Philia
Steering Committee
Since the Philia
Dialogue is, well, a dialogue, and since by its very nature a
dialogue assumes others have pieces of the answer and that other
people’s thinking can improve one’s own, we do not want to draw
too much attention to ourselves.
At the same time we
don’t want to hide. We
have thought a lot about these issues and we do have a point a view. Actually we have points and views and opinions and
assumptions. And
perhaps that’s the most important thing you should know about us.
We are a diverse
group representing at least three distinct voices – the voice of
people who have been labelled or marginalized at some point in their
life; the voice of parents who have a family member who has been
labelled and the voice of people who are interested in restoring the
role of citizen to its rightful place in our society.
There is one belief that permeates everything we do.
It is our conviction that
welcoming the presence and participation of individuals with
disabilities in community life will transform our society.
During the time we
have been together we have integrated our individual viewpoints into
a broader perspective; increased our mutual understanding; and
earned each other’s trust and respect.
And we want you to join us.
As a Steering
Committee we maintain this website; sponsor and conduct seminars,
workshops and dialogues; consult with organizations who want to
integrate Philia values into their operation; coordinate our
ambassador program; and produce an e-zine.
Our contact information and links are at the bottom of this
page.
Jacques
and Helene are philosophers in the old fashioned sense.
They are public thinkers, writers, speakers who add depth and
understanding to just about any issue you can think of; water; love;
insurance; life; food; death; law…
They produce a journal and maintain a spectacular website
based in their home province of Quebec.
They have brought their love of the classics and appreciation
for European thought to our dialogues.
Sam
is a politician,
advocate and social inventor. He has created enough new organizations that he won the Peter
Drucker innovations award. He
has a thirst for music, language, sports, gizmos and reading Greek
texts.
So does
Dominique when he is not practicing his violin or providing creative
leadership in the form of new aboriginal business enterprises in his
role as a federal civil servant. Dominique also translates our texts from French to English
and English to French, in the spirit of dynamic bilingualism we have
adopted.
Vickie is an educator, trainer, author and
inspirational speaker who manages to maintain an active yoga
practice.She runs an
international institute focusing on leadership, mentoring and
citizenship.
Al
does his best thinking on his bicycle usually in the rain and on the
hills. He has an
interest in innovative, non-government solutions to social problems
and likes to read, talk and write about them.
Jack is an independent Canadian book publisher and
catalyst for inclusion, diversity, teamwork and change.
He leads and creates workshops, seminars, institutes around
the globe, that help people and organizations move fully into the
21st Century.
Ted credits his son, Joshua, for being his greatest
teacher and inspiration.
Ted’s community activism is legendary.
Marriage and family counselling is his profession which are
extensions of his interest in promoting peace in our schools.
Ray publishes the finest and widest circulated
magazine on ‘ability’ issues in Canada – a container for his
experience and expertise in communication and public policy.
The magazine is not quite large enough to contain his
curiosity and passion for travel and the arts.
Here’s how to
contact each of us directly.
Al Etmanski at aetmanski@plan.ca Also
see: www.plan.ca
Dominique Collin at collind@inac.gc.ca
Jack Pearpoint at inclusionpress@inclusion.com
Also see www.inclusion.com
Jacques Dufresne at dufresne@agora.qc.ca
Also see www.agora.qc.ca
Helene
Laberge at HLaberge@agora.qc.ca
Also see www.agora.qc.ca
Ray Cohen at: Ray@enablelink.org
Also see: http://www.abilities.ca/
and www.enablelink.org
Sam Sullivan at solon22@hotmail.com.
Ted Kuntz at tjkuntz@axionet.com
Vickie Cammack at
vcammack@plan.ca.
Also see: www.plan.ca
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