Friday, June 26, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
everything you need to know about TRAFFIC in SA
Being on the road in SA is quite a challenge... (check the picture that's on the side). Here are some things to be aware of, when you’ll be travelling by car:
- In SA people drive on the left side of the road. Consequently, cars have all the stuff like stearing wheel and footpedals on the right side of the car...
- In SA people walk along the highways, because it’s the best way to get to where they want. Be aware of this and don’t be surprised if you even meet a goat or two..
- In Jo’burg there are minibustaxis available: a small bus with 15 seets, a driver and someone to collect the fee. With hand-signals people show where they want to go. Be prepared to loud music and utterly bad driving behaviour...
- If you’ve asked for directions, don’t be surprised if people direct you to robots... by that, they mean the traffic lights (‘robot’ stands for the automatic working of the lights). So don’t bother to search for large, metal terminator-look-a-likes please...
- When you drive onto a parking lot, there will be a guy showing your place. He is the car guard and it’s common to pay him a small fee afterwards.
- Be aware of the enthusiasm of people to do a chore for you. While you’re waiting for the robots to turn green, someone might be washing your windows, picking up your trash or trying to sell you a soda. If they sell, it’s easy to say no. If they’ve already done the job, just pay them a small fee.
- Nice thing to know: ‘funny money’ refers to guys telling a joke while you’re waiting on the road. You can buy jokes from them, as many as you wish!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Restorative justice project: Lots of movement!
The restorative justice project is on the move! As you may already know, we will be working with the Restorative Justice Centre in Pretoria. During the K&S day in Gent we jointly developed some working principles, based on a first e-mail from the RJC with some ideas for cooperation. There is a lot of enthusiasm, and ideas and e-mails are flowing back and forth. To keep you all updated, a short summary of where we are
How we want to work
This is where we started: what is is that attracts us in the idea of working with the RJC, and when will it be most effective? This is what we came up with:
How we want to work
This is where we started: what is is that attracts us in the idea of working with the RJC, and when will it be most effective? This is what we came up with:
-Systemic or working with all the stakeholders of de RJC
-Why not celebrate now (before the RJC has 10 years) and use this as a nice way to learn about the past (and strenghts) of the RJC
-Experiencing, doing, sharing, ... together
-Sustainable contribution
-Learning about professionalisation that inherates the soul (becoming professional while keeping the spirit in it)
Quite cryptic, I know, so call one of us if you want to learn more... :-)
Ideas on the move...
Mark talked to Mike, the director of the RJC, and he is very enthousiastic. At the moment, three concrete ideas for cooperation are floating about:
-Coaching of the (new) MT: Out of 5 people on the management team 3 of them are new. Idea is to support new management team members with some coaching that could possibly start quite soon...
-Linking and learning through new international connections: Mike would be keen to see if we can help build a link with the European Union Forum on Restorative Justice that is based at Lleuven University - he mentioned the name of Ivo Aertsen as being one of the movers behind the Forum and that there may also be a new Coordinator. Can we make a connection (Belgian colleagues??) and see maybe if we can tap into some 'latest' thinking on Restorative Justice??
-Developing a seminar on 'policy over-reach': One of the challenges faced in RJ in South Africa is helping the policy makers to move beyond a commitment on paper to RJ to actually make it happen in practice. This is perhaps partly a 'mind-set' issue - the commitment is there in policy documents, but then a Minister will make a provocative statement about the need for police to get tougher with criminals ('shoot the bastards') in order to get popular support... This could be an interesting issue to explore with some key policy makers - maybe in a seminar in September. The challenge to us would then be could we facilitate a process that could help lead the system beyond 'policy over-reach' into moving the system forward in a real sense...?
-Furthermore, Philippe has proposed to do a workshop with constellations involving all of the stakeholders in restorative justice, which in my mind fits very well in the process of developing a seminar on policy over-reach.
...and people in action
-Philippe contacts the European Union Forum on Restorative Justice in Leuven (maybe with some of the Belgian colleagues)
-Mark and ? may coach the MT people. Mark; is that something that you like to take up? Maaike could also imagine playing a role (and liking it) through e-coaching, a subject I'm am interested in and practicing with at the moment. Shall we pick a date to skype and develop some ideas on how we could approach this?
-Paul B is reading up on restorative justice issues in the Netherlands, and especially within the Dutch police force. He is also contacting people at the policy that are working on these issues.
