Power of Empathy ~ Lidewij Niezink

 

The mindfulness movement is not just a west coast phenomenon for overworked, stressed-out individuals dissatisfied with their highly competitive lifestyles, sufferers of anger or depression, or those whose lives are sufficiently unwell to the extent that they are seeking ways to cope with personal health crises. It is very much a worldwide movement to expand awareness of the self and our relationship to others. People in other countries are exploring very positive uses for mindfulness in unusual settings. One such individual is, Lidewij Niezink, Ph.D., a psychological researcher that has discovered that empathy – or mindfulness, tenderness, perspective taking and compassion – can be very powerful tools in organizational change for fire departments where team work is all important. Fire departments, like other organizations, face challenges when leadership changes. Dilemmas and conflicts can undermine the cohesiveness of a team. Finding a balance between leading and following is important. Dr. Niezink was a self-avowed pessimist that weighed in on the empathy/sympathy-altruism question as a non-believer – until researching the subject extensively from a scientific perspective. She describes that, among other evidence, brain research using MRIs can actually distinguish perceptible changes in brain activity when powerful images evoke feelings of emotions such as sympathy, empathy, altruism, and compassion in subjects. Niezink’s attitude took a 180-degree turn.

Critics of human altruism have long held that men are motivated to “do good” because of self-centered interests.   In neuroscience the guiding belief is that others make us feel a particular way. They are the cause of our feelings, positive or negative. Photos compliments of Lidewij Niezink; Images from the “Mercurialis de Arte Gymnastica,” LXXII.

SHAN: How did you first become interested in empathy, altruism and compassion as a field of study using biology, psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy? LIDEWIJ: My background is in social- and organizational psychology. After three years as an undergraduate at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, I became interested in research on altruism and empathy. I approached professors at my university to discuss possibilities and the ball started rolling. The project, Considering Others in Need: On Altruism, Empathy and Perspective Taking, appealed to me on both a cognitive as well as a heart-level. There is so much trouble and strife in our world. We seem so obsessed with ourselves, wars, economics, politics, etc. What about the other side of that coin? Even in psychology, the main focus over the past 60 years has been on disorders, mental illnesses and what is wrong with humanity. Yet most of us are functioning rather “normal.” What do we know about “normal” healthy minds? How can we improve and practice in order to stay healthy? Positive psychology is approaching these questions and I guess you could say that my work is part of that movement.

I’ve researched the effects of empathy and perspective taking on helping behavior and altruism. Perspective taking is an important human capacity and the cognitive part of empathic concern. When we try to imagine what others are thinking, feeling or experiencing, we tend to ask ourselves: “how would I think/feel if I were in the shoes of that other person?” In social psychology, this is what we call an imagine-self perspective. We wonder what we would need if we would be in the shoes of that other person. Although this perspective is eliciting an emotional and cognitive reaction towards the situation of the other, it also has a flaw. After all, we are not really wondering what the other is experiencing. We keep turning around our own personal feelings and needs. It is no problem to ask yourself these questions. It probably gives you good insights in your own personal life. Yet when you attempt to help somebody else, you need to refocus your attention and awareness toward the other person. If you do not refocus you end up projecting what you would want or need in such a situation on the other. But the other person is not you. He or she might have completely different experiences and emotions than you would have. This is when the second perspective comes into play: Now that you know what you would feel, think and need, how about the other? In the imagine-other perspective we ask ourselves: What would this person experience in this situation? What are his or her needs? This second perspective elicits empathy —“an affective response that stems from the apprehension or comprehension of another’s emotional state or condition and is similar to what the other person is feeling or would be expected to feel.” (e.g. Eisenberg et al. 1994).

SHAN: What are some areas of conflict where using a behavioral model can be most successful in bringing about positive results? LIDEWIJ: The Restorative Justice principle is a problem-solving model for victims and perpetrators. It is very victim empowering and less punitive for the perpetrator than the regular justice system. It gives the victim, as well as the perpetrator, a chance to address a crime. Awareness of the deed and the way the victim was injured by it, as well as holding the perpetrator responsible can be very healing when brought out in the open. It is interesting in terms of empathy. Some victims and perpetrators actually develop empathy for the other. In fact, 75 percent of perpetrators and 80 percent of victims that have been surveyed using this model felt it was helpful. Organizational conflict is another area that can benefit from empathic awareness. Conflicts in organizations are most often between individuals. Unless there is no interest, these problems are usually solvable. When there is awareness of the causes of suffering, and empathy is applied to a situation of conflict between individuals, it has a broadening affect on perspective for those involved. To move someone out of anger, you have to emphasize the “togetherness” of whatever they are doing together and you’ll create openness that generates exploration and creativity.

