Resilience, Mindfulness and building a Relational Approach, London, September 25th

Working with vulnerable and protected groups to build resilience : 
building capacity in ourselves and our communities, supporting mindfulness,  a relational approach and resilience:

A conference for practitioners on using creativity, nature, positive relationships, friendships, inclusion

Conference date: Thursday  25 September 2014   Central London  Venue:  
Time: 10 am- 4pm (Arrivals from 9.15am:  refreshments & pastries; registration & documentation)


This training  in London on 25 September 2014 will bring together leading experts, experienced front-line practitioners and  innovative interventions  to evaluate with your participation and experiences how traumatized and vulnerable communities can recover and build sustainable lives as participating stakeholders in civil society. We'll also be looking at how trauma affects us personally and we'll build a toolkit to takeaway , which will  consider how those we come into contact with, from our colleagues to our clients and stakeholders can build long-term resilience and well-being.  To find out about the key themes and questions that the training will explore, read on!


READ ABOUT THE PROGRAMME AND BOOK ONLINE -  HERE  
Key Themes
Mindfulness as a means of building a creative identity  
Creativity as a means of strengthening positive self-image to retell personal narratives  of identity  
Resilience as a framework to build success and opportunities 
Relationships in the workplace, positive relationship skills that enhance our ability to find allies and draw in the support we need
Enhancing your personal and career capital 
Visioning skills that strengthen our sense of purpose by helping us see, and then head for, the outcomes that attract us
Creative problem-solving skills that help us find a path through the obstacles in the way
Emotional intelligence skills that raise our capacity to work with our emotions, so that we can benefit from the guiding signals and energy they offer.
The day will involve a mix of  presentation, story telling, guided exercises and group discussion. The goal is to increase each participant’s ability to draw upon the resilience they need in their lives.
Who should attend the conference?

Chief executives and  senior managers of  probation services,  supported housing services, solicitors and advocates, judges and magistrates
Service managers of commissioned services to vulnerable and protected communities 
Mentors and coaches
Faith groups and community organisations  
Staff in community mental health services
Local authority commissioners of social care and / or  housing services
Health and well-being commissioners.
Context for the training
Research demonstrates that  mindfulness techniques  allow people in organizations to listen more attentively, communicate more clearly, manage stress and foster strong relationships. Using an Asset Based Community Development approach, we nurture existing skills and latent talents in others and ourselves and burnish the path for an individual's best self to step forward. 
Despite our increased understanding of human psychology and brain functions, workplace problems associated with employee productivity, engagement, mental health and good leadership are persistent. The fast pace of technological change has been shown to have detrimental effects on people’s ability to concentrate and focus. With decreased attention spans and a lack of focus comes anxiety and stress and for many, a feeling of overwhelm at work and in their personal lives.

Initiatives to introduce mindfulness into the workplace, holds a promise for a cost effective way to improve employee productivity and well-being, while reducing health care costs, most of which are stress related.


Key questions 
Are there new approaches out there to build capacity and resilience in  vulnerable groups and communities with protected characteristics?  
Is there a bigger role for front line practitioners, mentors, faith groups, community groups and how do we protect ourselves from secondary trauma?
How can we use art and creativity more effectively in our own lives?  
 How do we ensure that our workplaces are healthy and vibrant, that we bring out the best in our colleagues and become our best and most brilliant selves?
 How do we bring a relational approach to our own work and personal lives and  how does this create safety? 
Trainers
Farah Damji - Founder, Kazuri Properties CiC
Flo Krause - barrister specializing in human rights and public law
Madeleine Maine - artist and mindfulness practitioner
Annell Smith - former senior civil servant, London Probation Trust and Ministry of Justice
Endorsements for previous Kazuri Resilience Training Events

“Thank you.  Very insightful and effective tool on remembering the ethics of empathy,"  Degree Student in Criminology , Kings College London  

“Flo Krause brings a personal and insightful glimpse into how brain trauma creates dysfunction and affects behavior.  Really useful in dealing with people who might appear difficult but can't express their anxieties, only though aggression or violence. A lot to think about," Crisis manager  

“All trainers  made points that transferred their knowledge and will be useful in dealing with my clients on a daily basis," Community organizer, Brent  

"Flo Krause's experience and stories brought the  training to life, I had never made the link between how victims can become perpetrators and the interconnections of  perceived silos," Director , Morgan Stanley

"Greater understanding of roots and consequences of trauma. Meditation made me realize how tired I am!" Chief Executive, Capstone International   

From a Survivor!

