New Zealand - Poland Business Council

There are a lot of Polish people living in New Zealand who are serious about developing stronger business cooperation between these 2 countries.

After our first attempt 15 years ago this Tuesday, Polish Ambassador Zbigniew Gniatkowski and Honorary Consul Bogdan Nowak were running the first  “think -tank” meeting as a seed for a NZ/PL Business Council. 

The meeting was very constructive. 

What a meeting!

Last Wednesday at Kawaipurapura Centre there was a beautiful meeting with Dr. Rangimarie Turuki Arikirangi Rose Pare – a spiritual authority.

 She was the Young Maori Woman of the year in 1972,  and in 1990 was awarded with a Commemoration Medal. She is known internationally as White Eagle Medicine Woman of Peace.

During the meeting there was lots of laughter, tears and healing. When asked as to who will be her successor she answered . Nobody - I am the last. People will not need tohungas/healers they have the opportunity to awaken their own dormant healing power. Society has reached a critical mass where there is enough self- knowledge and love for all humanity, to provide for their own well-being. .

Catch up in Bethells Beach Retreat

On Wednesday, Gus Simunovich organised a beautiful gathering at the Retreat in Henga – Betles Beach Rd. The room was full of parents with their kids – the majority of toddler’s age. All were excited and happy.

Gus and Siri Embla told us how their daughter Liv Nola is doing the best back massage for them – Together with her parents she was involved with our CMC course in Kawaipurapura last year. Live Nola is almost 17 months old now.  It was very nice to catch up again with a couple who are CMC instructors.

Greenhithe Kindergarten

 Our instructor Brenda Duncan brought CMC to Greenhithe Kindergarten in October " We had a great time learning how to teach children to massage children.

Our first session we had a few kids that weren't keen but they watched everybody else. By the next session we had all the kids involved.

The kids really enjoyed it and and also learn't new vocabulary eg reflexology, thymus and one child remembered  those words but didn't participate in the first session.

It was very successful".

Well done  Brenda !

Anna back to University

Our Intern from Sweden Anna is back at university . She gave a presentation about her practice in NZ. There was a lot of interest about our country. Lots of questions and lots of stories making NZ closer to Sweden as our social problems in certain areas are similar. We wish Anna success in her studies and a good use of skills end experiences she received in New Zealand

Children are less and less familiar with touch

It has been 15 years since CMC programme was born. Everything was made possible and went smoothly because I have my sports massage clinic at YMCA Mt Albert. Holiday programme created for us great circumstances to master and improve the idea of familiarising children with positive touch through massage. On 30^th of September, after few years long break I run a CMC session again at Mt Albert.

Sad conclusion came out of this experience. Children are less and less familiar with touch. The biggest problem kids had during this session? Simple head stroking. One of student even innocently asked “Is it legal” ?

We – massage professionals and teachers need to act fast and stop the process of alienation and loss of empathy in society.

„Closing presentation at Social Entrepreneur course"

 8 weeks course - completed! 10 graduates did their presentations today.  Mine was entitled  “the Value of Empathy – CMC delivered nationwide”. I was the first to present. Audience received it enthusiastically.  Children Massaging Children stands for  Hauora from the School Curriculum. It's user friendly and easy to replicate in different countries and languages. The audience has picked up on those points because they are strong exporting features of the CMC.  Next step will be to present CMC as TED talk early next year. 

At the WellFest event

20/21 September - WellFest  was a big and a vibrant event. 

We shared our stand with Dee Pigneguy - an expert at introducing  nutrition and gardening into schools.

 During the event I delivered two presentations and received excellent feedback. 

The time spent there was packed with making new contacts, networking with like-minded people and promoting the idea of peer massages in education system. Very fruitful event for Child Connection.

Sir Ken Robinson talk

I just listened to the talk by Sir Ken Robinson  it’s from 4 years ago. Unfortunately today it’s just as relevant, because not much has changed.

He makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning - creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish. "Unfortunately we have built our education systems on the model of fast food."  
Sir Ken refers to Abraham Lincoln who in 1876 said that "The dogma of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present" . He concludes that  “When evolution isn't working, revolution is needed “It’s a pleasure to listen to him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LelXa3U_I

Peer Massage in America

My friend and colleague Thea Blair from the U.S.A. reports that she recently held her first whole-school Peaceful Hands (peer massage) training a a Waldof charter school near Denver, Colorado.

