DID YOU KNOW…

Northwest Denver Nonprofits Coordinate Efforts For Colorado Gives Day

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Northwest Denver Nonprofits Coordinate Efforts For Colorado Gives Day

24 Hours to Give Where You Live Save the Date – December 4, 2012   Did you know that Northwest Denver is home to over 40 nonprofit human service providers? And did you know that many of them will participate in “Colorado Gives Day” on Tuesday, December 4th? “Colorado Gives Day” is an annual, 24-hour “virtual” fundraiser through which people throughout the state of Colorado are encouraged to make online donations to support their favorite local charities. For the first time this year a dedicated group of fifteen Northwest Denver nonprofit providers are collaborating to actively promote the neighborhood’s widespread participation in Colorado Gives Day. Beginning in mid-November, members of the collaboration will distribute 10,000 Save-The-Date postcards throughout the community, reminding you and your neighbors to Give Where You Live! The nonprofit providers leading this effort include: Arrupe Jesuit High School                          Bienvenidos Food Bank      Catholic Charities                                        Colorado Youth for a Change          Caring Connection                                       Colorado Renewable Energy Society        El Porvenir                                                   Denver Children’s Advocacy Center Escuela de Guadalupe                                 Groundwork Denver                          Servicios de la Raza                                    Share Our Strength                                       The Argyle                                                    The Conflict Center                                       The First Tee of Denver In the last year these organizations alone have served a combined total of over150,000 individuals and families throughout the metro

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Brain Science and Conflict

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By Martha Woods A shorter version of this article appeared in The North Denver Tribune in Sept. 2011   Hello, meet Your Brain! In recent years, there have been amazing discoveries about the human brain. We are used to thinking that the brain leads and we follow. Scientists have been studying how the brain works among different groups of people including persons with brain injury, meditating Buddhist monks, and ordinary people who are just trying to change a behavior or learn a new skill. At the most general level, the scientific studies reveal that the brain is much more changeable than previously thought. This concept of the brain being changeable (or “plastic”) is called neuroplasticity. In the past, scientific dogma held that, after a critical period in early childhood, the structure and function of the brain was mostly immutable. These more recent findings reveal that many aspects of the brain remain plastic even well into adulthood, as a result of input from the environment.   For example, areas of the brain involved in certain activities will become more active or enlarged the more that activity is performed— or even thought about! Two particular activities illustrate this—playing a sport or a musical instrument. One exciting implication of brain plasticity is

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How do you feel today? Emotional Intelligence For Your Children

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July 19, 2011 by Salma Shukri, The Conflict Center  This article was published in the North Denver Tribune in July  2011 Children often have a hard time verbally expressing how they feel. When faced with certain situations, you may find that your child cannot put into words what they are feeling on the inside. Because of their limited vocabulary, children may instead act out as a way of expressing in action what they can’t express in words. As they grow and experience new things, children may get overwhelmed and their emotions can sometimes get too big for their little bodies to contain. Without a proper form of release, children may resort to expressing themselves physically. For example, a child that can’t explain that he is upset may fall back on behaving badly, and you may find them hitting, stomping, or crying to get the message across. That’s why we think it’s important to teach emotional intelligence to children from a young age – so that they can communicate their emotions well. You can do this by helping to expand your child’s vocabulary to include emotionally descriptive words, and then encouraging your child to identify his or her feelings on a constant

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Every October is Conflict Resolution Month in Colorado

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 Plans for 2011 are underway! By Mary Zinn Conflict Resolution Month Synergizer   The Governor proclaims and all of our Colorado Legislators resolve that Colorado will pay special attention to conflict resolution in October! Everyone is invited to participate by making every day a day of productive choices.   "Conflict Resolution Month is one of my favorite times of the year— a time when we're more conscious of creating peaceful resolutions and win-win scenarios every day, every place and with everyone we meet. I'm so grateful to be a persistent voice in the Colorado legislature where we have made progress every session toward becoming the most civil state in the Union." Senator Linda Newell, District 26     Each year, as many as fifty organizations work together to plan events and programs that encourage the use of constructive problem solving on all levels: personal, business, community, school, etc.  The month offers limitless opportunities such as workshops, conferences, award ceremonies, a book selection, and the creation of neighborhood picnics.  Whatever anyone in Colorado believes will help us be more civil and productive is invited!    In this campaign, there is no “other person” to do the job.  While many in the dispute

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Did you know…

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Jan.18, 2011 Did you know that according to the Office of Suicide Prevention for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado has the sixth highest suicide rate in the country. Tweet

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Getting through the Holidays with a Healthy Mind, Body and Spirit

