February 2013

In This Issue

Violence Prevention Field Notes

Book Review

Special Events

Not Just for Parents

Member News

Upcoming Events

Violence Prevention Field Notes

“Reach Out! Speak Out! Try Out!”
Jr. Girl Scout Troop Confronts Stereotypes

In a recent violence prevention workshop for a troop of Junior Girl Scouts, our goal was to teach them about stereotypes and help them fulfill requirements for their Speak Out! Badge. Initially, I wondered whether these fourth grade girls would grasp the complex ways stereotypes can impact their self-esteem. I was humbly enlightened as they showed incredible insight interpreting societal messages. In one exercise, the Scouts shouted out how these messages define the ways girls should act: “prim and proper, polite, elegant, and perfect” as well as the names they are called if they don’t act this way: “ugly, outcast, jerk, rude, and on the wrong side.” However, to earn their badge, they also needed to demonstrate how to counteract these messages. Through the workshop, the Scouts gained tools to speak out against these messages and the confidence to also speak up on behalf of others. And, they had fun! One participant, Stella Ljung, TW youth karate student and Jr. Girl Scouts member, summed up the workshop stating: “Whoever made stereotypes, probably was a boy because they get better things out of them than girls do!” These negative messages won’t go away overnight, but I am more hopeful than ever that girls like these are better prepared to combat them and stand up for themselves and others.
– Kate Webster


Kate Webster leads an exercise on assertive communication.		 Thousand Waves helps Girl Scouts earn
Speak Out! badge.

Returning to gym class at Marist High School

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, I haven’t had a lot of interactions with gym teachers recently – but I confess to holding on to an irrational fear of them even into adulthood.  The fear was irrational because my gym teachers growing up always did right by me – I knew no Sue Sylvesters.   I finally shook the fear for good back in early January, twenty years out from any gym class experience as I stood in front of a group of about 30 of them in Marist High School’s mammoth cafeteria.  Kate Webster and I were teaching them how to incorporate Thousand Waves’ empowerment model of self-defense into their phys-ed curricula.  That day really brought home to me the fact that gym teachers just want what all teachers want for their kids.  They are concerned about them, about the violence that impacts them, about their needs to navigate relationships in healthy ways, about their fears, and about their dreams for healthy futures.  A big, heartfelt thanks to the folks at Marist High School for including us in their regional parochial school gym teacher in-service day.  “Train the trainer” programs help us expand our programming’s impact exponentially.
– Ryan Libel

Book Review

Geoffrey Canada's Fist Stick Knife Gun

By Senpai Ryan Libel
Director of Operations

What impact does a flood of deadly, cleverly marketed guns have on an entrenched cultural system of violence?

As theories of violence as a public health problem have propagated, I have been intrigued by the big ideas coming out of organizations like Ceasefire (now renamed Cure Violence), with their courageous presences in violent neighborhoods around the world, and by the work of people like Geoffrey Canada, who helped create the Harlem Children’s Zone, a not-for-profit credited with saving the lives of many children in New York by providing them with safe spaces filled with caring veterans of urban trench warfare.

Fist Stick Knife Gun, Canada’s autobiographical account of his childhood in the South Bronx and of his work at the Harlem Children’s Zone, provides a fast entry into a world that people with backgrounds like mine are typically spared.

Keep reading here…

Special Events

Meditations on Activism Report: The Invisible War

On Saturday, February 9, Thousand Waves and IMPACT Chicago were proud to co-present a special Meditations on Activism event, a screening of the Oscar nominated film The Invisible War, which chronicles the tragic prevalence of sexual assault in the US military.  Meditations on Activism events provide forums to consider prominent social issues of interest to our membership and our community.   The screening brought out a large, diverse gathering of Thousand Waves regulars, IMPACT alum and staff, concerned veterans and community members to watch the gut-wrenching film. 


Visiting presenter, Sabrina Waller led a powerful discussion after the film.

Though difficult to watch, it is clear the film is having a real impact.  Blogger heavyweight Andrew Sullivan recently reported that the military is using it as a training video.  Further, at the end of the film a postscript notes that two days after a private screening, outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta changed the way members of the armed forces report sexual assault.  Previously, victimized members reported assaults directly to their commanding officers, the perpetrators of the crime in an astonishing 20% of cases.  Though somewhat complicated, the new system is a marked improvement, and we encourage our civilian and military leadership to continue exploring ways to improve the process.