The father of modern capitalism, Herbert Spencer, wrote about competition and self-survival as dominant traits in humans. (He came up with the phrase “survival of the fittest.”) But primatologist Frans de Waal has made extensive observations in nature that demonstrate that even animals as mice and primates show cooperation and empathy for one another. In reality humans are wired to cooperate, too. We have a need to cooperate. There is more to life than competition and survival. We do depend on each other. The caring capacity is there. We need to explore it more.

Wherever humans live, work, and play there are potentials for conflict. As we become more aware of others and our differences, we also become more aware of our similarities. Stressful family and personal relationships, work relationships and organizational relationships – experiences and changes that impact our daily lives bring new ways of perceiving situations and opportunities for conflict resolution with others.

To learn more about the work of Lidewij Niezink and how she helps individuals, groups, and organizations to cultivate empathy and compassion into their professional and personal lives see her YouTube video with Edwin Rutsch, Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucIwJtXpfGs&feature=youtu.be On LinkedIn see the groups she manages: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Empathy and http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Charter-Compassion You can also follow her on Twitter: @LidewijNi

For related information see: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu and www.restorativejustice.org

 

Update on May 30, 2021.

 

Lidewij Niezink, Ph.D., is now host of the Empathy and Charter for Compassion groups on LinkedIn. Dr. Niezink works with Edwin Rutsch, Founding Director of the Center for Building a Culture of Empathy and Compassion. Learn more about their Empathy Circles by visiting (http://cultureofempathy.com )

 

 

 

Shän Boggs is a writer and editor living in California. Her interests include science, technology, the environment, health, education, multimedia, art, and gourmet cooking. She is the author of a cookbook series for people with food sensitivities.

Tornado Research ~ Robin Tanamachi

 

Robin Tanamachi cannot remember a time when she was not fascinated by the beauty and complexity of the natural world. As a young girl, she learned she could turn to science and find answers. Growing up in Minnesota, the varied and dynamic weather became of special interest. How could the weather change so fast in such a short amount of time? Her many questions, as well as her gift for mathematics, were strongly encouraged by her parents whom she credits with her academic and professional pursuit of tornado research. Radar data taken in the 4 May 2007 Greensburg, Kansas tornadic supercell. The scans increase in elevation angle from top to bottom, showing that both the bounded weak echo region (BWER) and weak-echo hole (WEH) marking the tornado's location extend throughout the depth of the storm.

This was one of the first tornadoes I saw while engaged in severe weather research near Attica, KS, on 12 May 2004. The W-band radar collected vertical scans in this tornado as it passed over the road at the right side of the picture. “Mathematics is a Swiss army knife that enables you to solve all kinds of problems, scientific and otherwise,” says Robin Tanamachi. Photos/images provided by Robin Tanamachi.

SHAN: What attracted you to the research you are now doing? ROBIN: I grew up in Minnesota in the 1980s, and the medium of television was influential in my choice to become a meteorologist. For two main reasons, 1986 was a particularly pivotal year: (1) The PBS special, “NOVA: Tornado!” aired, which exposed me for the first time to tornado research and tornado scientists: Dr. Howard Bluestein (who later became my Ph.D. adviser) launching balloons into the sky, Don Burgess sitting in front of a prototype Doppler weather radar, Dr. Louis Wicker and his colleagues struggling to haul a 400-pound tornado probe out of a pickup truck with dark skies boiling overhead and lightning flashing all around. It didn’t matter a whit to me that almost all of the scientists featured in this program were male – I wanted to do what they did.  (2) In July 1986, a local TV station aired live news helicopter footage of a tornado damaging a Minneapolis suburb. That particular tornado had a beautiful, helical funnel. Later on, I learned that the scientists featured on the NOVA program were interested in studying the helicopter footage. The helical vortex structure had been produced in a laboratory tornado chamber, but there was some question as to whether a real tornado could ever take that shape, and the helicopter footage settled that question. The entire episode gave me a local connection to research being conducted hundreds of miles away on the Great Plains.