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December 2008 Event planning, guest travels, gift giving and holiday cheer can quickly cause wear and tear on you and your family. Nurturing yourself during the busy holiday season is essential and we have some quick and easy ways to keep your mind, body, and spirit energized and healthy. Whether it is in-laws visiting, traveling long distances, or merely juggling the many hats we wear in our lives, keeping a sane and calm mind during the holiday season can prove to be a challenging and stressful. While the holiday season is thought to be a time of reflection, family bonding and slowing down, if you’re a over-the-top over overachiever like I am, than you need an extra reminder every now and then to slow down and breath. Here are my recommendations for living with a healthy mind, body and spirit: -Sleep. Be sure to get a minimum of eight hours rest each night. While you may function just fine on five or six hours, our bodies can only begin to rejuvenate once a full and restful night sleep enters into our daily routine. Don’t underestimate the power of a good nights sleep! -Exercise. The current minimum recommendation for exercise is

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The Importance of Social Emotional Learning

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by Brenda Tracy September 2006 In 1995, with his book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Daniel Goleman popularized the notion of emotional intelligence.  Since then, the term “emotional quotient” or “EQ” has been commonly used to differentiate individuals’ emotional intelligence from their cognitive intelligence or “IQ.” The Conflict Center utilizes the idea of Social Emotional Learning in all of its programs.   Social Emotional Learning takes into account the importance of enhancing a person’s ability to actively listen, identify and manage feelings, respond with empathy, carry out effective decision making, and to make healthy personal choices.  We consider all of these soft skills as essential to increasing a person’s ability to succeed in life by building relationships and solving problems effectively using their emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is now recognized as essential to being intellectually and emotionally available to learn and to enter into effective relationships with peers and co-workers in schools and organizations.  Without a good understanding of one’s own social and emotional abilities an individual can remain emotionally limited in the options he or she has to get needs met, to make things happen, or be able to ask for what is needed. According to

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“Why They Kill” by Richard Rhodes

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A book review by Tiffany Plumley July 2007 Violence is a part of our world. Some would even argue that it is simply a part of life. When we hear of stunning and horrific acts of violence, the tendency is often to explain it as “senseless,” “random,” and “inexplicable.” But if we believe these descriptions, then we also have to accept that violence can’t be predicted or prevented. Research today indicates that there are many contributing factors to violence. Some of the most popular are poverty, lack of education, emotional instability, history of abuse and overexposure to violence. The problem with this research though, is that it does nothing to truly explain and predict violence. When we look at statistics, we find that most people who grow up in poverty, who do not have access to adequate education do NOT actually go on to become violent people! The argument could be made, then, that perhaps it’s not mental instability, drug abuse, or having a violent parent that causes someone to become violent. Perhaps we’re asking the wrong questions! Perhaps there’s another, outside influence that could better explain the origin and predictability of violence. In his book Why They Kill, Richard

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Promoting Peace through Play

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April 2008 More and more families are turning to “family game night” as a way for parents to be in tune with their children and know what’s going on in their lives. However, as the kids get older and game night becomes an old routine, parents can find their creativity being stretched to find new entertainments that keep their families together and interested. And as the veteran of  more than one family fight about what game to play, who was cheating, and who the winner and loser was, I know perfectly well that sometimes family games promote anything but harmony and unity! Here are some suggestions for games that will entertain without resulting in anger and tears; and moreover, will help you get to know your kids a lot better than another game of Parcheesi! Group Story Tell a story that everyone is a part of and no one knows the end of. Pick a unit: word, sentence, or paragraph. Each person, in order, gets to add a unit to the story, until once the last person has gone you start over. From the hysterical paragraph version to the unpredictable word version, this game will test your creativity and help

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Cyber-Bullying: a New Trend in Violence

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by Pearl Bell June 2008 Bullying for years has been stereotyped to show the scene of a larger boned, bigger kid picking on the smaller almost wimpy kid at school by pushing him into a locker. While this stereotype of physical bullying does exist, bullying has become much more subtle and almost invisible to track. Verbal and emotional violence is more pervasive and can be more detrimental to youth in our society and our schools. Teachers and administrators have become more attuned to gossip and rumor spreading but without help from other students some forms of bullying are still under the radar. Cyber-bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others. (Wikipedia Definition). This can involve e-mails, text messaging, picture messaging and other uses of everyday technology utilized in today’s society. Because this form of bullying is less tangible it becomes even harder to track but has caused many youth a lot of pain. This video offers a first hand emotional look at cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying Video What can you do to stop cyber-bullying? If you are being bullied or if you witness

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