Rosemary Rawcliffe

In 2005 or 2006 we ran into each other again at the Tibetan settlement in Dharamsala, India, and we were soon talking about ways we might help students learn to use video and film to preserve the stories of the older Tibetan refugees and, for that matter, their own stories!

Now, of course, Rosemary was the pro, and I knew little about film and video. (I had taught beginning video production at one point, using 2-inch Ampex video tape editing and huge video cameras, but that was ancient history, and it certainly wasn’t my profession.)

She has now completed two of the films… and the second film, Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution was just awarded a 2009 Emmy^® in the category Historic/Cultural – Program/Special at the 38th annual 2008-2009 Northern California Area Emmy Awards. You can read her story (and see photos) about the awards ceremony at the Women of Tibet web site.

Rosemary had built a career in film and television in Britain, but in 1989 she sold her business and took a break from the profession. As she said “you wake up one morning and you have 35 people working for you…” and your ability to choose which creative tasks you want to take on is greatly reduced.

But because of the breadth of trades she had plied while in the business, she knew everything from audio to video, and knew how to finance and build a team, and ten years later she was so moved by the plight of, and the courage of, Tibetan refugee women, that she began filming to tell their story. Two films later (with one more to go), she now has an Emmy, which is both a recognition of her own efforts and a statement of respect for the stories and the lives of the women she is chronicling. And she is thrilled to be recognized in this way by her peers. You’ll recognize what this means to her when you listen to the interview.

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And speaking of such, George Lucas is one of the people I’ve only “gotten close to meeting.” So when a group of our Project Happiness students from Mount Madonna School were able to interview him last year (for the Project Happiness movie), I really enjoyed it.

Well, the “next best thing” to time with George was also really interesting. George’s assistant, Jane Bay, has been with him since just after the first Star Wars film was released. Almost every day she deals with guys like those in the picture to the left. She and I both waited in line to see the film at the Coronet Theater on Geary Blvd. in San Francisco – though a couple of weeks apart. She got a job with George shortly thereafter, and I did not – I remained an academic for a couple more years and then started DesignWare (an edutainment software company), which ended up being my eventual reason for a few visits to Skywalker Ranch. (Continue for the audio interview…)

Jane has at least a two-track mind. If working as George Lucas’ assistant is her day job, then her unexpected second job has been writing two books. When I interviewed her in 2007, Jane talked about her two books. While we were capturing those stories I also asked Jane what it’s like to work for and with George Lucas. And with joy in her voice, she obliged:

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Tibet only “opened up” to the non-Asian world in mid-twentieth century. My introduction was via Lowell Thomas Jr.’s book Out of this World (published in 1950 – I will have more to say about the book elsewhere). And I read this book when I was a teenager in middle America, some time after Tibet was occupied by the Chinese army and just before the 14th Dalai Lama went into exile in India. The Chinese government claims that Tibet has always been a part of China. Those of us who have come into contact with Tibetan people know them as hard-working and dedicated, open and welcoming, and will never forget our encounters.

Last year I met Jane Bay. Jane has worked within the film industry for some time, and Jane came to know Tibet thru some interesting events – but most directly because she sponsored and adopted a Tibetan refugee daughter. Initially her daughter, Namgyal, lived at the Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala, India, but due to circumstances and political pressure she moved back to Tibet. And Jane lost touch with her. This story is told in Jane’s first book, Precious Jewels of Tibet.

But that wasn’t the only loss in their relationship. Jane regained contact with Namgyal, in Tibet, where her daughter was studying traditional Tibetan medicine. And they began to plan a life-long relationship in which Namgyal would be able to move back and forth between Tibet and the US, observing the traditional and the modern in all its variation.

But it was not to be. In 2003, Namgyal suddenly died. Arising out of Jane’s shock and grief, and based on exchanges of email that she had with friends, she wrote a book Love & Loss: A Story About Life, Death, and Rebirth. In this book she chronicles the email exchanges she had following the death of her adopted Tibetan daughter in 2003. Far from being impersonal, the email exchange turned deeply touching and intimate. Technology ended up being the enabler that allowed Jane to move thru a time of crisis. And to share that story with others.

[Updated 20 Jan 2010 to use new audio player and faster audio loading]

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I had met Joel Barraquiel Tan, the Director of Community Engagement for YBCA, about two years ago, so he already knew about my technologies and games – one of which is played at Yerba Buena Gardens, right outside his front door. In one quick conversation, however, we took a huge jump forward…

The jump was that we decided to co-author an experience that could be “played ” out anywhere (not just at YBCA), which would solicit and include input from anyone, and would accumulate and display its “output” in a community co-created online mosaic that could also be displayed at YBCA as a piece of art. Joel took the lead on the conceptual development, which he based on ideas he was developing for the Big Ideas program at YBCA, and I put on my programming hat and built some new online capabilities so that we could make our artistic ideas real.

In the first video clip (below), Joel and I discuss the community engagement program at YBCA.