-Katrien is contacting the Judicial House in Antwerp to learn more about what they do on restorative justice. She will also contact a Belgian lawyer through her husband, who is also interested in the issue.
-Maaike and Mark will contact the RJC to develop a first concept of a program based on the ideas there are now. We'll get back to you on that. To all of you: if you have any great ideas, please call us/ mail us to share, so we can take that with us in our conversations!
-Erik: last time I spoke to you about this, you said that you wanted to contact some of your clients at the courts, if I remember correctly- is that still an idea?
I think it would be interesting to focus in our conversations with several organisations on the issues and dilemma's that the RJC faces, and how Dutch and Belgium organisations are recognizing and dealing with these dilemma's. In that way, we can make a nice link. Any other ideas on that? We're happy to hear your thoughts!
Maaike, Mark, Martijn, Robert, Erik, Paul B., Marcus, Katrien, Lieve
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
2nd competition - not open to South Africans!
What is this flower? Prize in September for first correct answer, which must include the isiXhosa name as well (hint).
Monday, May 25, 2009
Where in South Africa was this picture taken?
Hi colleagues,
I thought to create a bit of a challenge to help you learn about South Africa. All of this, because I could not resist taking this picture when I passed by....!
This picture was taken just outside a small town somewhere in South Africa. The first person who email me with the correct name of this town, will receive a small prize upon arrival in SA (a cd of an SA artist).
So start emailing! The results will be published here.
Greetings:-) Andrea
Tip: This town is known for having the highest bird specie diversity in the whole world....
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Beauty & Art & K&S
Dear all,
The group on Beauty & Art, formed by Kemp, PJ, Petra, Joseph and Marloes, now have two ideas!! One is to arrange one or two visits to something that contributes to / consist of beauty, such as a museum of Art, the theatre, musical inspiration etc.
The other idea is to link with a contact of Andrea, Nikodemis van Rensburg. Check his work on http://www.southafricanartists.com/showartist.asp?Code=VRENS003. At this moment, he works at skills-development and environmental awareness in a youth jail in Soweto, through art therapy. He's looking for ways to realise this project, for instance through finding fundings or other solutions to make it attractive for himself and others to join in.
If anyone would like to join our club, please don't hesitate to get in touch! On the next K&S-dag in Belgium (2nd of June), we will think these ideas through and we would love your help in that!
Warm regards,
The Beauty-team :-)
The group on Beauty & Art, formed by Kemp, PJ, Petra, Joseph and Marloes, now have two ideas!! One is to arrange one or two visits to something that contributes to / consist of beauty, such as a museum of Art, the theatre, musical inspiration etc.
The other idea is to link with a contact of Andrea, Nikodemis van Rensburg. Check his work on http://www.southafricanartists.com/showartist.asp?Code=VRENS003. At this moment, he works at skills-development and environmental awareness in a youth jail in Soweto, through art therapy. He's looking for ways to realise this project, for instance through finding fundings or other solutions to make it attractive for himself and others to join in.
If anyone would like to join our club, please don't hesitate to get in touch! On the next K&S-dag in Belgium (2nd of June), we will think these ideas through and we would love your help in that!
Warm regards,
The Beauty-team :-)
Monday, May 18, 2009
SEEtrust
The SEEtrust mission is to contribute to a more sustainable way of living through creating and implementing entrepreneurial formulas that combine economical and social development.
To download an overview of SEEtrust, click here.
Our first project is in Roodepoort, Johannesburg, connected to the Tshepang programme.
our site is next to an informal settlement where almost 10.000 people live. Facilities for schooling, care, work are scarce. Next to the settlement developers are creating housing for middle class.
Susan Rammekwa started the 'Tshepang programme' for orphaned and vulnerable children. She started in 2007 and now Susan and her team take care of 160 children everyday and counsel their families and care takers. Tshepang provides meals, learning and social activities, financial support for uniforms and transport and so on.
Our SEEtrust project here:
We bought 2 hectares of construction land and a big house and terrain for the Tshepang program. The construction will provide work and housing and will create the means for extending the Tshepang facilities and create facilities for small entrepreneurial activities (like bakery, workshops)
We will develop 70 apartments, extend the house and add new social and educational facilities, create spaces for bakery and a medical information center, create workshop and housing for local entrepreneurs.