Your Thriver > Survivor comment made me laugh. I hadn't thought to put it into those words myself but I remember realising that the best possible revenge was to become totally awesome. It is a pretty amazing journey to be on, and I'm so grateful for my life now. I'm keen to spread that enthusiasm.

Domestic Violence Scars DNA: more evidence of the far reaching devastation DV can have upon Children who witness it

Scientists have discovered yet another far-reaching consequence can witnessing domestic violence can have upon children and yet another reason to keep fighting to stamp out domestic violence: A study has found that it can actually change and "scar" DNA 

"Telomeres are the caps at the end of chromosomes that keep them from shrinking when cells replicate and Shorter telomeres are linked to higher risks for heart disease, obesity, cognitive decline, diabetes and mental illness."

"Young people in homes affected by domestic violence or suicide have significantly shorter telomeres - or 'caps' on their genes - than those in stable households. 

Such genetic damage could also increase the child’s risk of heart disease, obesity and other problems as they grow up".

Family-level stressors, such as witnessing a family member get hurt, created an environment that affected the DNA within the cells of the children,’ said lead author Dr Stacy Drury, director of the Behavioural and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Laboratory at the university.

               ‘"The greater the number of exposures these kids had in life, the shorter their telomeres were - and this was after controlling for many other factors, including socioeconomic status, maternal education, parental age and the child’s age."

The study, which is published in the journal Pediatrics, found that traumatic family events had a more damaging effect on young girls – who were more likely to have shortened telomeres – than boys.

The research suggests that intervening in a child’s poor home life is important in reducing the biological impacts of adversity.

Yet another hurdle that child witnesses of DV must contend with and  another reason to protect them at all costs

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2661422/Domestic-violence-scar-childs-DNA-Watching-family-members-hurt-linked-damage-chromosomes.html

"The man whose fingerprints are all over civil society" - Michael Norton talks Achievement and backs Best Foot Forward projects

Michael Norton, OBE, Honorary Director and Trustee of CIVA has been selected by The Charity Awards judges to receive the Oustanding Achievement Award 2014 for his exemplary services to the Voluntary sector. Congratulations to an honour well-deserved; Michael has been blazing a lasting trail for generations to follow:

"If you’ve spent any time at all in the voluntary sector over the last 40-odd years, chances are you’ve come across Michael Norton – or at least his work.  

Even those that don’t know Michael, or are not familiar with his name, are likely to have trodden a path that he has helped to carve.  

His fingerprints are everywhere; in fundraising training, in youth empowerment, in women’s rights, in social franchising, in crowdfunding, in social enterprise – the list goes on.  The deeper you delve into his expansive career, the more you realise just how ubiquitous and influential Norton has been."

Michael took the time to mention which projects he will be backing in the future with our very own Best Foot Foward (BFF) being mentioned along with backers such as the House of Commons and Goldman Sachs. 

"...And if by some freak chance you’ve not yet happened upon any of Michael Norton’s projects, there remains every chance that you will.  He’s presently working on a host of new ideas... Best Foot Forward is a training programme where unemployed people shine shoes to raise money for charity – the House of Common and Goldman Sachs are already on board to host shoe-shine days."

Read More here about Michael's remarkable story and The Ideas Merchant himself:

http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/indepth/interviews/content/17649/michael_norton_the_ideas_merchant#.U6HkE8lwbqC

For more about Best Foot Forward:

http://bestfootforwardenterprise.blogspot.co.uk/

Resilience in the Criminal Justice System

to Book tickets 

What is it?

Resilience is the ability to withstand or recover from difficult situations. It's our inherent bounce back ability. It includes our capacity to make the best of things, cope with stress and rise to the occasion. This one-day workshop offers a practical training in skills, strategies and insights that help our resilience grow. This intensive workshop is designed for all those who come into contact with the criminal justice system, as practitioners in probation services, solicitors, advocates or barristers or front line counsellors. In an ever shifting commissioning landscape, which offers little job security, and as austerity bites essential services, it is easy to absorb secondary trauma from a complicated and vulnerable client group and also from colleagues, being in the hostile litigation environment of a court and negotiating our own places of safety and serenity.

With the emphasis on outcomes such as employment, housing and an ever shrinking pool of resources, we need to work smart and think hard.

The training explores Transforming Rehabilitation, Chris Grayling’s  the new emphasis on pathways out of offending and how it affects those delivering services, judges, barristers and front line workers. Here, we explore opportunities for the client to be at  the heart of  interventions which     provide  training,  vocational qualifications and employment opportunities but additionally and uniquely provide  resilience training to address core issues of safety, personal responsibility, confidence and aspiration.