The game is called Making Peace, and it’s integrated with the Community Engagement program at YBCA. It has evolved quite a bit over the couple of months it has been in place. I asked Joel to give us his view on how the Making Peace experience was created.

What’s the Big Idea Day, February 9th, 2008, was an opportunity for the community to come to the Room for Big Ideas and participate in several related projects. Creating small rice-paper flags, having their photo taken by Derick Ion, an artist in the Making Peace/Big Ideas program, and having their photos added to the Making Peace mosaic.

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Here’s a two-for-one post. Not only have I run across a great project and cause, but it’s a media project!

The Global Oneness Project has chosen the approach of professionally recording video interviews with individuals who are contributing to our awakening. I recorded an interview with Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, who directs the project. [12min:37sec QuickTime]

“In contrast, today we experience global interdependence with a unique level of clarity and urgency. In natural sciences like biology, physics, and mathematics; in technology, economics, and ecology; and in spiritual, cultural, and social movements across the planet new perspectives on oneness are emerging with breathtaking beauty and transformational power.”

Here are links to a few videos that address spirituality, community, and service:

• Words From the (17th) Karmapa
• Waking Up (Tenzin Palmo)
• The Heart of Religion (Alberto Luna)
• Seva Cafe: Love All, Serve All (Anjali Desai)
• Living Service (Jayesh Patel)
• Barrio de Paz (Nelsa Libertad Curbelo)
• The Land Owns Us (Bob Randall)
• An Invitation (Don Alverto Taxo)

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The Dalai Lama Scholars program was envisioned by Vice Chancellor Manuel Gomez of the University of California at Irvine, and formed as an honorarium to His Holiness in conjunction with his appearance there in 2004. The Dalai Lama does not receive any payment for his appearances – instead, all net proceeds from tickets and other sales (after expenses) go to benefit appropriate causes and organizations. [UCI Juniors Rajiv Ramdeo and Aswathi Sreedharan, recipients of the inaugural scholarship 2006, are pictured here with the Dalai Lama.]

Lori Warmington was instrumental in the creation of the scholarships, and in this interview, she describes for us how they came about as well as what they’re about.

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I met Amy Krantz almost by accident about two years ago. Introduced by a Buddhist nun in Pasadena. Amy was looking for someone to share a cab from the airport. We have had occasional conversations ever since – somehow karmically connected as we seem to just “run into” each other from time to time in places like Dharamsala (India) and San Francisco (California). Amy has an adopted daughter who lives in Dharamsala and spends a lot of time there.

A couple of months ago, I suggested to Amy that we sit down and discuss learning and teaching. She is one of those people who has a special approach, and that’s always worth paying attention to. In this interview, we focus a lot on the relationship of “listening” to “expression” and learning. I intend to expand this into a series of interviews with educators who have special messages to share.

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The International Symposium on Digital Earth was an opportunity for a few hundred experts and other interested individuals to get together, see and discuss ways in which online information systems are making it possible to explore our planet.

The most obvious, to me, being Google Earth. But there are lots and lots of others.

As I walked into UC Berkeley to register, I stumbled across Ed Cherlin, who I’ve known for a few years as a knowledgeable and good-hearted promoter of the Simputer (Simple Computer). This time he was wearing a volunteer staff shirt for ISDE5 and carrying an XO (the “$100 computer”) in his hand. Hmm, an XO. Time to talk to Ed I think!

Here’s what Ed had to say…

• OLPC: One Laptop Per Child
• OLPC News: Other views on the project
• Seymour Papert (you know, I’ve only met him once, but his ideas were new when I was a graduate student and he is certainly one of the stimulating thinkers in my primary field of study and practice). Early experiments involved a programming language called Logo [see also the Logo Foundation] and a “turtle” device.
• Constructionist theory of learning (also see constructivist)
• Alan Kay – if you don’t know (of) Alan, just read this and explore from there
• Sugar – the interface for the laptop

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Brenes described the Earth Charter in a 30-minute monologue which you may play (below).

University for Peace (UPEACE) is a UN initiative which operates independent of, but was mandated by the UN. “Headquartered in Costa Rica, the United Nations-mandated University for Peace was established in December 1980 as a Treaty Organization by the UN General Assembly. As determined in the Charter of the University and endorsed by the UPEACE Council, the mission of the University for Peace is: “to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace with the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, to stimulate cooperation among peoples and to help lessen obstacles and threats to world peace and progress, in keeping with the noble aspirations proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations.”

In a 2003 online “paper,” Brenes describes (in Spanish) the initiative.

And in a 2003 print interview, as well (on irenees.net, A Website of Resources for Peace).

UPDATE: Abelardo Brenes faculty page at University for Peace

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As we were just getting Project Happiness moving, a guy named “DK” pinged us – interested in our project because he creates podcasts dealing with media for and by youth.

This guy is moving and shaking and getting a lot of activities going. And his media approach is quite interesting.