We will sell and partly rent the apartments and commercial spaces, to finance and maintain the social facilities.
We set up a network to support local initiatives: partner with Susan who runs and developes Tshepang, create linkages with professional networks like MKI and Red Palm Bakeries, create micro financing opportunities, etc.
We are now preparing the set up a muffin bakery . This bakery would make muffins for the children and also to sell, and will provide work for 6-8 people and can run economically self sustained. The muffins are a special kind: 'fortified' muffins with a high nutrition value. Reasearch showed that thse muffins increase the health of children significantly within 3 months.
Another initiative is to set up a medical knowledge information center (from basic healthcare education to HIV/Aids protection) in cooperation with the Medical Knowledge Institute (www.infomki.org).
We hope that we can make these projects happen in the coming 6 - 12 monthts. These might also give opportunities for our learning journey.
Another development is that we are trying to further develop and elaborate the SEEtrust approach and formulas. Roodepoort is for SEEtrust one pilot project. We are looking to create new business and development models in the near future and to find locations and partners to make this happen. Think of a combination of low cost and eco friendly housing, enterprise and job development, learning and education, social facilities. We want to grow SEEtrust in an entrepreneurial way. It could also mean that business development can become part of our learning journey.
For more info on SEEtrust, go to our site.
To download an overview of SEEtrust, click here.
Our first project is in Roodepoort, Johannesburg, connected to the Tshepang programme.
our site is next to an informal settlement where almost 10.000 people live. Facilities for schooling, care, work are scarce. Next to the settlement developers are creating housing for middle class.
Susan Rammekwa started the 'Tshepang programme' for orphaned and vulnerable children. She started in 2007 and now Susan and her team take care of 160 children everyday and counsel their families and care takers. Tshepang provides meals, learning and social activities, financial support for uniforms and transport and so on.
Our SEEtrust project here:
We bought 2 hectares of construction land and a big house and terrain for the Tshepang program. The construction will provide work and housing and will create the means for extending the Tshepang facilities and create facilities for small entrepreneurial activities (like bakery, workshops)
We will develop 70 apartments, extend the house and add new social and educational facilities, create spaces for bakery and a medical information center, create workshop and housing for local entrepreneurs.
We will sell and partly rent the apartments and commercial spaces, to finance and maintain the social facilities.
We set up a network to support local initiatives: partner with Susan who runs and developes Tshepang, create linkages with professional networks like MKI and Red Palm Bakeries, create micro financing opportunities, etc.
We are now preparing the set up a muffin bakery . This bakery would make muffins for the children and also to sell, and will provide work for 6-8 people and can run economically self sustained. The muffins are a special kind: 'fortified' muffins with a high nutrition value. Reasearch showed that thse muffins increase the health of children significantly within 3 months.
Another initiative is to set up a medical knowledge information center (from basic healthcare education to HIV/Aids protection) in cooperation with the Medical Knowledge Institute (www.infomki.org).
We hope that we can make these projects happen in the coming 6 - 12 monthts. These might also give opportunities for our learning journey.
Another development is that we are trying to further develop and elaborate the SEEtrust approach and formulas. Roodepoort is for SEEtrust one pilot project. We are looking to create new business and development models in the near future and to find locations and partners to make this happen. Think of a combination of low cost and eco friendly housing, enterprise and job development, learning and education, social facilities. We want to grow SEEtrust in an entrepreneurial way. It could also mean that business development can become part of our learning journey.
For more info on SEEtrust, go to our site.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Project Days:
This is a call for everyone to join a project of their choice. Even if you are not traveling to South Africa in September, you can join a group and collaborate.
At the moment the following projects are developing. Contact the person listed for more information:
This is a call for everyone to join a project of their choice. Even if you are not traveling to South Africa in September, you can join a group and collaborate.
At the moment the following projects are developing. Contact the person listed for more information:
Publish Post
- Restorative Justice (see posting and links on this site) - contact Maaike to step in
- Art & Beauty (see posting on the basic premise on this site) - contact Kemp to step in
- SEEtrust (this is a location/community to work with many possible themes) - contact Paul Keursten to step in
- The Holocaust Museum in SA - contact Arne to get info and step in
- Participative Practices project - bringing together Participative practitioners to investigate a topic of Change and Transformation - contact Katrien for more information and to step in.
