Renown storyteller ALTON TAKIYAMA-CHUNG will help us bring in the New Year with a special Shinnen Enkai once-in-a-lifetime performance highlighting the Japanese American story on Saturday, January 18, 2020 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the Clubhouse (100th Infantry Battalion Veterans, Education Center). This event is suitable for all ages and is open to the public. Alton will perform selections from three of his popular pieces: 1. A yet unnamed story about early life of our ancestors on the plantations of Hawaii; 2. “Heroes” which tells the story of two brothers from Hawaii who join the 100th and 442nd to fight in Europe during WWII where they learn about courage and honor, how to be a part of a team, and the reality of war. 3. “Spark Matsunaga: Warrior Poet” which is a docudrama about Hawaii’s beloved son and 100th veteran, the late Senator SPARK MASAYUKI MATSUNAGA Click below for more details: Microsoft Word – 20200118 Alton Takiyama-Chung.docx
Category: News
The Kindness Challenge result… We would like to say Mahalo to everyone who participated in 5:1 Kindness Challenge and spread positiveness in the communities around you. Thank you also to Keahi Tucker – Hawaii News Now, Kristy Tamashiro – KHON, and Amrita Mallik – UH Manoa for spreading the words about our challenge. Special thanks goes to Ms. Pamera Fujita of Mililani Middle School for having her entire class participate in the challenge to spread kindness widely!! Here are some of her students’ feedbacks: “… We started the quarter by doing the 5:3:1 as our project. We do 5 minutes of meditation. we then have a journal where we decorate each day and write down 3 good things about the day. Along with that we write 1 random act of kindness we did that day. Ms.pam heard about your contest and had a challenge between each track….. Our goal overall was to spread kindness. I believe our class achieved our goal to spread kindness to others who need it….” Jazmine O. “Ms. Pam’s Class dedicated a whole quarter to teaching about kindness and 5-3-1. She told us to write in our journals 3 things that made us happy that day, and one act of kindness that we did that day. This assignment helped us to improve on many things, mostly on becoming a happier and all around better person.” Piha’eu A. Let’s keep it going this holiday season. A small kindness goes a long way in making a positive impact on someone’s day 🙂
Aloha, We enjoyed a lovely evening gathering at the 2019 ACR Hawaii Annual Meeting. Hope you were able to join us. In case you missed it, here is what happened at the meeting. New Board of Directors and Officers were elected. Congratulations! Click here to see our new leaders. Our members also voted on two items: Shall ACR Hawaii’s status as a chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution be terminated and shall it become an independent non-profit, tax exempt organization by the end of 2020? -> Approved. Shall the Board be authorized to decide the new name of the organization? -> Approved. Recapped what we did this year: Then, Tom & Dick reminisced John F. Kennedy and his achievements, and shared how the tools of his success can be applied to our work as conflict resolver / peacebuilder. Special Mahalo to 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Education Center for graciously welcoming us. We had a great time!
We can all certainly use help in trying to build peace within ourselves in our very divided society. Sharing an article from Mediate.com… Conflict happens. It is inevitable. It is going to happen whenever you have people with different expectations. This makes conflict management critical, whether avoiding arguments, disputes, lasting conflict or ultimately, litigation. Conflict can be avoided if steps are taken early in a discussion to diffuse anger and facilitate communication, and it can be resolved by applying a series of thoughtfully applied steps. As a full-time mediator and trainer in the fields of negotiation and conflict resolution, I see conflict in its final stages – full blown litigation or on the verge of it in pre-litigation mode. What I have learned in seeing these disputes for 10 years is that most of them could have been resolved in the earliest stages if the people involved applied some of the skills that mediators use to resolve conflict. And wouldn’t it be great if companies could resolve these disputes before each side spent hundreds of thousands in litigation costs, before the employee was terminated or before the customer or working relationship was gone forever? Here are some tools for avoiding and resolving disputes in the early stages, before they become full-blown conflicts: 1. Stay Calm. Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing gives one so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.” The thing that leads to conflict is escalation. What starts people escalating is their anger. Most of us stop listening to understand as we get angry. Instead, we start listening in order to argue back. Remaining calm is essential for performing these tools. To remain calm, it helps to look at the big picture. If you think about it, most every dispute gets resolved…
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October 2019 Chapter Updates
Aloha kakou! May this message find you and your loved ones in good health and spirits. The purpose of this message is to provide our members with updates on the status of our Chapter. Tax exempt status reinstated The IRS granted our application. Our tax exempt status was reinstated back to the date of revocation, May 15, 2018. Contributions to our Chapter under IRC Section 170 remain valid and may be deducted just as before. We are now tax exempt as a separate, independent, entity and no longer fall under ACR’s group exemption. Recommendation to become a separate, independent organization The Board recommends that our Chapter be established as a separate, independent, non-profit, tax exempt organization, and that its Chapter status be terminated by the end of calendar year 2020. The vote by members on this issue may be taken at the next annual membership meeting scheduled for November 22nd, 2019. A Transition Committee (composed of Dick Mosher, Lisa Nakao, Jose Barzola, and Sky Kau`i Chun-Matsukawa) has been appointed to provide members with specific information before the vote and to oversee the process. Reasons for becoming a separate organization Our recommendation followed many months of deliberation, discussions, and debate. The basic reasons for establishing a separate, independent, organization, may be summarized as follows: a. Our limited time, energy, and attention may be better utilized locally. By focusing 100% of our energy and resources here, our organization will be able to serve our local community more effectively. b. Our Bylaws require our officers and directors to be ACR members. Many Board members do not meet this qualification. We considered the option of continuing in this way. However, it may be unwise to settle upon a long-term practice of choosing which Bylaws will be followed and which ones…
October is filled with events about conflict resolution! Many mediation trainings and conflict resolution skill building workshops are happening in October. Here are some free events you may be interested in: “5:1 Kindness Challenge” Throughout October (Web Event) Chai Time of film screening –“Spark Matsunaga: Warrior Poet” October 8, 2019 3pm-4pm (Honolulu) Panel Discussion – “Making Connections with Opening Statements: Laying Foundations for Productive Mediation” on October 14, 2019 1:30pm – 3:40pm (Honolulu) Brown Bag Presentation – “Restorative Justice: Post Traumatic Strength & Development!” on October 17, 2019 12pm – 1pm (Hilo) Workshop & Talk Story – “Hate – The Other Four Letter Word” on October 29, 2019 12pm – 2pm (Honolulu) Check out the events page for the full listings.
