Dream HouseDream House

VisioningVisioning

We all have a vision or We all have a vision or dream inside our own dream inside our own minds, the trick is, have we minds, the trick is, have we learned how to share with learned how to share with others so that we can build others so that we can build our vision together?our vision together?

ParticipationParticipation

Whether you participate or not, Whether you participate or not, something will happen. The house something will happen. The house will get built, the community centre will get built, the community centre appear, the policy will materialize, appear, the policy will materialize, the road will go through, and the road will go through, and change will happen, the question is change will happen, the question is will you have contributed will you have contributed something to it, or will you sit back something to it, or will you sit back and complain?and complain?

Welcome!Welcome!

Some of you built a small structure Some of you built a small structure away from the larger one, and this away from the larger one, and this is fine, you may be somewhat is fine, you may be somewhat separate in your actual life as well, separate in your actual life as well, and we can honour and respect and we can honour and respect that, but sometimes, you need to that, but sometimes, you need to join the group to ensure that your join the group to ensure that your voice is represented in the larger voice is represented in the larger vision. vision.

Community StrengthsCommunity Strengths

Everyone has a skill, some of you Everyone has a skill, some of you built the structure, some of you put built the structure, some of you put in the trees, some of you did a in the trees, some of you did a blueprint of the rooms, some of you blueprint of the rooms, some of you put in the people, and some of you put in the people, and some of you added the animals and the birds. added the animals and the birds. Your interests may be different, but Your interests may be different, but you all combined what you love to you all combined what you love to make an entire dream come true make an entire dream come true on that paper.on that paper.

Communal VisionCommunal Vision

You have more in common that You have more in common that you think. You all participated in you think. You all participated in making a community and you making a community and you laughed, you sometimes drew over laughed, you sometimes drew over each others pools, trucks, or each others pools, trucks, or swings, and some of you drew swings, and some of you drew faster than others, but in the end, faster than others, but in the end, you built a mutual picture and a you built a mutual picture and a community vision we can all see.community vision we can all see.

LeadershipLeadership

I asked you to silently pick a spokesperson, and you I asked you to silently pick a spokesperson, and you did, and we asked that person to explain the entire did, and we asked that person to explain the entire vision (dream house), knowing that none of you had vision (dream house), knowing that none of you had a conversation about it, about what would go where, a conversation about it, about what would go where, and what you wanted. Sometimes we do that to our and what you wanted. Sometimes we do that to our political/social and spiritual leadership as well, we political/social and spiritual leadership as well, we don’t vote, or we simply do not speak up and share don’t vote, or we simply do not speak up and share our vision or dream for ourselves and our community our vision or dream for ourselves and our community and then we complain to others that our leadership and then we complain to others that our leadership does not listen to us or respect our needs. They are does not listen to us or respect our needs. They are then forced to try to guess and interpret that which then forced to try to guess and interpret that which they think they should see, but which may or may they think they should see, but which may or may not in the end be correct.not in the end be correct.

Chi-Miigwetch!Chi-Miigwetch!

Finally, I asked you to applaud after Finally, I asked you to applaud after every presentation. Sometimes we every presentation. Sometimes we forget to say thank you, or we take forget to say thank you, or we take what others do for granted and do what others do for granted and do not encourage or support their not encourage or support their efforts, and yet, when they fail to efforts, and yet, when they fail to meet our needs or expectations, we meet our needs or expectations, we think our rejection of their effort is think our rejection of their effort is deserved. deserved.