Ningwanuk Meshquajese - Wings of Change
Building Cultural Bridges Sharing Circle
EVERYONE WELCOME !!!
Hosted by: the Indian Family Centre
470 Selkirk Avenue, Wpg Mb
Friday August 14th, 2009 from 1 - 4:30 p.m.
please register ~ limited seating available
light refreshments provided

Funded by the Community Initiatives and Research Program The MFL Occupational Health Centre, Inc. is offering FREE “Building Cultural Bridges” Sharing
Circles to rural workplaces in Manitoba to help enhance safety and
health among workers.
The goal is to assist Joint Health & Safety Committees in rural workplaces build safer work environments by using Sharing Circles and traditional Aboriginal
Teachings in a way that honours the Seven Sacred Teachings and the Lessons of the Geese. It seeks to better engage Aboriginal workers with non-Aboriginal workers
when dealing with workplace health and safety issues. It will help Joint
Health & Safety Committees to enhance their capabilities to identify and resolve workplace issues and to grow in these skills over time. Priority will be given to rural workplaces with both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal employees.
Workplaces will ideally have an established workplace safety and health committee, but those with small workplaces with an elected representative will also be considered.
Participating in the project will benefit your workplace by:
a) Minimizing the risk of a workplace injury
by building a strong worker participation strategy
b) Creating a positive work environment conducive to team spirit
c) Identifying and resolving concerns before they escalate
Contact us to arrange a Wings of Change Sharing Circle for your joint health
and safety committee or Workplace

TO REGISTER PLEASE CALL:
Janice Greene at 926-7907
Toll Free: 1-888-843-1229
Email: aweop@mflohc.mb.ca

This fall, when you see geese heading south for the winter flying along in “V” formation,you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way.

Fact: As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for the bird immediately following. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock has at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

Lesson:1 People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are travelling on the thrust of one another.

Fact: When a goose flies out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone. It quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the birds immediately in front.

Lesson: 2. If we have as much common sense as a goose, we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others. It is harder to do something alone than together.

Fact: When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation, and another goose flies to the point
position.

Lesson:3 It is sensible to take turns doing the hard and demanding tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese,people are interdependent of each others skills, capabilities, and unique arrangements of gifts, talents, or resources.

Fact: The geese flying in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

Lesson:4 We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek. We need to make sure our honking is encouraging and not discouraging.

Fact: When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two other geese will drop out of formation with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their flock.

Lesson:5 If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as in good.

Written in 1972 by Dr. Robert NcNeish of Baltimore