We explore issues such as protected characteristics, ethnicity, class and social standing, from a  gender sensitive, trauma informed approach.

We look at why women who commit crimes  are often the same women who have suffered extreme violence and been perpetrators and victims of appalling crimes. Ours is a relational approach. This engages all the professionals and services working with an individual to address the behavioural patterns of a client’s experiences with the examination of interpersonal relationships. By facilitating a safe and positive relationship in the security of the environment, the client is armed with a stronger sense of self and confidence. The primary goal of this technique is to empower the client with the skills necessary to recognize and create productive and healthy relationships. We strive to address any and all past and present relationship traumas or impressions that have served to create discord in the present life circumstances of the client. It is only be working from a community based approach, that our clients and community can build, together, a safer community.

 Drawing on the architecture of  adventure stories, we explore key skills that make us more resilient:

• visioning skills that strengthen our sense of purpose by helping us see, and then head for, the outcomes that attract us

• creative problem-solving skills that help us find a path through the obstacles in the way

• positive relationship skills that enhance our ability to find allies and draw in the support we need

• emotional intelligence skills that raise our capacity to work with our emotions, so that we can benefit from the guiding signals and energy they offer.

The day will involve a mix of  presentation, story telling, guided exercises and group discussion. The goal is to increase each participant’s ability to draw upon the resilience they need in their lives.

Our intensive workshops provide an opportunity to work with leading members of our community and leaders in their respective field over the course of a structured day session.

Who are we?

Annell Smith –  Criminal Justice Specialist

Innovative and visionary leader with justice sector expertise. Extensive experience encompasses public sector, central government, consultancy, inter-governmental organisations and academia. Competent post-graduate researcher, with exceptional verbal and written communication skills and experience in operational, project and change management.

• Led operational delivery and implementation of women’s strategy at London Probation Trust’s Women Centre.

• Operational implementation of the UK’s first Senior Attendance Centre for women offenders, in support of LPT’s demand management strategy and budget adjustments.

• Promoting women-centred delivery of interventions in line with the 2006 Gender Equality duty and Equality act 2010.

• Discharged performance management, resource management responsibilities and addressed capacity needs to deliver against monthly and annual performance targets

Flo Krause – Human Right Barrister

Firstly a legal aid solicitor in high street practices between 1992-1998, then a barrister, still legal aid, still passionate about social justice. Flo is a leading human rights barrister , unhindered by any prospect and she relishes a challenge. Her compassionate, common sense attitude and her service to her clients who are amongst society’s outcasts, make her a valued advocate and much admired opponent in the High Court, where most of her appeal and human rights challenges are heard. She’s the champion of the abandoned and distressed and has represented unpopular causes because, for her ,  the principle of justice is inviolable and its access applicable to all. Flo also delivers training seminars on advocacy and other legal topics as well as seminars on trauma and attachment in the criminal justice system. Flo has a BTEC in Trauma and Attachment and a lot of her work with her clients is based around this model.

Founder Kazuri Properties CiC

Former offender, now a campaigner for women’s rights and social justice will deliver the compassion and mindfulness section of the training. This is accredited by ASDAN.  Farah founded Kazuri Properties CiC after being released in 2007 and finding existing services didn’t have boxes that suited the shape of her tick. So she created her own. Since 2010 over 120 women have been safely housed and only 4 have been convicted of new offences which lead to a custodial sentence.  Farah is now working with private developers to unlock social conscience and capital into the housing of disenfranchised communities thus disrupting the market. These private / social partnerships have the potential to join up fragmented circles of ultra-high net worth individuals and those living in multiple exclusion which make London a capital city but one of extremes.

Lunch and refreshments are included. Please notify us if you have specific dietary requirements.

For more information please contact Claire : info@kazuri.org.uk

A call to arms, to comrades in justice

Some days I truly despair at the state of disrepair in our rapidly deteriorating criminal justice system. The grand old dowager aunt of establishments is falling into disrepute and ruin. It's going to take more than Carillion to get this house in order. Today I'm really depressed, 12 days to save probation services and the legal profession on a knife edge. It's like a bad Madonna song.

I write to appeal to probation trusts, barristers and solicitors on the front lines, to douse your heart in the elixir of compassion. This is a fight to extract justice from The Barber of Petty France, our Lord Chancellor whose casual relationship with  the values which uphold justice are as reliable as Katie Price's choice of lovers. It isn't a time for grandeloquent gestures or photo opps outside New Scotland Yard calling for investigation into Serco and G4S. Privatisation is upon us. Wake up and smell the freshly ground.

