For Greene County News
YELLOW SPRINGS — All are invited to join Antioch University Midwest (AUM) and the native New Zealand nation of Waitaha (Waitaha) as the organizations kick off the 2016 Victor for Humanity Event Series with two January workshops. The workshops examine how concepts such as difference, power and held values reflect recognizable patterns and behaviors present throughout nature itself.
The first workshop, “Racism: Stripped away like an onion, what lies at its heart?” will be held 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20 and is followed by “Egocentrism and the Self: How to understand my own worldview” 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27. Both workshops are held at AUM in Room B105, 900 Dayton St.
The workshops were originally set to begin Wednesday, Jan. 13. However, the speaker postponed the event due to the weather.
“The Victory for Humanity Event Series represents the heart of what Antioch University Midwest is all about, and we are excited to begin 2016 with these engaging events,” said Dr. Michele Nobel, director of AUM’s Education and Interdisciplinary Studies Division. “Now, more than ever, we must ensure academic knowledge is coupled with a strong focus on social justice to empower our students and communities to inspire meaningful change.”
Focused on the societal issues of racism and justice from many perspectives, the upcoming workshops are presented in partnership with Waitaha, a matriarchal nation with a lineage dating back to New Zealand’s first families 2,000 years ago. Waitaha has held intact an unbroken line of oral history, traditions of peace and genealogy of its people dating back more than 6,000 years. Its respect for the past and foundation of peace dovetails with AUM’s mission of social justice and emphasis on providing a comprehensive approach to understanding change and difference.
The workshops are facilitated by Dr. Wendy Peters, AUM adjunct faculty member and an author, researcher and consultant who specializes in human and cultural development; Raymond TeKorako Ruka, a Waitaha priest, Maori elder with insights into the process of change and Stephen Powers, AUM adjunct faculty member and COO at TheNETT, Ltd., will also lead portions of the workshops.
The Victory for Humanity Event Series is inspired by Antioch University’s mantra, an adage by educational reformer Horace Mann: Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.