There were 23 teachers  19 were quite enthusiastic, 3 were doubtful and one was outright antagonistic. One of the teachers complained that this kind of touching was not like a game of tag or a clapping game between children - it was "intimate".  Thea agreed with her and started a conversation on the topic of what "intimate" means and how it is that there are certain words are off-limits now because society has placed a sexual connotation upon them. Words like "passion" and "pleasure" and "deep" and "intimate".

After the first two sessions the teachers who clearly did not want to practice Peaceful Hands in their classroom were excused. After that they had a blast! The teachers are eager to begin a pilot program at their own school.

The Hug that saved a life

It can be difficult to explain it in rational way.
Why does such a simple gesture as a hug from stronger premature twin bring back to life a weaker twin sister, regulating and tuning her heart rate and bringing her back to life
Now they are  teenagers.
Maybe even a believer of rational/academic science can take this topic for a short meditation :)    Click here  to watch this beautiful video that shows the power of touch.

Business plan

Yes, it is a new business plan for "CMC – Hauora lessons NZ nationwide".
 If you are familiar with the old fashioned business plans – with SWAT analysis etc, where you used to spent weeks and months ,

this A4 diagram looks like fun..

It is Canvas business model that I will work on during my 8 week Social Entrepreneur course at the Auckland University of Technology, run by the Auckland City Council .

For me this diagram looks fantastic. I hope that by working on this model during the course, it will bring a solution on how to make our instructors busy delivering CMC nationwide. Our children, and all of us, deserve a professional , evidence based programme that teaches empathy, a foundation for an empathic society. 

Massage NZ AGM

Sunday was the AGM for Massage NZ.
It was well organized, and very constructive.   It gave the members an opportunity  to put forward their views on the challenges of the marketplace, and how to become more flexible to meet these demands.
The suggestions were constructive and they were all accepted for immediate action.  Yoka, as president of the organization, is to be congratulated for an outstanding performance.
For Child Connection, it was also a pleasure to meet up with many of its former CMC instructor students.
In the picture - from the left is Yvonne from Nelson, Eva and Lesley from Napier.

Leopard loves getting a massage !

This adorable big cat can be heard purring as loud as a locomotive in the video posted to YouTube.

http://youtu.be/nPMi136tURg

Global Movement

Pro Touch Society has become a global movement.

Sometimes good ideas are waiting for ages in the form of a seed in the minds of people around the globe, and one single action triggers a spark that connects all these minds, creating a fast growing worldwide movement. 

We can all witness anti-touch campaigns. Youtube shows us examples of children and students being punished for the simple act of empathy with touch. How much we can see these and remain silent.?

Gill Tree sparked a movement with her Manifesto http://gilltree.com/manifesto/

Keep an eye on our blog, there will be plenty of good news to come.

Pro Touch Society

What are the consequences if, on a international scale, institutions continue to advise against touch?
With the media impressing on us almost daily the negative effects of inappropriate touch we ar failing to recognise the negative effects of not touching.

 On UK National Massage Day, Friday 16th May 2014,  hundreds of Massage Therapists formed a  conga line from St Thomas' Hospital to The Houses of Parliament to bring awareness that touch is not something to be feared, not a luxury, but a necessary part of preventative health care.

Child Connection Trust is a part of the Pro -Touch Society movement initiated by Jill Tree.

http://gilltree.com/manifesto/  

CMC programme at HIPPY, Henderson

On Tuesday I presented the Children Massaging Children (CMC) programme to HIPPY, Henderson branch.

The response of mums and children was excellent. It was a real pleasure to listen to the mum's comments regarding secure attachment and it's connection with sensory stimulation.It allowed them to understand what bonding with a child 

is all about

Even though it was a short time that I spent with the students, I got the feeling that CMC would fit very well into what HIPPY is doing - helping children, young people and families to flourish.

Anna Public Speaking

One of the objectives of Anna’s internship was to practice public speaking.

At the finish of her internship, she took the opportunity to deliver a lecture on Child Development at the YMCA in Mt. Albert, Auckland. This is a serious task and demonstrated much that Anna had learned during her stay in Auckland. 
The audience was not big, but very demanding, and included a member of the board of trustees of Child connection Trust, Christine Clark, teacher and author.

Anna was excellently prepared.  After 15 weeks of internship in our organisation, Anna was well versed on the topic of “why secure attachment is number one for children’s upbringing”.

 The practical demonstration also went perfectly. We all wish Anna to continue her training in public speaking