In March, at The Crown Court at Kingston a leading junior form one of the top defence sets in London had 3 cases, listed at the same time in front of different judges. Unless the CBA have taken shares in the cloning company that manufactured Dolly the Sheep, I would venture that this is impossible.
Militant policies such as the no returns commitment will indeed bring Crown Courts to a halt. Innocent defendants will be remanded or cop early guilty pleas and all measure of proportionality is flung out of the window. Is this the justice you signed up to deliver?

While Hatchet Grayling dismantles legal aid, applying for which is so gruesome and impossible, the process itself becomes an insurmountable obstacle, while he sneaks in increased fees for Judicial Revew applications and ends legal aid for prisoners,  while solicitors are pitted against barristers who were offered an impossible choice (think Matrix- the blue pill or the red pill) the people who need your services the most are left to wither on the poisoned vine of our criminal justice system. Lives are wasted. Who do we serve? The media or our clients?

That leading junior was despondent,  he had to apologise to three disgruntled Crown Court judges, a bail application was unsuccessful and two other defendants left unrepresented while he tried to uphold this dizzying, divisive policy through his loyalty to the CBA.

The criminal justice system should not be allowed to become a vehicle for profit from the lives of the most vulnerable.  But it isn't about money. Leading criminal barristers have offered alternative cost cutting solutions which will not take away its intrinsic value but which will allow the UK to retain its reputation for delivering a world class justice service and excellence. Push these alternatives on Grayling. Push harder.

In the property world he'd be an east end barrow boy, trying to offload a building he doesn't even own. He's a spiv in a cheap suit, a playground bully whose easy rhetoric belies pure  market  driven ideology. It's indefensible. Front it out. He just blinked. Operation Cotton marked legal history.

Someone asked if I would prefer Tesco barristers.  I wouldn't but the ugly divisiveness masterfully unleashed on the profession by Chief Spiv Chris Grayling is heartbreaking to watch from the sidelines and as a very interested party. What do Carillion and A4e know about rehabilitation and vulnerable people and why are they bidding to deliver probation services, privatised?

As someone with a criminal record (last conviction dating back to 2008),  I know first hand how important legal aid is. I was lucky enough to instruct Imran Khan and Tooks handled the brief in the Crown Court.  Now Tooks has been dismantled as a result of the withering cuts to the legal aid budget and I see Imran taking mostly very expensive private prosecutions as an advocate.

It's easy for the police to target me and the rest of the population with a criminal record - profile offences,  they call it. However I could sleep soundly knowing that if I needed it, I could rely on a decent solicitor to accompany me to the police station and poke a finger in plod's eye . I knew that the barrister who took the brief would fight my corner, not overwhelmed about how he'd pay his debts and sustain a career. I don't have that confidence anymore while the legal profession is in disarray and Grayling, Ceasar like, plays gladiator games with two branches of the profession.

Fight the good fight, do right, fear no one and storm the barracks of lies,  dissemination and misrepresentation of statistics emanating from the less than fragrant Ministry of Justice and its corrupt Voldemorte at large. But don't lose sight, while Lord Voldemorte himself distracts you to the death of the bar and the demise of solidarity on the legal profession. 

Above all don't lose sight of society's most vulnerable;  we've seen how corrupt at its heart the Metropolitan Police has become. Your client could be the next Sean Duggan suicided by police. A member of your chambers could be stitched up like an Oswald Boateng suit as was Andrew Mitchell. At what price no returns, strike action and militancy? Come together with probation officers, clerks, translators who are all feeling Grayling's pincers. I know we're all exhausted and worn out but there is strength in numbers.

Let the violets beneath your feet, even in the midst of this bloody battle bring clear thinking,  courage and fragrant outcomes. I don't understand enough about the divisions and the self interests of various groups but you ARE the criminal justice system. Think with your heart and act with your conscience in plain view of True Justice.
Let none of us in the rehabilitation or criminal justice sector forget who we serve. You make the world a better place,  everyday. Because of you, justice blooms.
Courage comrades.
........
the views expressed in this communication are those of Farah Damji and do not represent the views of any other entity or organisation.

Carnivorous capitalism and the cancer that eats us all

"The rich do not exist in a vacuum. They need a functioning society around them to sustain their position. Widely unequal societies do not function efficiently and their economies are neither stable nor sustainable. The evidence from history and from around the modern world is unequivocal: there comes a point when inequality spirals into economic dysfunction for the whole society, and when it does, even the rich pay a steep price."

JOSEPH STEIGLITZ