Project: Restorative Justice
Communication from Maaike 28 March 09:
I'm very much looking forward to working with all of you on our learning journey to South Africa. We 'found' each other in our joined interest in restorative justice. During our meeting last week during the Kessels & Smit day we decided to organise a skype meeting to reflect on the first steps of our journey. In a following mail, I will send an invitation through 'datumprikker.nl' on which you can specify your availability. (Monique, can you fill this in for Robert?). Mark and Andrea: looking forward to hearing more of your experiences in working on these issues in South-Africa!
For now, I have been googling on interesting articles and websites on restorative justice. There are a few I would like to share with you, our South African colleagues may want to add!
www.khulisaservices.co.za - This is the organisation Mark and Andrea (?) are working with in South Africa on restorative justice issues www.restorativejustice.org -This is an excellent website with a huge library on restorative justice. The makers of the website are Prison
Fellowship International (PFI), an organisation that works on restorative justice and reconciliation all around the world. Howard Zehr is a well-know writer on the subject.
If you want to make a 'quick-start' with reading up on this issue, you can read the one-pager on the previous website with an overview of the concept (http://www.restorativejustice.org/intro) or this three-pager article by Gilman (See attached file: What is restorative justice by
Gilman.pdf)
www.rjcity.org -This is a very interesting project by PFI in which a broad network of people is thinking through how a city of 1 million people that responds as restoratively as possible to crimes, victims and offenders would look like. I really like the idea! The interesting thing
about this project is that it moves beyond specific activities or types of programs that are often used in restorative justice practice, but takes an even more systemic approach. As part of the project they made a 'story' of how responding restoratively to crime can look like. It is an
easy-reader that gives immediate insight: (See attached file: Case study from the RJ city 2007.pdf)
Communication from Maaike 28 March 09:
I'm very much looking forward to working with all of you on our learning journey to South Africa. We 'found' each other in our joined interest in restorative justice. During our meeting last week during the Kessels & Smit day we decided to organise a skype meeting to reflect on the first steps of our journey. In a following mail, I will send an invitation through 'datumprikker.nl' on which you can specify your availability. (Monique, can you fill this in for Robert?). Mark and Andrea: looking forward to hearing more of your experiences in working on these issues in South-Africa!
For now, I have been googling on interesting articles and websites on restorative justice. There are a few I would like to share with you, our South African colleagues may want to add!
www.khulisaservices.co.za - This is the organisation Mark and Andrea (?) are working with in South Africa on restorative justice issues www.restorativejustice.org -This is an excellent website with a huge library on restorative justice. The makers of the website are Prison
Fellowship International (PFI), an organisation that works on restorative justice and reconciliation all around the world. Howard Zehr is a well-know writer on the subject.
If you want to make a 'quick-start' with reading up on this issue, you can read the one-pager on the previous website with an overview of the concept (http://www.restorativejustice.org/intro) or this three-pager article by Gilman (See attached file: What is restorative justice by
Gilman.pdf)
www.rjcity.org -This is a very interesting project by PFI in which a broad network of people is thinking through how a city of 1 million people that responds as restoratively as possible to crimes, victims and offenders would look like. I really like the idea! The interesting thing
about this project is that it moves beyond specific activities or types of programs that are often used in restorative justice practice, but takes an even more systemic approach. As part of the project they made a 'story' of how responding restoratively to crime can look like. It is an
easy-reader that gives immediate insight: (See attached file: Case study from the RJ city 2007.pdf)
Project: Beauty & Art
Communication from Kemp van Ginkel on 23 March 09:
Joseph, Marloes, Petra and Kemp have agreed to work on the theme of Art & Beauty.
Communication from Kemp van Ginkel on 23 March 09:
Joseph, Marloes, Petra and Kemp have agreed to work on the theme of Art & Beauty.
First ideas are:
-to open up people's eyes to the beauty around, by expressing what we think is Beauty in our work and life;
-to support creation of beautiful things / art
-a project in which we use Art to bring people together and create connections
Some first thoughts from 15 minutes of talking....
Who would be interested to work with us from the SA group?
First Communication on 27 March 09
Dear companions,
Last thursday at the European K&S day in the Maliebaan, we worked together on our upcoming learning journey to South Africa in September 2009. It was good to have colleagues from Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany & South Africa there. It was an inspiring afternoon full of ideas and connections.
