I am going to start a project myself.

Throughout the past 25 or so years of my career and personal life, I have heard many stories of people's challenges resulting from different types of oppression.  In particular, I have heard of the challenges faced by Indigenous people and communities who are living with the legacy of colonialism. I have, however, also heard many experiences of triumph from those who have taken action to overcome the negative impacts of colonialism.  

From what I can see, there does not seem to exist an online resource which chronicles specific positive actions that can be shared across the Indigenous world to inspire other Indigenous community members who might be facing similar challenges.  Specific situations may differ, but community members in one region or country may find that there is something to be gained from hearing about the experiences of people in other Indigenous communities.  People who have initiated some positive change in their own life, their family or their communities may have something to show or teach other people in other communities who are coming up against a similar challenge.  At the very least, developing a resource of positive action will be a sort of library or chronicle for the future.

When I started to seriously think of setting up an online space for sharing positive action taken by Indigenous people, I realized that I have also witnessed the actions of many non-Indigenous people who have worked to overcome the negative impacts of colonization on Indigenous people in respectful and effective ways.  These people have looked at their own roles, the political implications of what they were doing, and their responsibilities as members of non-Indigenous communities who have been historically implicated in acts of oppression. The actions of these people should also be chronicled as a means of demonstrating how non-Indigenous people can take responsible and respectful action.

With this in mind, I decided that the blog may be a starting point for an online resource with two separate parts.  

Upcoming in this blog space, sometime over the next month, will be posts highlighting the positive and non-violent actions of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in different regions who have focused on ameliorating the negative effects of colonization.  The posts will eventually contribute to a two-part resource.  In the first part, Indigenous people can see what other Indigenous community members have done in very specific and personal scenarios, and how it was done.  In the second part, there will be chronicles of the positive actions of non-Indigenous people to address the legacy of colonialism. Each experience will stand on its own, and will not be merged or generalized with other experiences.

Watch this space!