Projects
The Rhizome Way creates practical frameworks that in turn create opportunities within relationships, organizations, corporations and community structures.
On this page we highlight particular projects wherein we see a Rhizome Way work being put forward. We want to explore these projects together, examine the details of their construction, share in the joys and frustrations which accompany such creation attempts.
Rhizome Way
Residential Care for Children and Youth
We begin with a project which has been spearheaded by Christopher Kinman and Drew Moore. It is an attempt to redefine the work of residential service for children and youth in government care. The actual work of care is re-examined, but so is the nature of contractual relationships between funding sources, caregivers and support services.
Some Thoughts on this Work
1. We experience our world, our place within that world and ourselves only through the context of relationship.
2. Children and youth have an innate drive towards health – growth and development. We need to recognize this drive, find ways of joining with the child or youth in this drive.
3. Children and youth often engage in conversations using nonverbal means to express their desires and needs in relation to their growth and development.
4. The children and youth we service present behaviours that express their understanding of themselves and their world. These behaviours are the equivalent of words, and they are the child’s or youth’s best efforts at expressing himself or herself at that particular point in time.
5. The changes we see occurring for this youth are in actuality the development of the youth toward his/her own maturity -- emotional, psychological, physiological and spiritual maturity. These changes always occur in conjunction with significant relationships within her/his world.
6. The relationship between caregivers and the youth is the point where the most potential for growth and development occur. We say caregivers (plural) because we include the assigned caregiver(s) and the child’s or youth’s own family and community.
7. We see it as our work to maintain a primary focus upon the relationship between caregivers and the child or youth. This relationship-location is where life-effecting work occurs. Therefore, we understand our work as with relationships, not with individual people.
8. In order to fully support this work those surrounding the caregivers and child or youth must view themselves as in positions of support – not authority. Our work is to enable such a network of rhizome-relationships to work toward the support of the relationships between child/youth and caregivers.
9. Compassion is the only foundation that will effectively support the growth and development of the youth. This compassion must be circulated freely, not only directed one way. Compassion must be directed toward the caregivers as well as to the child or youth. To talk of compassion for the child or youth but not direct that compassion to the others connected to the child or youth is a breach in the movements of compassion. The children and youth will typically be the first to perceive such a breach, and to be troubled by it.
10. This is a work of relationship... this work creates environments that support and nurture the development, stability and longevity of relationships between those caring for children and youth and those children and youth being cared for. This includes the relationships between the caregiver and caregiver’s family, but it also includes the children’s or youth’s relationships with his/her own family and community.
