The scope of Thousand Waves Martial Arts & Self Defense Center's work extends far beyond what occurs within our Center on Belmont Avenue. It includes alliances, collaborations, and partnerships with many other organizations that share our commitment to health, personal empowerment, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Through our community outreach programs, we are able to support positive changes in the lives of additional hundreds of children and adults each year.
Some projects, such as the Adapted Seido Karate Program for children with disabilities are ongoing. Other special long-term projects are made possible by foundation support. In the spirit of reciprocity, we also create programs to further our own learning, bringing anti-violence activists, scholars and artists to our Center to describe their work and deepen our knowledge of local, national, and international issues related to our mission. The TW Peacemaker Award honors the brave and committed individuals who “walk the walk” to stop violence and promote peace in our communities.
Thousand Waves recognizes that people with disabilities experience violence at highly elevated rates and that youth are among the most frequent targets of bullying. We felt it was very important to respond to this situation by creating an ongoing program to serve young people with disabilities. Fortunately, we were able to create a partnership with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), the Midwest's premier medical facility addressing the needs of individuals with physical challenges.
By combining the strengths and resources of our two organizations, we've been able to create a highly successful Adapted Seido Karate Program within the Caring for Kids sport and recreation program at RIC. The program is coordinated by a dynamic team including Senpai Rebecca Angevine, a Thousand Waves staff instructor, and Dr. Max Kuroda, a leading epidemiologist in the field of cerebral palsy and a Thousand Waves black belt. They are assisted by a dedicated team of adult and teen volunteers who provide hands-on, individual assistance to help every student succeed.
Since its inception in 2006, hundreds of children have taken part in the classes, learning both physical and verbal self-defense strategies while building strength, self-confidence and having fun. When students complete the requirements to earn their next rank in Seido Karate, they are tested and receive their coveted belts in empowering public ceremonies.
Classes are open to: Children with a physical disability between the ages of 5 and 17
Location
The Drucker Center, 1535 N. Dayton, Chicago
(just south of the North / Clybourn intersection)
Time
Sundays, from 1 to 2:30 pm; Enrollment is for a 5-Week Session
Fees
There is no fee for the classes, however there is a required deposit of $30 to reserve your child's spot in the program. If he/she attends the minimum 3 classes out of the 5 classes in the session, your deposit will be returned to you.
For information about how to enroll a child, contact:
Cassy Smith
Caring for Kids Coordinator
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
312-238-5005
csmith@ric.org
Funded by Little Angel Foundation 2006 - 2010
Our special project, Alliances for Hope, Healing and Action, was made possible by Little Angel Foundation, which funded the pilot in 2006 and then renewed our funding, enabling us to expand the breadth and depth of its impact. Our goal in doing the project was to build deeper relationships with other agencies that work with survivors of violence and at–risk youth, to support staff at those agencies that do the stressful work of providing direct services, to connect with the clients and communities these agencies serve, and to address myths and misconceptions about self–defense that may inhibit service providers from referring clients to Thousand Waves violence prevention programs. We are extremely grateful to the Little Angel Foundation for their recognition and financial support of our innovative approach.
Through the Alliances project, Thousand Waves provided workshops for staff of our partner agencies. Up to 30 staff members at each agency participated in the following programs:
Stress Management/Wellness Program
Participants practice self-care and healing through focused physical exercises and meditation. Each participant creates an attainable self-care plan unique to her/his needs.
Verbal/Communication Skills
Participants learn non-violent conflict resolution, and practice assertive boundary setting, de-escalation, and intervention strategies, using role plays and other exercises.
Violence Prevention Basics
Participants recognize local to global issues of violence, and practice strategies to prevent and interrupt violence, with an emphasis on choosing the most peaceful means available.
We also provided scholarships to clients from each partner agency, enabling clients to participate in a full introductory violence prevention course at our Center.
“Alliances for Hope, Healing and Action” Partner history:
2010 Partner Agencies
Carole Robertson Center for Learning
Housing Opportunities for Women
Howard Brown Health Center
The Women’s Treatment Center
Past Partners:
2009 Partner Agencies
Association House of Chicago
Between Friends
Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network
Healthy Families
2008 Partner Agencies
Association House of Chicago
Family Rescue
Mujeres Latinas en Accion
The Night Ministry
RVA (Rape Victim Advocates)
2007 Partner Agencies
Alternatives, Inc.
Chicago Abused Women Coalition
Christopher House
Family Rescue
Girl Scouts of Chicago
Mujeres Latinas en Accion
The Night Ministry.
2006 Partner Agencies
Chicago Abused Women Coalition
Rainbow House
Southwest Women Working Together
Thousand Waves seeks community input for this series. If you have an idea for a Meditations on Activism event, contact us at info@thousandwaves.org.
The free public forum we call Meditations on Activism was inspired by an impromptu meditation class held at Thousand Waves after the September 11th attacks. The class provided a space to help members deal with the complex emotions of fear, sadness, anger, and confusion that the attacks engendered. It allowed members to share feelings and concerns and to begin to consider possible responses. Members expressed a desire to remain thoughtful and open-hearted in a stressful time and to seek ways to implement the principles of compassionate
self-defense, not centered on revenge, embodied in Thousand Waves practice.
The Meditations on Activism series grew out of those discussions. It seeks to link individual and community experiences to events in the larger world and to deepen understanding of violence around the globe. Since 2003, Thousand Waves has periodically invited anti-violence activists to speak about their work and members of the public to listen and engage in dialogue with the speakers. The Meditations on Activism series informs us about global conflicts, helps us draw connections between our lives and the causes of and solutions to violence, and provides a spur to discussion, reflection, and action.