Severe weather researchers typically target rotating storms called supercells, like this one near Matador, TX in 2005. The University of Massachusetts W-band radar was my primary research instrument during my graduate studies with Dr. Howard Bluestein. Here, it is scanning a small storm in the Texas panhandle. Using dual-polarization radar technology, meteorologists can distinguish between areas of a storm where rain and hail are likely to be falling. Without any deviation, my educational trajectory took me from that point to my current career as a radar data analyst. I feel tremendously fortunate to have lived out my childhood ambitions. (Incidentally, all three of the scientists that I named in point (1) are now my professional colleagues, and I’ve co-authored papers with two of them.) Tornadoes, such as this one, are often spawned by supercell thunderstorms over the Great Plains of the United States.

SHAN: What are some of the improvements in the technology used for tornado research? ROBIN: One of the greatest advancements in tornado research technology is the Doppler radar, which enables scientists to measure wind speeds inside tornadoes from a safe distance away. Placing the radar on a truck or aircraft allows us to transport the radar to the tornado, rather than waiting for the tornado to come to the radar (which it rarely does). An exciting new radar technology innovation is called dual-polarization radar, in which the pulses transmitted by the radar are prescribed either a horizontal (H) or vertical (V) polarization. Different types of particles scatter back different amounts of energy in the H and V polarizations, enabling us to differentiate between raindrops, hail stones, snowflakes, and even non-meteorological scatterers like insects, birds, dust, and debris.

The University of Massachusetts W-band radar collects vertical slices through a nontornadic supercell at sunset near Silverton, TX on 21 May 2010. The undersides of storms are often decorated by pouch-like protuberances called mammatus clouds. When lit from the underside, they can be quite spectacular Using dual-pol radars to study tornadoes, we have found striking signatures for tornado debris within the vortex, as well as information about raindrop and hailstone sizes and shapes. The latter information may seem less interesting, but it is crucially important for diagnosing energy transfer within a storm.

Lightning and wet roads are actually greater hazards to severe weather researchers than tornadoes.   SHAN: Why do you think there are not more women with careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) areas? ROBIN: Science can be a fiercely competitive enterprise, particularly when the funding devoted to a certain field of research is small. That competition may be a turn-off for some women. Lack of comparable female role models certainly doesn’t help, either. In the atmospheric sciences, only 12% of tenured faculty positions are occupied by women. This radar truck has a phased array antenna instead of a traditional rotating dish. The beam is electronically rather than mechanically steered, so it can scan a volume of atmosphere up to six times faster.

Sadly, sexism is still a factor. However, that sexism is generally not the overt, “Girls aren’t good at science” sexism that we were all warned about. It manifests itself in the form of higher rejection rates for our manuscripts and proposals, greater skepticism of our findings, more frequent interruptions at meetings, and reduced recognition (pay, awards) for our efforts, among other things. It’s no wonder that female scientists come out feeling exhausted rather than accomplished. (Dr. Valerie Young enumerates many of these statistics in her book, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women.) This type of sexism is so insidious that those effecting the sexism may not even be aware that they are doing so! However, I am encouraged to see many talented women rising through the ranks and drawing up other young female scientists in their wake. I am also encouraged by institutional reforms that make STEM career tracks more flexible and family-friendly. These reforms will benefit both male and female scientists alike.

For more about women in science, please see the National Science Foundation link: http://www.nsf.gov/career-life-balance/brochure.pdf

Shän Boggs is a writer and editor living in California. Her interests include science, technology, the environment, health, education, multimedia, art, and gourmet cooking. She is the author of a cookbook series for people with food sensitivities.

Microclimates ~ Matt Haugland

To accurately predict weather, physicist Tzvi Gal-Chen once said, “it is believed that one needs to specify about ten million pieces of information about the initial structure of the atmosphere both vertically and horizontally… and to put it in a form that a computer can understand. This is not a simple task even in principle.” Photos and images compliments of Matthew Haugland, Shän Boggs, and Celia Jones.