Martha Thompson and Sabrina Waller Receive
Thousand Waves Peacemaker Awards

We recently used the occasion of our Meditations on Activism screening of The Invisible War to present Sabrina Waller, the driving force behind the screening and a passionate advocate for women veterans, with our Thousand Waves Peacemaker Award.  Sabrina is a Navy veteran and is active in the group Iraq Veterans Against War.  Please join us in thanking Sabrina for her important work.

On the same day, we presented our very own Sensei Martha Thompson with the Peacemaker Award for her lifetime of devoted violence prevention work as Director of IMPACT Chicago and her academic scholarship.  We hope you will take a moment to read about Martha’s work via the comments Thousand Waves Executive Director Nancy Lanoue delivered as she presented Martha with the award.

The Thousand Waves Peacemaker Award is presented to a wide variety of people for a wide variety of peacemaking activities, from children intervening to stop violence on a playground, to philosophers working on broad ideas of nonviolence.  If you know of a good candidate for the award, we gladly accept letters of nomination at info@thousandwaves.org from members or from the general public.

Not Just for Parents

Lessons from the Little Kicks

By Danielle Strandburg-Peshkin

Those of us who teach karate are perhaps more likely than those who don’t to find the Japanese concept of sho shin or “beginner’s mind” useful.  Teaching in our new and improved Little Kicks program has been a case-in-point. 

Here are a couple of the lessons that I’ve learned from the Little Kicks during the first 2 classes of our first 8-week session.

 

Legacy of MLK Lives On in Thousand Waves Day Camps

By Jun Shihan Sarah Ludden

Thousand Waves Day Camps!  What a gift to spend both Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Lincoln’s Birthday here at the dojo with 20 karate kids.  Senpai Carmina, Danielle, Saul and Raphael (some of the kids’ favorite teachers) and I enjoy the luxury of time with the children—time to talk, eat a meal, create art, train and play.  It’s a precious opportunity to both deepen our relationships and to broaden our understanding of the purpose of our karate training. 

We start the day talking together, introducing ourselves, the children voicing their requests for their karate classes that day, me outlining the day’s schedule.  January 21st was a most special day, MLK day and inauguration day.   In our camp circle we discussed the civil rights movement, the injustice of segregation and discrimination, the violence of racism, the heroism of people who fought back, and the leadership and inspiring example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The conversation was remarkable and included the power of non-violence, the courage needed to stand up for what is right, and how our karate training prepares us to walk the walk, to honor the legacy of Dr. King.

Keep reading here…

Member News

Photo Essay: Kagami Biraki; January Color Belt Promotion Tests

View photographs of recent events at Thousand Waves.

Pearls from Promotion Essays

From Recent Adult Brown & Advanced-Brown Belt Promotion Essays

An important principle that is very prevalent in Seido is that humans are vulnerable and can never be perfect. And as such, neither can our technique. There’s always some area of our practice that needs work even when we think we’ve reached a certain level of proficiency. There’s a deeper level of understanding and knowledge to be attained and to strive for. For example, even after I memorize the movements of a kata in my head, there’s more to do. I have to get the movements in my body and after that I can begin to internalize the story of the battle the kata represents. Even as I try to tell a better story, my stances could be deeper, my upper body stronger, etc. The idea of constant polishing or ren ma is always present. There’s always some aspect of the craft to work on.
– Danielle Wash, Brown Belt, November 2012

It is not without reason that many people think of the martial arts as violent. The word martial comes from Mars, the Roman god of War, and we practice karate as a “fighting art.” … However, in the daily practice of martial arts, and particularly of Seido Karate at Thousand Waves, our efforts are devoted to so much more than fighting. The discipline of learning routines contributes to a disciplined relationship with our own intuitive responses; through this, we come to recognize a form of self-control we might not have thought that we had….The non-violent approach to karate at Thousand Waves has been essential to my learning to survive (and occasionally thrive) in the work place, and it challenges me to be a better partner, father, and friend.
– Jeffrey Gore, Advanced Brown Belt, January 2013

Prior to training, I displayed more verbal annoyance toward others—in private and in public. For example, if people cut in front of me inline at the grocery store or took a parking space for which I was entitled, I would speak up or yell something out of frustration. Now I am different—I respond to such occasions mostly with more control. If someone cuts me in line, I will smile and say “Oh, go ahead of me.” This type of response usually disarms the other person. So, I have changed and it affects others in a positive way.
– Denise Zaccardi, Advanced Brown Belt, January 2013