“A Formula for Healthy Relationships” by Anne Marie Smoke – Originally posted on November 1, 2018 in State of Hawai’i Judiciary blog The thing that separates healthy and happy relationships from miserable ones is a balance of positive to negative interactions. Studies in the field of social psychology show that it takes five positive interactions to make up for every one bad encounter you have with someone. It is called the 5:1 Magic Ratio. Think of it as a simple formula for building healthy relationships. There are other positive outcomes of balancing good and bad human encounters that affect our work environment. Studies in human performance continue to reflect decades-old theories on the value of positive reinforcement in the workplace. This wisdom suggests that positive reinforcement—which by all conventional measures is a good encounter—can make an organization more effective and bring out the best in everybody. Here is how it works. We experience approximately 20,000 individual moments in a waking day each lasting just a few seconds. The moments that make an indelible mark on our memory are not the neutral encounters we have with others, but the ones that are either positive or negative. Even though these encounters are only seconds long, they can be life-changing. If you can change someone’s life in just a few seconds, why not make it for the better and get the added payoff of cultivating a happy, more productive workplace. It all starts by establishing a culture of positive exchanges. Pay someone a compliment. Offer a few encouraging words. Show appreciation. Help a coworker save face. Or, simply greet your coworkers with a smile! The good news is that you can bank good actions or encounters. After all, we are human, and we all have momentary lapses in judgement, or mindless, rushed moments when we are unaware of what we are leaving in…
Information about the upcoming Free Workshop & Talk Story Gathering… October 29, 2019 12pm – 2pm Hawaii Supreme Court, MPR 101 Hate. We fear it. We want to control it. Outlaw it. Distance ourselves from its awesome power. Yet, this powerful emotion seems inextricably bonded to our human nature. What’s behind this dynamic emotion? Can we tame it? Ease its hurtful potential? Join us for a journey into the heart of hate as we try to understand the forces behind it. We just might discover some keys that reveal some of its mysteries and channel its destructive energies. Click Here for Flyer Presenters: José Barzola & Owen Tamamoto Register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hate-the-other-four-letter-word-tickets-74264983565
Join us for “Making Connections with Opening Statements: Laying Foundations for Productive Mediation” presented by The State of Hawaii Judiciary Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution: Monday, October 14, 2019 1:30 PM – 3:40 PM (check in 12:45 PM – 1:15 PM) Ali’iolani Hale (Hawai’i Supreme Court Courtroom) Free Event! Through demonstrations and deconstructing mediation opening statements, this live panel presentation will provide mediators with best practices and tactics for building rapport, credibility, and trust during the first phase of mediation. A lesson in nonverbal communications will give participants more tools for setting the stage and managing a fair and impartial process. Participants will leave with a heightened self-awareness of their professional conduct and better understanding of the impact first impressions have on setting the stage for productive discourse in mediation and other settlement discussions. CLE credits available. Approximately 80 seats in the room and seats will fill fast. Register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/101419oahu. More information see flyer -> 20191014 Making Connections with Opening Statements. For inquiries contact CADR@courts.hawaii.gov. For more events happening in Hawaii you may also be interested, please check out our event page.
We hope you had a great weekend celebrating the International Day of Peace this past Saturday. As we continue our work on peacebuilding, it is important to maintain our own health & happiness within to be effective in our work. Many of us try to eat healthy and exercise for this reason. While these are important actions, it is not always easy. The good news is, there is also a much simpler action you can take that will help you. Science seems to show that “being kind” positively impacts both!** To helps us all stay healthy and happy, and to celebrate International Day of Non-Violence on October 2, World Smile Day on October 4, National Do Something Nice Day on October 5, Conflict Resolution Day on October 17, and National I Care About You Day on October 25, we are bringing back the “5:1 Kindness Challenge” in the month of October. This year, we are also hosting Images of Kindness Contest at the same time. We hope you can join us! Go to http://www.crahawaii.org//51-kindness-challenge-2019/ to find out the 5:1 Kindness Challenge and Contest details. **References “The Importance of Kindness” by Karyn Hall Ph.D. – Psychology Today Dec 04, 2017 “The amazing health benefits of kindness” by Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D. – MSN.com Sep 20, 2019