Day 2 – August 16 – Shawn Floss, SNUG 518 Outreach Worker

Day 2 –  August 16 – Albany, NY 2020 Peace Project

***the meditation can be found by clicking on the Soundcloud link below these words

Meet Shawn Floss SNUG 518 Outreach Worker.

I was so impressed when I interviewed Shawn.  His mind was lucid, his speech direct and his answers quick.  When I asked him questions like ‘How do you see a peaceful Albany?” and “Why have you had such staying power in a job that has rapid turnover?  and “How do you maintain your resilience under the exorbitantly high-stress levels.

Shawn is a man on a mission, who never forgets where he came from and where he never wants to return.  He is committed to encouraging kids to make different choices than he did.

Please see the brief video in this link to hear Shawn’s crystal clear vision for returning Albany back to the town that he felt safe in as a young child.

Regarding the Meditation: 

For best research practices, Please click on the meditation below at 7:00 AM, 12:00 PM, or 7:00 PM.  If you are unable to meditate at those times, still please meditate whenever you can!

Listen to Shawn share his passion.  He tells us how much his life has changed, and why he is so dedicated to his SNUG 518 work, even with the challenges.   He talks about how this job has offers him a lot more opportunity than when he was on the streets.

*** Please click on the Soundcloud link below to perform the meditation for peace in Albany, NY today.

Meet Gregory Sears, LMSW, SNUG Advocate, and Division of Criminal Justice Services representative (on the left).  Click on the video below to hear Greg get to the heart of the problem of peace.

Greg coincidentally describes the mission of the peace project when he passionately shares with us that in his mind, peace is an absence of internal chaos. Greg says that when we are at peace with ourselves, we can be at peace with other people who are different from us. YES! 

Greg passionately discusses how the work of SNUG is much bigger than the actual physical work they perform. Greg lets us in on a secret of why SNUG work is so effective; it is because there is a secret ingredient to SNUG work…#SnugLove. SNUG workers offer young people understanding, love, and compassion while providing straight talk, including guidance and discipline. Accountability is a word that is often used in this work.

SNUG love also means visiting their participants (kids they mentor) in the hospital f needed…at any time, day, or the middle of the night.

You can feel the peace the Greg exudes. I commented on how the kids must notice the “absence” of chaos within him. He agreed and said we needed more people to demonstrate being pillars of peace in the community. More people need to walk around exuding peace. He also talked about how kids need role models for peace and how the SNUG team works to be those role models for young people.  Please see the video below to hear more of Greg’s great insights.

• By the way, I have presented the idea several times police officials and chiefs the power of teaching heart coherence for young people in the DCJS system. Violence starts in people’s hearts, so why start anywhere else? After basic needs are met, let’s start at the epicenter of behavior, the human heart.
• I have often said that no amount of grant money could offer the results of young people sitting daily in a room doing meditation with others. You could not raise the amount of money needed to provide individuals with that much help with counseling. However, group meditation results are amazing. Meditation is available 24/7, does not require a device to be charged, its results are cumulative, and is free!   Why are we waiting?!?

As Blaise Pascal commented:

All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

Now, there’s a ton of science behind that statement.

Again…Why are we waiting????

Blessings, 
Bethany

PS. We are organizing a Chicago Peace Project. If you know of any Chicago based organizations that would like to partner with us, please reach out to: info@Peacefulcities.org

PPS. If you would like us to help you organize a Peace Project in your city, please reach out to: info@Peacefulcities.org

The post Day 5 – August 19 – Gregory Sears, LMSW, SNUG Advocate, and DCJS Representative appeared first on Global Peaceful Cities Project.

The post Day 5 – August 18 – Gregory Sears, LMSW, SNUG/DCJS Anti-violence advocate appeared first on Global Peaceful Cities Project.