Past Programs
2010
Learning to Listen to Israeli
and Palestinian Stories
Speaker: Betsy Fuchs
Saturday, October 2nd
The Power of Forgiveness
Speaker: Rev. Jacki Belile
Saturday, January 16th
2009
Psychological First Aid:
An Adaptation for Communities
Speaker: Anne Parry
Saturday, September 19th
2008
Yuyanapaq: In Order to Remember
Images and Space in the Work of the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Speaker: Margarita Saona
Sunday, December 7th
The Body Remembers:
Physical Paths to Healing Trauma
Speaker: Dr. Nancy Floy
Sunday, April 6th
2007
Restorative Justice and Conflict Resolution for Everyday Situations
A joint presentation by Thousand Waves and Alternatives, Inc.
Tuesday, November 27th
Stories of Hope and Healing from Rwanda's Women
Speaker: Dr. Mardge Cohen
Tuesday, April 24th
2006
Healing and Reconciliation:
from the Personal to the Political
Speakers: Merlyn and Oliver Lawrence
Wednesday, October 18th
Racism and Reparations
Speakers Salim Muwakkil and Charles W. Mills
with Marie O'Brien, Director of Violence Prevention
Wednesday, July 19th
2006 Continued
Children and Violence
Speakers Anne Parry and Dr. Carl Bell
With Thousand Waves' Executive Director Nancy Lanoue, Board Member Tony Laden, and Director of Violence Prevention Marie O'Brien
Wednesday, April 26th
Religion as a Source for Activism
Moderator: Rev. Allison Buttrick Patton
Speakers: Samuel Fleischacker, Umnia Khan, Jack Lawler, Khalilah Worley
Wednesday, January 18th
2005
Global Anti-Violence Initiatives: Ghana
Speaker: Andrea Wenzel
October 26th
Violence Against Women:
The Impact of Direct Action
Speaker: Dr. Susan Thistlewaite
July 13th
Death Penalty Forum
Speakers: Jane Bohman and Gary Gauger
April 13th
Catalysts of Activism
Moderator: Martha Thompson
Speakers: Moises Villada, Mehrdad Azemun, Chris Inserra and Jeff Edwards
January 19th
2004
Supporting Immigrants Making the Border Crossing
Speaker: Mark Frey
August 16th
Building Hope in Haiti
Speaker: Renate Schneider
July 19th
Families, Conflict, and Forgiveness
Speaker: Nancy Peddle, Ph.D.
June 21st
The Logic and Meaning of Torture
Speaker: Scott Portman
May 17th
Radio Reflections on India's Hindu-Muslim Divide
Speaker: Andrea Wenzel
April 19th
Looking at Lynching
Speakers: Ann Tyler & Connie White
March 14th
Colombia: Three Perspectives
February 16th
Play For Peace
Speaker: Michael Terrien
January 19th
2003
Declaration of Peace for the Middle East
Speakers: Aliza Becker & Saffiya Shillo
December, 15th
Healing from the Violence in Angola
Speaker: Guerra Frietas
November 17th
Voices in the Wilderness
Speaker: Kathy Kelly
September 15th
Thousand Waves is dedicated to promoting fitness, healing, empowerment and peacemaking. Our goal is to empower individuals to become peacemakers in their families, neighborhoods, work places and communities. In 2009, we initiated the TW Peacemaker Award, to acknowledge and publicly honor the courage, commitment and hard work it takes to prevent, stop or reduce violence.
Thousand Waves peacemakers are people who challenge the prevailing culture and get involved in stopping violence. They decide to be allies to others who are in conflict. In the spirit of one wave setting thousands in motion, the Thousand Waves Peacemaker Award honors the individual in order to magnify the rippling affects of their peace work and to expand our understanding and commitment to violence prevention.
Examples of intervening in violence and conflict include:
• Taking action to prevent violence before it occurs
• Speaking out against hurtful or violent speech
• Defending a person being assaulted or battered
• Stopping two or more people from fighting
We also think of intervention in the broader context of doing anti-violence work as a way of stopping violence, and of helping others mend from
violence. Anti-violence agencies are local and global. Local organizations include the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network, CeaseFire, Apna Ghar, Rainbow House, Rape Victim Advocates, Mujeres Latinas en Accion and many more. National and Global groups include PFLAG, Amnesty International and the Southern Poverty Law Center/Teaching Tolerance.
For example, organizing a “Mix it up at Lunch” day at school (a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center) is work that fosters friendships across racial/class/ethnic lines and breaks down barriers between youth, reducing the stress that leads to school violence. Mentoring at-risk youth and volunteering in job training and community building projects are examples of peacemaking in a broader context.
TW Peacemaker Award Nominations
People can nominate someone for the award, writing to us about their actions/activities. People can nominate themselves—coming forward and telling their story. In a public gathering at Thousand Waves, the recipients receive a beautiful plaque and an “I am a Thousand Waves Peacemaker” pin.
Since January, 2009, Thousand Waves has been honored to award the following people this coveted award:
Marie O'Brien: Former Director of Violence Prevention Programming at Thousand Waves
Lizzy Fraser: 6 year old student who stopped fighting in her classroom by teaching the children the “Take Ten” system of anger management
Aileen Geary: Interrupted a potential fight on a CTA train and as a teacher in an area high school works to educate youth on tolerance and violence prevention
Anne Parry: Long time educator, activist, executive, researcher and speaker in the field of violence prevention