Fog occurs in microclimates that are relatively cool and damp, such as this small valley near Llandovery, Wales, UK. As a boy growing up near San Francisco, California, Matthew Haugland was fascinated by the temperature variations in his own yard that he could measure with a thermometer. As a college student studying meteorology in Oklahoma, he pursued his interest in forecasting “microclimates” by purchasing five acres of land – an unusual property where the land rose 37 feet with significant temperature variations – and he erected six weather stations equipped with surplus sensors donated by his faculty advisor, Ken Crawford. For his Ph.D., his original plan was to use an existing forecast model to forecast on his piece of land. What Matt discovered was that existing forecast models ignored the meteorological mechanism that created the temperature variations. It was a fundamental assumption that was necessary for the models to function. So, his only option was to build his own model.

Small-scale temperature variations tend to be largest on clear nights with light wind. In the beginning, his computer model only forecasted nighttime temperature on his property. Then he tested the model in another area where nighttime temperatures were known to be relatively cold, and discovered that the model performed well in forecasting temperatures elsewhere.  It was then he realized his model could be very valuable for many other uses – from agribusiness to energy consumption. For example, citrus growers could mitigate risk by better frost forecasts and energy companies could better predict energy demand – to generate more power during peak times, thus avoiding the need to purchase energy at higher prices from other sources. What this meant statistically is that with every 1% improvement in temperature forecasts, a utility company could save $1 million.

One of Matt’s professors, Fred Carr, had heard about the Collegiate Inventors Competition and urged him to submit his model. He did so and, to his surprise, won the grand prize award for 2006 beating out impressive competition with breakthrough inventions in technology and medicine from America’s top universities. With the prize money, he was able to start his own company, NanoWeather, Inc.

SHAN: What is a microclimate? MATT: A microclimate is a small area that has a different climate from the larger area around it. By "small area," I mean anywhere from a few tens of feet up to the size of a large city. I think the best examples of microclimates are in the San Francisco Bay Area where I grew up. The average maximum temperature during July in San Francisco is 68 degrees (F). Just 25 miles to the east, in the San Ramon Valley (e.g., Danville, CA), the average high in July is 90. San Francisco averages 23" of rain per year, while Kentfield, about 10 miles north of the Golden Gate, gets more than double that amount. There are many examples of smaller microclimates within cities. For example, the eastern side of San Francisco is often sunnier and about 5 degrees warmer than the western side. The San Fernando Valley, near Los Angeles, is much warmer than areas closer to the coast. I have five acres of land here in Norman, Oklahoma, which is where I did the research behind the forecast model. On some nights, one side of it can be as much as 20 degrees warmer/cooler than the other side, only 600 feet away.

NanoWeather temperature forecast for Santa Clara County, California, showing large temperature variations and inversions (i.e., areas where higher elevations are warmer than lower elevations). On the West Coast of North America, south-facing slopes (such as this one near Malibu, California) tend to have more precipitation than other areas, which makes them more green and forested. There are even smaller microclimates if you want to get into botany and entomology. Microclimates that exist on the scale of a few inches can affect plants and bugs.

SHAN: What are the benefits of being able to forecast an environment closely? MATT: There are many benefits, depending on who you are and what you do. If you are a farmer, you're likely in a different microclimate than the nearest airport (where most weather data and forecasts are for). A few degrees can be the difference between frost and no frost. Wine growers are especially sensitive to this. It is the variety of microclimates, after all, that allows California to produce so many different kinds of wine. Some grapes are extremely sensitive to temperature. Wine grapes are very sensitive to weather. The type of grape and its location on the vineyard are selected to take advantage of each unique microclimate. High-resolution wind forecast for Whistler, British Columbia. NanoWeather provided these to help with weather decision support for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Wind farms tend to be built in microclimates that have unusually high wind speeds. Knowing the wind speed at their exact location lets them predict how much power they will generate. For other types of energy companies, temperature is very important for predicting demand. If it's 85 degrees at the airport but 95 degrees where most people live, energy usage will be a lot more than expected. Companies in a wide variety of industries have meteorologists on staff. But there's no way a single forecaster (or even a team of 100) could forecast for every microclimate they need to know about. So having an automated system that can forecast for hundreds of thousands of locations in a short period of time can save them a lot of time and money. It also can help the forecasters do their jobs better.

