Hi,
As an outside civilian, I think I can see what Anthony is saying, and
also what others are saying. There are meanings and effects from the
past which people who are building up new services around the world
can't be expected to engage with a) because they have so much going
on in the present in building the future, and that is what they need
to be thinking and talking about; and b) those meanings and effects
are simply part of the present in which they have to work, in the way
that any landscape is simply a fact for people whose job is to get
across it, to extend the horizon and build new paths and so on. How
the landscape came to be as it is is not immediately obviously of
value. More importantly, being drawn away from the task at hand into
the history and meaning of the landscape through which you're passing
can be distracting, if not overwhelming and potentially dangerous
(walking down into the Grand Canyon, being taken by the power of the
forces manifest around you, and missing a step; or standing at the
top of a cathedral, looking nonchalantly over the edge, and finding
yourself overwhelmed by the desire for flight).
On the other hand, knowing how the landscape came to be as it is
becomes essential at those points where the apparent familiarity of
it comes to an end. When, for no obvious reason or with no obvious
warning, communities find themselves blocked, or endangered, or at
the edge of an abyss or a jungle, having taken what appeared a moment
before to be a clear and beaten path. At those moments, a knowledge
of the history of the landscape can become absolutely vital. A prior
knowledge will have thrown up the warning signs, indicated the
reasons, and suggested where that apparently beaten path was heading.
Having in hand that knowledge will clarify what your choices at
moments of crisis probably are, and what the consequences of
different strategies are likely - but not certainly - to be.
Furthermore, these moments of crisis are not just in the mega-sphere,
of the lives of whole communities; but (and here I'm speaking less as
an outsider/civilian, and more from my ten years living and working
in a therapeutic community for children) they arise, continually,
every day, for the individual, in their working. People who know the
past, and are in internal dialogue with it, are better equipped to
meet and creatively negotiate the abysses and terrors of everyday
life than people who have only their own, and contemporaries'
experience to understand and navigate by. But - a big 'but' - that
past must be rich and real. Dialogue with an unreal past is more
dangerous than no dialogue at all.
Which is a very long and apologetic plea for a robust discussion and
exploration of the history, while understanding the argument that
this may not be the best place for it, not least because of the
limitations of email. Anthony suggests a chat room. I'd like to
suggest a face-to-face get-together in the Archive and Study Centre,
modelled on the Wellcome Witness approach. If you're not familiar
with this, it involves key people in the development of a thing
coming together, and combining formal sharing of memories with live
debate, with a participating audience of key people of another kind,
all recorded and transcribed (with confidentiality and copyright
safeguards). You know who the key people would be from the Alpha
House and early Concept days. People who are currently building up
services around Europe (and some students and researchers?) could
form the audience. They could ask questions from their present
experience, and learn without being overwhelmed or distracted from
other tasks. It would be a contained weekend, with lessons and
learning for everyone. One of which, I'm willing to bet, is that
there is no such thing as "the past". But an awful lot of Future.
With apologies for length,
Craig
This, of course, is a metaphor; and in real life
At 10:09 09/03/2007, you wrote:
> Hi
>
>We seem to be getting in a bit of a fankle (sorry - Scots expression) on
>this latest thread. I'm reluctant to close it off or drive it into the
>Chat-Room since it's exactly the sort of discussion the list was created
>for. It seems to me that the thread was/is covering two distinct areas:
>
>1. The history of European TCs and the mistakes they have made and
>whether we can learn from them - Peter in particular felt that we were
>glossing over the mistakes. My view is that whilst that may have
>happened on this list, on other lists the reverse is true. I think that
>a discussion of past problems is useful to developing our discussion
>about ways forward.
>
>2. The problem of alcohol-use in European TCs - this thread seems to me
>to divide into two sub-threads. First there is the issue of the
>pressures exerted by the system on staff who are expected to function as
>role models and how problems are dealt with when they arise. The second
>is the re-introduction or re-integration of residents into a society
>where drinking alcohol is the norm.
>
>What I would propose is that I start two new discussion threads to
>separate this two distinct issues out. I'm not going to be very
>democratic about this - my view is that if people don't agree with this
>analysis/development they will simply not respond to the new threads.
>
>But I am anxious that we include more members of the list in these
>discussions and I look forward to all your views.
>
>
>Rowdy Yates
>Senior Research Fellow
>Scottish Addiction Studies
>Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology Section
>Department of Applied Social Science
>University of Stirling
>
>W: http://www.dass.stir.ac.uk/sections/scot-ad/
>
>T: +44(0)1786 - 467737
>
>M: 07894- 864897
>
>NOTE: EFTC Conference, 6 - 9 June 2007, Ljubljana, Slovenia
>
>W: http://www.eftc-europe.com/conferentie/
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Therapeutic Communities
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Anthony
>Slater
>Sent: 09 March 2007 09:57
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject:
>Importance: High
>
>Good luck Stewart. Most of what you refer to in your postings has been
>well documented in the literature, Broekaert, Kooyman, Yates and others.
>
>The past provides us all with learning lessons, as you point out.
>There are many new therapeutic communities throughout Europe who are
>building their expertise on present time experience, standards and
>values.
>
>It is not them who need to pull their heads out of the sand, at all.
>
>I look forward to meeting you at some point in the future; and we can
>talk about this more should you so wish.
>
>I do hope you are recovering from your recent car accident and wish you
>well with your proposed book regarding your experiences.
>
>
>
>
>Anthony Slater.
>
>Director, Phoenix Haga.
>President, E.F.T.C.
>Folkenborgveien 198,
>1850 Mysen, Norway.
>Tel: + 47 69 89 82 50.
>Fax: + 47 69 89 82 51.
>e-post: [log in to unmask]
>http://www.phoenixhouse.no
>http://www.eftc-europe.com
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Therapeutic Communities
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stewart
>Dickson
>Sent: 9. mars 2007 10:33
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Dope Fiends in Disneyland
>
>The point I was trying to make is that the effectiveness of some of the
>early TC appears to being forgotten and yes their was abuse and despite
>that a great deal of good work was progresses. How many of us on these
>lists today wouldn't be their if it wasn't for the early Concept Based
>TC's. I'm not a zealot just some one with 30 years experienced in the
>field and I hope an none jaundiced and balanced view. If some think that
>a retrospective look at the 20th century is adversely affecting the
>21st then they should pull their heads out of the sand and realise we
>are all the sum of our histories.
>
>
>
>Stewart Dickson
>Team Manager
>Criminal Justice Addictions Team
>01779499960
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Dr. Craig Fees
Planned Environment Therapy Trust Archive and Study Centre
Church Lane
Toddington
near Cheltenham
Glos. GL54 5DQ
United Kingdom
Phone/fax 01242 620125
Email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.pettarchiv.org.uk
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