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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Questions

Have you ever been asked a question only to have your response to that question explode in your face because your answer seemed to be beyond your boundaries? It happened to me this week, I should be used to it by now, and I am pissed about it.
A friend in the states wants to do something to help street kids in Turkey, decide to open a rehab for them. Low and behold I get asked if I know any counselors that speak Turkish. We have a few long distance email conversations and I remember that I do know someone who speaks Turkish. Actually, I think he could be the exact person for them in the situation they find themselves in. So I tell them, "This is the guy you want, and this is why he is what you need!"
I guess they realized when they read his qualifications that he would be the type of guy who would be a program director rather than just a counselor.

OOPS! More than they asked for.

So instead of just telling me hey thanks for the referral, I will ask for his CV, I get shit because I am overstepping my bounds. I am supposedly injecting myself into their grand plan on how to help the street kids. Well you know what, I don't think you really want to help them if you are that interested in "your plan."

I suppose the worst outcome would be that the street kids will have a place to sleep for a few months, until you find out your plan stops when you leave, and shut the place down. Hello!!! This is Turkey!

All you need to do is look at the other social programs in existence to see that you are walking down the road to hell if you do not have very strong and very hands-on leadership. Every other program has tumbled when the original formers walked away either temporarily or permanently in this country. That is a cultural norm.

There is absolutely no oversight, so you need strong consistent leadership from the beginning. I get told "when they see the mistake they will ask for help." No, not true, actually that could be true if they open enough to admit the mistake, I'll give them that. Problem is then it will be too late. Then you are talking program changes, with invested staff! How do you get them to change when what they are doing is culturally accepted!? No, I believe by the time the mistake is realized it will be too late and the grand plan would be a failure. And, if this is a failure then no one will attempt anything like it for another generation; because, you've simply proven what everyone already believes, it is impossible to run a Rehab or halfway house in this country.

Good luck with that!

As always, if I pissed you off, ask yourself why, I still love you.

Peace and love to all!

LeePsycho

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Connections or Re-Connections

I will never cease to be amazed at how the internet can connect family and friends.

Take a split family for instance: A divide is caused somehow, there are no cooler heads to prevail at the time of the divide, so a silent seperation begins. People move, marry, divorce .... So much happens that the divide is forgotten but the seperation persists because the connection is lost through circumstance. Family members look for eachother unsuccessfully for years. The questions linger, and linger longer.

What happened? Where are they? What have they been doing all these years?

Then it happens, the connection re-establishes and the family can finally come together and re-establish the bond of family. The family now has the opportunity to do what it so needs to for healing .... communicate with eachother.

After 25 years, I am happy to say, I am one of those reconnected to both a friend and family member.

Two reconnections, both facilitated by, and impossible if not for, the internet!

Peace and love to you all!

LeePsycho

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