by Teresa Honey Youngblood
What a rich class we had on 2/17, on the topic of conflict! So rich, in fact, that we’re going to be picking up the topic again after our Mentor Bagel Breakfast, since we only got to half the material I intended for us!
One interesting piece was a “forced choice” activity, where the students had to choose YES or NO (not “it depends,” or “sometimes”). Statements such as these split the group:
“If someone has a problem with you, it’s their problem, not yours.”
“Learning and growth is possible without conflict.”
And, “Being rude or impolite is always wrong.”
We were working toward the ideas that 1) conflict is uncomfortable, but can be used for creative transformation of self and systems, and 2) Being conflict-averse props up the status quo, and can prevent necessary change from happening. When we next pick up the topic, we’ll talk about covenant as a tool to help us navigate conflict well.
Below are a couple of pictures from the 2/17 class. We began with a challenge, building a chalice together with exactly 100 planks of wood. And, the youth also heard the story about the blind mice and the elephant–pictured next to the chalice–which shows us how making room for multiple truths (i.e. conflict!) can often produce the most complete picture of a situation.
-Teresa Honey Youngblood