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Founded
in 1999, the Mandala Center is a multi-disciplinary education organization
dedicated to community dialogue, social justice and societal transformation.
Through experiential workshops, theatre performances, and other creative
events, the Mandala Center invites people to be more awake and alive
as well as empowered to take action toward a more just and joyous
life for all people. The Mandala Center is also an international hub
for the training and grassroots practice of Augusto Boal's, Theatre
of the Oppressed. |
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Using
a community based, popular education model, we provide a container
where sustainable learning can happen. We believe that one's deepest
knowing exists within oneself. Trusting this, we guide people through
the process of finding and liberating their own inner wisdom as
well as sharing and learning from each other through compassionate
dialogue. We are experts in the structures; people are the experts
on their own lives.
In addition, we believe that in order for true
change to happen in our increasingly complex world, we cannot separate
the personal from the political -- individual growth from social
justice. We view the body, mind, spirit, and the planet as inextricably
linked. One approach without the others is not sufficient. Inner
work and outer work are both necessary.
With our strong focus on social justice, our
work invites critial thinking and calls for the delicate balance
of compassion and accountability. Anti-oppression theory -- a power-based
analysis of the "isms" -- underlies everything we do,
whether or not a particular program content addresses those issues
directly. It is valuable to recognize how a person's social group
membership, wanted or not, affects how s/he experiences the world.
While we do not advocate any particular path
towards consciousness and healing, we recognize that many different
approaches are useful in addressing the needs of our diverse and
"multi-cultural" world. Different people, different issues,
even different moments call for different methods. With that in
mind, we are continuously exploring new tools and techniques that
help people go where they need to go. Our approaches are gentle
and supportive yet frequently fast and powerful. They also are extremely
playful and celebratory. |