“DK” of MediaSnackers.com

Here’s what DK says about his work – “I launched MediaSnackers in June 2006 with an educational background in communications and media, plus a professional background in local government (I was the UK’s first and only Corporate Youth Officer… oooh!)—I’ve done lots of things and had many roles, but my passion for working with young people (and youth professionals) has been my main focus for the past 8 years. … MediaSnackers is my ‘bat and ball’—do you fancy a game?

(The DK comes from the initials of my old name. One of the first young people I started working with called me DK and it just stuck—I never liked my old name so I adopted it fully.)”

As of this date MediaSnackers has completed 8 videocasts and 94 podcast interviews.

This is the only opportunity that you’ll get (on this blog, at least) to hear me interviewed by somebody else…if that’s of interest to you at all.

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Dave Goulding is a cinematographer who has traveled with John Sorenson and Brian Buckley to record the story of Project Happiness.

This summer we interviewed filmmaker George Lucas at his office (ranch) in Marin County, California. Well, actually the students of Project Happiness conducted the interview, and I watched as Dave and John (Sorensen) recorded everything on video tape for the documentary we’re making. Well, actually, I have nothing to do with making the documentary – I just make the online stuff happen.

What makes this so much fun? To quote Dave, “I think it’s the people you get to meet- the people you meet are just amazing!”

I talked with Dave over lunch, following the morning interview of George Lucas. We covered a mix of topics that ranged all over the globe – from Nigeria to India to the US.

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EFNV is holding its second summer teacher conference on Friday and Saturday, 20-21 July, 2007 on the University of California campus in Berkeley CA.

The coordinator of Metta Center’s volunteers as well as coordinator of the planning activities for the EFNV conference is Jordan Pearlstein at the Metta Center.

Michael Nagler is founder of the Peace Studies program at Berkeley, and leader of EFNV. I had a Skype conversation this morning with him where we discussed the conference and the organizations.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Links we promised during the interview:

• EFNV.ORG and its conference page
• The Metta Center for Nonviolence Education
• Michael Nagler’s UC Berkeley courses PACS164A & PACS164B for web viewing and podcast download
• Eknath Easwaran
• Rachel McNair
• Dr. Joseph Marshall – Omega Boys Club
• Azim Khamisa – The Tariq Khamisa Foundation
• Jack Duvall – A Force More Powerful

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FLFP conducts workshops in schools – from grade-school thru college – their workshop lasts 90 minutes, including a video, to capture attention and inspire; it starts with interviews of people the kids can relate to, from sports figures to real people, and continues to Jonathan sharing his stories, including the shark attack he survived at Stinson Beach in 1998; proceeding to then get the kids to share their own stories in small groups of 8 or so – their challenges and conflicts and experiences. To paraphrase Jonathan – It’s amazing how similar their challenges are and yet each one thinks they’re unique – by sharing, they learn how to better approach and overcome adversity in their lives.

Jonathan has also written a children’s book Don’t Fear the Shark – a story of his shark attack, but one in which the shark is a bully mistreating humans because it has been mistreated itself – the story looks at how the cycle of violence arises and can be prevented. As he says, the story ends abruptly and the reader has to figure out how it would or could end.

Jonathan is also a hard-working member of the organizing committee for Educators For NonViolence.

[posted with ecto]

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New Technology Foundation’s mission is to “Support, refine and build on New Technology High School – a national model of project based learning in a technology rich environment. Disseminate the model – methodology, tools and resources – through replication, subscription and other means. Create and support a network of schools based on the Napa NTHS model that continues to innovate, identify and share best practices.”

Learning for the 21st century includes speaking and writing well – communicating. Critical thinking. And collaboration. They’re modeled more on what the workplace looks like and less on what traditional educational institutions look like. The Foundation disseminates the work – they don’t actually run schools – but they have seeded dozens of schools! And the number is growing rapidly.

In my opinion, “preparing for a career” (in the classical sense) is an almost impossible task today. Years ago, one might prepare for a career as a doctor, or a musician. But today it’s hard to imagine that a career, if viewed as a profession, would even exist longer than 10 or 20 years – let alone for an individual’s productive lifetime. The information learned by engineers graduating from universities today, for instance, has a half-life of 3 years. During an average individual’s lifetime, he or she will have to “retread” several times!

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[In the photo you see John, Tenzin Dawa (the TCV cameraman mentioned in the audio clip), and Yeshi Khando, the teacher who picked up this project and ran with it at Upper TCV.]

John’s team of professional collaborators, David Goulding who handles the “big” camera, and Brian Buckley, who captures the sound while they’re shooting, are also interviewed in our series.

This is a challenging process, with video captured in several formats, several shoots in the field, and diverse cultures with different familiarity with the technology.

Listen as John describes the process of making the documentary, shooting in California, Nigeria and India, and how the team works to create the raw footage that then goes to the “cutting room” where it turns into a final documentary. John speaks with knowledge, insight, and deep feeling about the process.

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