SHAN: How do you achieve optimum results and accuracy with your technology? MATT: It is able to resolve microclimates as small as 300 feet across, so it can give a forecast for a precise location. Automated forecasting systems are generally one of two things: a) low-resolution numerical models or b) statistical methods based on low-resolution model data combined with measurements from weather stations. The models are not very accurate because they assume the landscape is smooth and homogeneous. In other words, they assume microclimates don't exist. Statistical methods can represent microclimates, but only at locations with weather stations. That's why most forecasts are for airports.

NanoWeather dewpoint forecast for the Coachella Valley in Southern California. The impacts of individual farms and crop types can be seen. [Dewpoint is a measure of the moisture content in the air.] My technology does not rely on statistics, so it works well everywhere. It uses the low-resolution models to determine the general, large-scale weather pattern. Then it uses physics to determine how the large-scale weather pattern will interact with each microclimate. So it has the advantages of both of the standard methods, but without either of their disadvantages.

NanoWeather, Inc., has diverse customers, from energy companies as Pacific Gas & Electric, to weather companies, including AccuWeather. Using the technology originally intended only for Matt’s five acres of land in Oklahoma, NanoWeather’s forecasts now reach approximately 200,000 paid subscribers and tens of millions of users around the world. It is estimated that almost half of the world economy is sensitive to weather and climate. With climate change, these economical and timely forecasts are becoming even more important for weather sensitive industries, and the system’s unique design makes it easy to fit different customers’ needs.

Weatherwise Magazine has dubbed Matthew Haugland - “Master of Microclimates.” For more information about NanoWeather, Inc., please contact info@nanowx.com or visit: www.nanowx.com

  

For more about Microclimate examples visit:

http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Microclimate.html

Also, see MetLink resources for teaching weather and climate:

http://www.metlink.org/weather-climate-resources-teenagers/key-stage-4-weather/ks4-microclimates.html

Check out the National Geographic Education archived lesson on Microclimate in the Schoolyard to see a Science Lesson for Kids:

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/archive/xpeditions/lessons/08/g68/prairies68.html?ar_a=1

Shän Boggs is a writer and editor living in California. Her interests include science, technology, the environment, health, education, multimedia, art, and gourmet cooking. She is the author of a cookbook series for people with food sensitivities.

Project GRAD LA ~ Ford Roosevelt

 

Volunteers from Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) Los Angeles fan out into a San Fernando Valley neighborhood, going door to door. They look like they are canvassing the community for an election, but instead of political flyers they carry “graduation contracts.” With a list of student names, they know the signatures they seek to obtain before the sun goes down – incoming sixth grade students to one of four middle schools that comprise a “feeder pattern” into San Fernando High School. Leading the “Walk for Success” is Ford Roosevelt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Project GRAD Los Angeles. Among the volunteers are former graduates of the program, staff from Project GRAD headquarters in North Hollywood, and some pretty impressive funders that support the organization’s work–Michael Eisner included.

Former Project GRAD Scholars now on staff. Clockwise from top right:  Julisa Chavez, Maricela Gallegos, Alejandra Fregozo, Eliana Mendoza, Christina Gutierrez, Natalie Frausto, Yasmin Soltero, Jose Alcala and Bulmaro Huante They can be very persuasive in getting students to sign the Agreement that states that they will stay in school and graduate from high school having completed a college-prep curriculum. Parents must also sign the contract and agree to support Project GRAD rules, which state that homework is completed on time, school attended every day, and classroom rules are obeyed. Mutual respect among students and teachers is also required.  “We believe that a college education is a right, not a privilege,” explains Ford.

 

For those students that participate, graduate from high school and maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average, the reward can be a scholarship to a four-year college. In a time when budget cuts to education are epidemic, this commitment by public and private sector partners, teachers and principals, parents and families, and community-based non-profits is an important step in increasing college graduation rates for first-generation students from low-income backgrounds.

Shan: How does the model for Project GRAD work? Ford: The Project GRAD model is based on four inter-connected strategies for increasing student performance that are precursors to college: Academic Enrichment; Parent Engagement; College Awareness, Readiness, and Retention; and Community Partnerships.

