Active Caring: Life Stories of Helping in a Challenging Environment

The New England Consortium on Life Stories

Active Caring: Life Stories of Helping in a Challenging Environment

April 26 and 27, 2012
University of Southern Maine
Portland Campus
Wishcamper Center

Sponsored by 
The University of Southern Maine
School of Education and Human Development
and
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

 . . . made possible by a generous grant from the Libra Foundation

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CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
This first biennial New England Consortium on Life Stories is focused on the theme of active caring. Active caring is seen as a choice to help, in some way, in the face of violence and/or oppression. It has been compared, by Irwin Staub, to bystanding, the choice to do nothing. It may manifest in a very day-to-day manner, for instance responding actively to bullying in a work or school environment, or it may take on heroic proportions, as it does in the face of genocidal violence. Staub and Kristen Monroe have pointed out that day-to-day efforts by individuals, to actively care, generally precede heroic efforts to help. Stories of active caring may focus on a specific time of helping within a life story, or they may trace the threads of active caring that run throughout an entire life story.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - APRIL 26
7:00 PM Keynote and Reception: Kristen Renwick Monroe
There is no cost to attend the April 26th keynote and reception. This event is free and no registration is required.

CONFERENCE KEYNOTE - APRIL 26
Kristen Renwick Monroe is a Professor of Politics and Associate Director of the Program in Political Psychology at the University of California at Irvine. Her book, The Heart of Altruism: Perceptions of a Common Humanity has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Her current research asks how identity, categorization and perspective effect the choice to help. Her interdisciplinary approach to this problem is reflected in a manuscript on moral choice during the Holocaust, which draws on work in political and psychological theory to reconceptualize our traditional understanding of rational choice and moral action. Dr. Monroe is also the Director of the University of California's Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality and has agreed to hold an informal workshop for those of us interested in initiating a similar center at here in Southern Maine. 

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE - APRIL 27
8:00-8:15 AM Check-in

8:15-9:15 AM Memoir: Writing Our Lives of Active Caring
Ruth Story • Barbara Kautz • Priscilla Platt  
Writing the stories of our lives, particularly those that involve caring for others under stress, is an act of courage and opportunity. Three writers share their experiences of writing about their lives and about the ways in which their lives have touched others.

9:20-10:20 AM The Moral Courage Project
Leslie Morrill • Kerry Lathrup • Maria Duffy • Jennifer LaLiberte • Terrance James • Adele Baruch • Auburn School District Students 
The Moral Courage Project grew out of listening to stories of active caring. These stories were brought to the Auburn Public Schools and the larger Auburn/Lewiston community with activities structured to enable students and community members to actively engage with the storytellers. Additionally students were encouraged to investigate stories of active caring in their own community. Videos, essays, and interviews were developed and integrated in the curriculum. Students, community members, and faculty will talk about their experiences and observations of young people focused on stories of active care.

10:30-11:45 AM A Finished Heart
Eliott Cherry 
A Finished Heart is a one-man performance of dramatic storytelling, including poetry and music. It is inspired by devotion, grief, play, and mystery and it focuses on dying, love, forgiveness and meaning. The playwright will be on hand after his performance to engage in dialogue with the audience.

11:45-1:15 PM Working Lunch 

Choice of three networking/dialogue groups
• Dialogue with Eliot Cherry and A Finished Heart
• Discussion with Kristen Monroe on interest in developing a Collaborative for the Study of Altruism and Moral Courage affiliated with USM
• A general/informal networking lunch – A Story Song by Deann Marsh

1:15-2:15 PM
Artist Showcase
• Ulrick Jean-Pierre
• Robert Shetterly
• Shawn Rice
• Moral Courage Project Art and Video Exhibit  

Poster Showcase
• Elena Ysova, Moments of Truth
• Susan Santiago, Small group work, narrative approaches, and the care of clients living in middle-stage Alzheimer’s disease
• Lee Kehoe, The Revitalization of Personhood in Older Adults

2:15-3:30 PM Giving and Receiving Help and Support in Post-Katrina New Orleans
Michelle Jean-Pierre 
This presentation will focus on Michelle Jean-Pierre’s experience of helping and receiving support in post-Katrina New Orleans.

3:40-4:40 PM Listening to a Story of Active Care
Melissa Rosenberg 
This presentation describes the process of increasing the understanding of one’s self, others, and the development of a helping identity through eliciting life stories.

4:40-5:30 PM Concluding Thoughts, Wrap-up, and Closure
Robert Atkinson

FEATURED PRESENTERS - APRIL 27

Eliott Cherry, a Portland musician and composer, will perform A Finished Heart, a dramatic combination of story, poetry, and music centered on the themes of caregiving, forgiveness and the loss of a loved one.

Michele Jean-Pierre lived and worked in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Michele was an educator in the New Orleans Schools, focusing on health and multicultural education for the district. Even after losing her own home to the storm, she focused on helping young people restore their lives and connections in the face of that catastrophe. While she continued to work with the schools of New Orleans, she also initiated coordinated help for Haiti after the devastating earthquake, raising funds to build library resources in areas that lost everything. When engaged in that work, she was asked to become the first Director of the Marsalis Performance Center for The Musicians’ Village, overseeing the development of a world-class performance and community center, designed to use music and performance to develop a formally devasted community. The Musicians’ Village is a joint venture with Habitat for Humanity and private donors, and the Performance Center is the cornerstone of the effort to celebrate and rejuvenate the great artistic legacy of New Orleans. It is a project that started with helping under great stress in the aftermath of Katrina and continues with efforts to inspire others to community service and artistic expression.

Ulrick Jean-Pierre is an accomplished visual artist with commissions and installations throughout Louisiana. He is the leading Haitian historical artist. In his words, “My historical paintings represent the ultimate reference to the collective memory that all Haitians share about the glorious past and to the energetic force which has allowed their pride to transcend nearly two centuries of social debacle.”

Rob Shetterly’s paintings and prints are in collection all over the US and Europe. Since the catastrophe of 9/11, he has begun a series of portraits-focusing on Americans who have spoken out against perceived injustices, combining their portraits with their words. They explore central American values such as courage, honesty, tolerance, wisdom, and compassion. These portraits are not for sale, and they have been created to form a collection to be shown for educational, historical, and artistic purposes.