I'm going to post all of my President's Messages from Stream of Dreams Murals Society Newsletters here on my blog to help get the society some PR. I'll just do all of the old ones on this date, and then post fresh ones in the future.
My president's message for the December 2008 Stream of Dreams Murals Society Newsletter:
People are complaining about soggy west-coast winter weather. I say it’s all in the head. I love the autumn rains because they stimulate returning salmon to swim up creeks and streams.Why not view things positively? Instead of SAD being Seasonal Affective Disorder, think of it as Salmon Arrival Delight! I admit sun is nice, too, so the water is not too high and you can see the fish when you’re counting them, or simply appreciating the wonder of their return.
The Stream of Dreams program is about water, and deals with issues that can cast a gloomy cloud: pollution, rampant urbanization, watershed destruction, detachment from nature, and so on. Yet our teams do a great job of sharing beauty and hope while enhancing community spirit. Our teachers help students come up with positive actions that the kids take home and share with their families and neighbours.
I was at a workshop a few weeks ago on climate change. At one point a man in the audience jumped up and shouted that nothing changes, and “some will live and some will die” and there’s nothing we can do about anything. Whew. Unfortunately, he left and missed a wonderful tale. It was a story about time-traveling twenty years into the future and the wonders of the environmentally, socially and economically sustainable world that had been created––one step at a time, using technology that mostly exists today. As long as we start making better choices now…
That’s what Stream of Dreams does––it imagines a better future and how we all can get there. So let’s follow the example of those indomitable salmon as they fight their way upstream in the rain, and fish by Dreamfish, let’s keep spawning ideas in minds, changing one at time toward a better future.
Download the entire newsletter (PDF).
My president's message for the June 2008 Stream of Dreams Murals Society Newsletter:
Spring has finally sprung and fry have been popping up in streams and creeks in our neighbourhoods.This birth part of the salmon life cycle is an inspiring time, and I always feel uplifted when I spot fry in my local creek. I wish the wee tykes safe travels though I know that only a fraction of 1% of them will make it back to spawn. Such harsh statistics might seem sad, but you can also admire such persistence against overwhelming odds. “My” stream––Byrne Creek in southeast Burnaby, BC––has pollution and sedimentation problems, as do many urban waterways, and I feel relieved when I see fry appear and know they’ve made it through the winter.
Every fry counts, and every volunteer, every SDMS team member, every child, and every parent counts. It is all those small, individual efforts and individual awakenings that add up to great accomplishments.
When the local initiative that spawned Stream of Dreams began taking shape some ten years ago, nobody knew that it would grow into a program that would migrate across BC, across Canada, and eventually face international demand. I feel honoured to be part of this amazingly successful organization that spreads the word about keeping local watersheds clean and healthy––for the fry, for other animals, and for all of us.
Download the entire June 2008 Newsletter.
My president's message for the December 2007 Stream of Dreams Murals Society Newsletter:
What is it about Stream of Dreams that keeps me involved, that keeps me going? I think that answering that question would reveal a lot about our organization.First, the people. “It’s the people” is a tired cliché touted by corporate management and consultants, but our people are our power. We have an incredible group of dedicated, focused, creative people who believe in what they are doing, and who have fun doing it. The SDMS program simply could not be delivered in an effective manner without passionate people. That is true for all of our teams –– they simply would not work if they were not made up of self-sacrificing, hard-working, inspirational people.
Second, our program. These days we are inundated by doom and gloom. I was recently at a conference where a keynote was entitled: “Is Humanity Inherently Unsustainable?” Ouch! Yet our program is one of environmental education, art and hope that targets children –– children who have the opportunity of being better stewards of Earth than previous generations have.
And last, our culture of doing rather than stewing. SDMS just keeps getting things done, and somehow the funding and administration follow. Like the salmon that guide us, we stubbornly keep swimming upstream. Here’s to great developments in 2008!
Download the entire December 2007 Newsletter.
My president's message for the June 2007 Stream of Dreams Murals Society Newsletter:
Thank you to all our hard-working teams, volunteers, staff, board directors, members and supporters! The SDMS continues to add teams and partnerships across Canada, and our award-winning educational program is reaching more participants at an ever-increasing pace. We couldn’t do it without you. It is a privilege to work with such passionate people, and I hope we can set up some events at which teams, staff, directors and volunteers can meet each other, and share techniques and ideas.Polls show that Canadians are increasingly concerned about environmental issues, and we can capitalize on this trend to further spread our message of the importance of caring for our watersheds. All of those beautiful fish swimming on fences across our nation are symbols of hope for a future with clean water and a sustainable environment. I wish all of you well with your endeavours.
Download the entire June 2007 Newsletter.
Posted by Paul at January 16, 2009 07:15 PM