Project GRAD works directly with students and parents in the North East San Fernando Valley to raise aspirations and help prepare students to graduate from high school and college. For us, that work begins as early as possible and involves providing wrap-around services as students move throughout the educational pipeline. These services include academic enrichment, tutoring, summer programs, a college readiness curriculum, and parent programs.

Morning sign in table at the 2011 Walk For Success.  About 1000 families from the community came to a community fair to learn about college and how to access resources in schools to be better prepared for college.  Project GRAD Los Angeles High School Site Coordinator, Yasmin Soltero is in foreground on the right.

Shan: What are some of the innovative ways Project GRAD keeps students engaged on a regular basis? Ford: One example, Project GRAD uses to get students on board early is an intensive 4-week summer institute for 7th and 8th graders focused on algebra and robotics. We know that algebra proficiency is a key indicator for college success. After the first Project GRAD Los Angeles Algebra and Robotics Summer Institute, student readiness for Algebra was tested and every student placed well enough to enter Algebra I (and after one semester, 85% of students earned a “C” or better). According to former LAUSD Superintendent, Roy Romer, failure in algebra “triggers dropouts more than any single subject.”    Our robotics programs have nothing to do with whether or not the students we work with are not as smart as students in wealthier communities. It's more a matter of bringing additional learning opportunities to our students that are similar as those in wealthier communities, which are just expected and a common practice. We are trying to level the playing field and create the same opportunities for learning and support as happens within wealthier communities. Students who do not pass Algebra 1 in the 9th grade, are less likely to graduate from high school, let alone attend college. And for those students who do pass, and go on to college, too many must take remedial math before they are ready for college-level math.

Following the second summer institute, 90% of students after one semester had earned a “C” or better in Algebra I (36% earned an “A”, 33% earned a “B,” and 21% earned a “C.”) The institute includes mornings devoted to learning algebraic concepts, and afternoons applying those concepts to building and programming Lego robots.   We continue to support our students, 90% of whom are the first in their family to attend college, through the community college and university level. In collaboration with several higher education partners, Project GRAD is working to create the systemic change necessary to enable more first-generation college students to persist once they make it to college. Up to 160 students learn through hands-on, real-life applications of algebra to compete each year in the “Robot Olympics” at the conclusion of the 4-week intensive institute.

Project GRAD Los Angeles works with about 14,000 students in four middle schools and four high schools. Presently, 580 Project GRAD Scholars are enrolled in colleges and universities across the country.  Since 2005, 230 Scholars have earned their college degrees.

One of 10 Project GRAD sites across the country, Project GRAD Los Angeles was founded in 1999 with substantial support from The Eisner Foundation and The Ford Foundation. For more information about Project GRAD Los Angeles and ways to contribute, visit: www.projectgradla.org or call 818-760-4695.

Shän Boggs is a writer and editor living in Los Angeles. Her interests include science, technology, the environment, health, education, multimedia, art, and gourmet cooking. She is the author of a cookbook series for people with food sensitivities.

Invisible Children ~Aaron Gentry Boggs

 

Weeks before Aaron Gentry Boggs graduated from high school, another student showed a documentary at an assembly by three young southern California filmmakers who had gone to Africa seeking to have a film adventure.  Instead, they had a life-changing experience – capturing on film the heart-wrenching exodus of children in northern Uganda fleeing from the Lord’s Resistant Army (LRA), a guerilla force of Acholi religious extremists that had kidnapped an estimated 22,000 children and forced them into military service to fight against their own families.  The filmmakers, Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole, had been so moved by the children they met that fled each night to “safe houses” to avoid kidnapping ordered by LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony, that they set up a non-profit foundation, Invisible Children (IC), to provide aid to children and displaced families.  They were taking volunteers.  Dangerous or not, Aaron wanted to volunteer and help in whatever way he could.

