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:
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 |