 This work brings mentors and elders into a creative process intended to invent, shape and sustain unique forms of mentoring within their own communities.  Youth tend to find their connection to community by going against community Voices of Youth creates a temporary vessel for creative expression and a vehicle for reconnecting youth to communities. |
"Great crises often provoke hidden resources and can reveal the underlying unity of life. At critical moments in history mythic sense tries to return and indicate life's inherent capacity for renewal... In times of change it becomes important to have a narrative feel for life and a reverence for the unseen presence of eternity. Being alive at this time means being near the threads of existence and invited to participate in the great reweaving of the garment of life." from The World Behind the World by Michael Meade
Dear Friends,Mosaic's theme for this year has been The Light Inside Dark Times. The notion of an intelligent light hidden in the darkness has been my way of addressing the increasing troubles throughout the world and pointing to the importance of the soul at this time. The soul is the secret connective tissue of life and the essence of community. Soul is the glue that holds things together, the 'stickiness' of life, and the deep root of grassroots movements. When there's enough soul present, people stick together and stick it out no matter what. Amidst the speed of changes and the depth of current troubles, soul often goes missing just when more soul is needed. Soul is a key agent of any meaningful change and an essential ingredient in Mosaic's Voices projects. Through Voices of Youth we gather severely at-risk and homeless youth in creative forums. As they tell and reveal their stories of trauma and loss, a community of soul develops. As the trust between souls grows, the most devastating and hurtful stories emerge. Something similar happens when veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan join with those who survived the battles of Viet Nam. Through sharing their deepest stories of trauma and continuing PTSD, a deep level of healing opens and a process of restoring the soul ensues. When the stories are truly heard and received by their communities, the suffering turns into beauty and makes more soul for everyone. Similar healings can happen whenever a society consciously faces its wounds and speaks openly and honestly about them. As fears of financial disaster, cultural upheaval, and severe climate change grow, so do the opportunities for finding and making more soul. Unfortunately, as the demand for soulful projects and community building increases, funding sources for this valuable healing work have diminished. The number of youth being caught in gang violence and the hordes of homeless youth increase daily as do the requests for Voices of Youth projects. Veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are more willing to seek inner healing and in great need of it. The families of veterans also seek treatments for the effects of war and willingly participate in Voices of Vets. We have at-risk youth and at-risk veterans waiting for more Voices retreats, yet we are struggling to find the funding and resources to create the events. Everyone at Mosaic and all the participants in the Voices projects remain grateful for your interest in cultural healing and soul-making. We are asking for your support in developing more healing and mentoring events. Any amount you send will be deeply appreciated and will help shape more "sudden communities" for those most in need of genuine attention as they seek to restore the soul lost in the battles of life. Peace, protection, and many blessings, Michael J Meade Founder, Mosaic Multicultural Foundation 
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