We will make a Learning Journey, called Shifting Perspectives. And it starts now! In the coming months we will work on several projects and themes, in groups. Below are the first groups that were formed last thursday, please feel free to join or start another group. By working on this projects the coming months, we ensure we will make our visit worthwile for ourselves and the partners we'll be visiting. We will have to make contact with possible SA partners, share ideas for working together and make preparations for the project days in September.
Parallel on working on the projects we will have our 'South Africa Induction' workstream; every month you will receive ideas, perspectives to get to know South Africa. This may be films, tips for books, photos or music, it can be anything. We hope this will help and empower everybody to connect to the beautiful en rich country we will be visiting, a complex place full of new perspectives.
There's also a group of people staying home. We'd like to explore ideas to share experiences, during the entire Learning Journey. If you are one of the colleagues staying home it is of course possible to join one of the groups and journey with in various ways.
Overview of the groups formed on Thursday (contact person is indicated):
Restorative Justice
Robert, Erik, Carsten, Maaike, Katrien, Martijn
Art &Beauty
Marloes, Joseph, Petra, Kemp (contact person)
SEE Trust (this is a location/community to work with many possible themes)
Paul K (contact person), Lieve, Luk, Suzanne, Marcus, Margriet, Esther,
Saskia, Eric, Mariel, Titia.
Other themes communicated and possible groups forming:
Working with Holocaust Centre in Johannesburg as location to work with
issues of diversity etc. (Mark, Arne?)
Professionalisation of Participatory Disciplines (Katrien, Andrea ?)
People staying home
Cora, Alysia, Ans, Monique, Barbara, Astrid, ...
Organisation teams
Induction, Marloes, Martijn, Amanda (supported by Andrea),
Project Days, Andrea, Martijn
Weekend, ?
Working days, Robert, Philippa
Please sent us all your questions about the Learning Journey (practical or other), we will make an Question and Answer overview for everybody.
Look forward to walk this road with you
Regards from
Andrea, Robert and Martijn
Dear companions,
Last thursday at the European K&S day in the Maliebaan, we worked together on our upcoming learning journey to South Africa in September 2009. It was good to have colleagues from Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany & South Africa there. It was an inspiring afternoon full of ideas and connections.
We will make a Learning Journey, called Shifting Perspectives. And it starts now! In the coming months we will work on several projects and themes, in groups. Below are the first groups that were formed last thursday, please feel free to join or start another group. By working on this projects the coming months, we ensure we will make our visit worthwile for ourselves and the partners we'll be visiting. We will have to make contact with possible SA partners, share ideas for working together and make preparations for the project days in September.
Parallel on working on the projects we will have our 'South Africa Induction' workstream; every month you will receive ideas, perspectives to get to know South Africa. This may be films, tips for books, photos or music, it can be anything. We hope this will help and empower everybody to connect to the beautiful en rich country we will be visiting, a complex place full of new perspectives.
There's also a group of people staying home. We'd like to explore ideas to share experiences, during the entire Learning Journey. If you are one of the colleagues staying home it is of course possible to join one of the groups and journey with in various ways.
Overview of the groups formed on Thursday (contact person is indicated):
Restorative Justice
Robert, Erik, Carsten, Maaike, Katrien, Martijn
Art &Beauty
Marloes, Joseph, Petra, Kemp (contact person)
SEE Trust (this is a location/community to work with many possible themes)
Paul K (contact person), Lieve, Luk, Suzanne, Marcus, Margriet, Esther,
Saskia, Eric, Mariel, Titia.
Other themes communicated and possible groups forming:
Working with Holocaust Centre in Johannesburg as location to work with
issues of diversity etc. (Mark, Arne?)
Professionalisation of Participatory Disciplines (Katrien, Andrea ?)
People staying home
Cora, Alysia, Ans, Monique, Barbara, Astrid, ...
Organisation teams
Induction, Marloes, Martijn, Amanda (supported by Andrea),
Project Days, Andrea, Martijn
Weekend, ?
Working days, Robert, Philippa
Please sent us all your questions about the Learning Journey (practical or other), we will make an Question and Answer overview for everybody.
Look forward to walk this road with you
Regards from
Andrea, Robert and Martijn
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Trust the driver...?
If you’re going on a field trip or game drive, please be sure to have an intelligent driver with you... not one that keeps spinning the wheel while you’re already stuck.
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