Each member of the dojo has a story; a reason for wanting to study martial arts… Even when those stories are not shared out loud, there seems to be a sense of sharing, a sense of understanding of a common goal. This tapestry of stories and personalities create opportunities for most interesting partnerships at the dojo and incredible learning opportunities about oneself and our colleagues.… Perhaps the most important lesson that I have learned from partnerships at the dojo is the unique opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds, different ethnic groups, different gender and sexual orientation, young and old. That interaction with these folks would have never been possible if I were not part of Thousand Waves. That interaction has made me a richer human being.
-- Arturo Jauregui, Brown Belt, January 2013

How do I become a good partner?
Firstly, I have to be dedicated to help the junior student, be patient and encouraging as my Senpai have been towards me. I have to continue to remind myself how I was as a junior student, to be able to communicate well and understand whatever difficulty the junior is experiencing. Secondly, I have to make sure I train well enough to master and know what I am supposed to, so when the time comes that I am expected to pass my knowledge to someone else, I am confident and competent enough to do so. I also should be willing to share my own experiences and tools that have helped me in my own learning process. Lastly, I have to be aware of my own limitations and be honest about them so when I experience difficulty in helping someone, I can readily ask for help so the junior could benefit fully from the partnership.  
– Gina Omiotek, Brown Belt, January 2013

Congratulations to January 2013 Promotees

Junior Color Belts

To 4th Kyu Green Belt,
Graduating to Youth Program
Daisy Coleman
Kumiko Muro
Shadein Rahman
Victor Dorojan 		To 6th Kyu
Yellow Belt
Andres Pesch
Jackson Menendez
Justin Goldberg
Lenny Knapp
Lydia Missey
Tlaloc Ugarte-Roman 		To 7th Kyu
Advanced Blue Belt
Caroline Bryan
Lillian Kaufman
Luca Ladner
Nathan Delaney
Noah Kevo
Pierce Bakker
Quinn Deighan
Sebastian
  Parissi-Elsey
Sebastian
  Ponder-Freeman 		To 8th Kyu
Blue Belt
David Risk
Henry Hart
Jack Hutchison
Jaiya Ovid
Max Rosen

Youth & Teen Color Belts

To 1st Kyu
Advanced Brown Belt
Charles Laszuk
Gabrielle Wolf 		To 2nd Kyu
Brown Belt
George McCoy
Kylie Palles 		To 3rd Kyu
Advanced Green Belt
Danny Horowitz
Maggie Scholle
Noam Levinsky
Tommy Scholle 		To 4th Kyu
Green Belt
Alex Savkovic
Josie Martorana
Lukas Maksin
Takato Muro
To 5th Kyu
Advanced Yellow Belt
Anjali Chandel
Dylan Wang
Ella Majeski 		To 6th Kyu
Yellow Belt
Caroline Bedell
Leigh Lindgren 		To 7th Kyu
Advanced Blue Belt
Jack Sullivan
John Henry Brown
Karen Weiner
Layne Norris 		To 8th Kyu
Blue Belt
Christian Tirado
Leo Cumbie
Sora Farahmand
Zach Joseph
Zach McCoy

Adult Color Belts

To 1st Kyu
Advanced Brown Belt
Denise Zaccardi
Jeffrey Gore 		To 2nd Kyu
Yellow Belt
Arturo Jauregui
Gina Omiotek 		To 7th Kyu
Advanced Blue Belt
Douglas Knapp		  

Upcoming Events

Keeping Kids Safe – Stranger Danger, Bullies and Dating, Oh My!

We all want our kids to be as independent as possible, but how can we achieve that goal when safety concerns abound?  Thousand Waves is offering a free community workshop on Saturday, March 2 from 1:30-3:00 pm for parents that will highlight ways to keep our kids safe in a variety of settings.  We’ll dig into family dynamics a bit, and discuss ways to navigate around life’s potential hazards.  Topics will include:

Please register for this free workshop by stopping at the front desk or giving us a call at 773-472-7663.  Should you have the means and if you find the program worthwhile, donations will gladly be accepted on the day of the workshop.

Calendar: March events