Aaron with friend, Tony, one of the Invisible Children. Photos compliments of LIA and IC volunteers and staff.  “Immediately after I saw the documentary, I called my friend Erin Kelly,” Aaron recalls. “I had heard she had a cousin in Uganda.  My friend said her cousin would be visiting California and I could talk to her about any questions I had.”   The cousin arrived in California.  Christina Jordan, a linguist, had founded art foundation Life In Africa (LIA) after one of her Ugandan employees had his children kidnapped by the LRA.  Christina had personally gone into the jungle to negotiate their release.  Deeply affected by the experience, she returned to Kampala determined to do something.  Her idea was to develop art co-ops to “create art not war” and she obtained sponsorship by the founder of E-Bay to sell co-op art on the Internet. Aaron met with Christina.  She put his mind at ease about any serious dangers to volunteers.  She was also willing to be Aaron’s sponsor in Uganda, as well as Megan Kelly’s sponsor (Erin Kelly’s sister), who had decided she wanted to volunteer. The final piece fell into place when Aaron’s mom, who hadn’t figured out what she wanted to get Aaron as a high school graduation present, gave him a roundtrip ticket to Uganda.

 

There were no direct flights from Los Angeles to Kampala.  Megan and Aaron had to hop-scotch continents, from Washington, D.C. to Italy, and then Italy to Ethiopia to catch a flight to Kampala, Uganda.  It took days to get there.  At the Entebbe Airport they were met by two Life In Africa representatives, Peter and Gilbert, who then drove them to LIA headquarters.  After they recovered from jet-lag, Megan and Aaron undertook an intensive LIA orientation to prepare them to work with artisans and teach art classes to children.  Then they were off to Gulu in northern Uganda where the Invisible Children stayed.  Megan Kelly and Aaron preparing to go to Gulu.   “We rented a mini van and one of the other LIA organizers, Grace, went up with us.  It took four or five hours…  We crossed the Nile.  It was beautiful.  Heavy rapids.  Monkeys everywhere.  We also saw baboons,” Aaron shares.

Along the way, they gave a lift to two young government soldiers with huge guns that had rounds of clips.  “They dropped one of the guns.  I flinched.  I was sure it would go off.  These guys were ready for WWIII.” They stayed at a compound with the Invisible Children and then moved into a hostel for IC volunteers, where Aaron would see Bobbie Bailey and Laren Poole, who were deeply involved in film work.  By day Aaron taught LIA art classes and by night hung out with other IC volunteers.  At night they were grateful for the safe house, as they heard LRA gunfire in the jungle.  Michael, David and Tony – Aaron’s closest friends  -- were, themselves, Invisible Children who had had family members killed by the LRA.

 

Because of Aaron’s high school computer skills, he transitioned from teaching Life In Africa art classes to kids to teaching typing and basic computer skills to adults for the Invisible Children organization using low energy computers.  “There were rolling black outs every week. In Gulu the power would be off for a week at a time. You had to haul your own water from a well to the compound in these huge yellow plastic bottles like gas cans. We took sponge baths or cold showers.” Aaron worked for two months as a volunteer in Uganda, where he celebrated his 19th birthday.  “I’m really happy that I did this, that I worked in Uganda and got to know people. That it wasn’t a vacation. I didn’t stay in a fancy hotel.” “I think it’s important to help people make their lives better,” says Aaron.  “When I was there, there were no public schools - only private schools, so only families with money could afford education. Invisible Children is helping to support children with scholarships to get an education. Life In Africa is trying to help build infra-structure, putting money back into the community to build houses, schools, provide electricity – through art. And there are other groups that are trying to help also.”

Teaching art classes. Working with artisans from the cooperative. Artisans making peace tiles for sale through the Life In Africa website.

As of this writing, Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistant Army, is still at large. Invisible Children has a real-time network - the LRA Crisis Tracker – that sends out warnings in the areas where LRA is believed to be active. For more information, please visit: www.invisiblechildren.com

For more information about Life In Africa Uganda and Life In Africa USA foundations, 
please visit: http://lifeinafrica2.com

update on 3/8/12

After this blog posted, these sites featured the filmmakers of Invisible Children and their worldwide campaign focus on the creation of Joseph Kony Day - April 20, 2012 - to demand policymakers focus on the capture of Joseph Kony as a top priority.

To see the Kony 2012 Documentary and learn more, please visit:

http://media.theage.com.au/system/ipad/kony-2012-documentary-3107430.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-03-08/invisible-children-kony-2012/53422862/1

video.pbs.org/video/2208001602

 

Shän Boggs is a writer and editor living in California. Aaron Gentry Boggs is her son.