A strong relationship exists between a ViolenceFree (VF) environment and increased innovation, productivity, and enterprise. In a VF environment, there is a broad and deep overlap between personal and organizational goals, where individuals have an equality of opportunity and maximum freedom to pursue their hopes and dreams. This personal and organizational overlap creates a sense of cohesion and unity that is generative and self-organizing. As violence is minimized, positive results increase. SWIVL promotes a framework to help guide individuals, families, private and public organizational members, and national leaders to develop both a progressive culture and independent climate. Unlike other approaches that treat individuals and organizations as dependent and reliant on others, SWIVL through support and facilitation provides a strength-based model that trains and educates individuals on why a progressive culture and independent climate are critical to the creation of a VF environment. SWIVL incorporates the strength-based process of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) and the affirmative characteristics embedded with a culture of success to generate a strong, positive, independent climate to create a VF environment. Through AI, individuals and groups participate in reflection, self-organization, and self-reinforcement. The AI Model is reflective as individuals, families, communities, organizations, and nations must determine their own cost-benefit analysis for becoming VF. AI is self-organizing as individuals, families, communities, organizations, and nations must determine the structural, procedural, and relational changes necessary to create a VF environment and AI is self-reinforcing as individuals, families, communities, organizations, and nations must develop their own interactive mechanisms for insuring internal responsibility and accountability.
ViolenceFree includes the affirmation that possibilities are infinite and by focusing on strengths and positive experiences, we are able to discover, dream, design, and deliver on our future. SWIVL takes the view that a ViolenceFree environment is a rational, logical achievable goal and that VF is our destiny. To think otherwise, is to continue down a pathway of despair, deficits, entropy, and chaos. Below is a brief description of the SWIVL Appreciative Inquiry Approach to creating a ViolenceFree environment.
#1 Developing Phase: VF is not objective but subjective and constructed through a gathering of ideas and resources based on personal and social interest. VF is a process that begins when individuals co-construct VF Powerful Personal, Social, and Political Positive Statements in the form of affirmative positions that represent their achievable ideals. Powerful Positive Statements (PPS) can be physical, emotional, and intuitive – all around the goal of creating a VF environment. By creating PPS, we focus on what we want to achieve – not what we want to fix. PPS are framed around the future but written in the present tense. PPS encourage participation and broad-based support because they do not blame or attempt to create villains or cast aspersions on any particular individual or group. The intent of the PPS is to create the foundation for AI and set the stage for the discovery phase.
#2 Discovering Phase: The Discovering Phase includes two parts: (1) the collection of information based on the VF powerful positive statements and (2) the co-construction of a coherent VF positive core. Through AI interviews, individuals identify and collect information on the values and beliefs that comprise a VF personal, social, and political environment. From this information, individuals co-create a VF positive core. Individuals examine and reflect on the information they have collected to determine the most positive cultural and climatic factors driving a VF environment. The positive core is the essential nature of the individual, group, or organization at its best: tangible and intangible strengths, capabilities, human resources -- all assets that are fundamental to a VF environment. The intent of the Discovery Phase is to uncover personal, social, and political strengths that underlie the VF Powerful Positive Statements.
#3 Dreaming Phase: The dreaming phase is an idealized reconstruction of what a VF environment might look like. During the dreaming phase, individuals reflect and think together on the possibilities and implications of their positive core. Individuals consider what their personal, social, and political hopes and dreams would like in a VF environment. The intent of the Dreaming Phase is to think beyond traditional boundaries and consider new pathways for making the VF Powerful Positive Statements a reality.
#4 Designing Phase: The Designing phase begins by asking individuals to think about the structural, procedural, and relational changes necessary to create a violencefree environment; an environment made-up of marked changes in appearance, composition, and character. Through conversations, individual focus on making their VF dreams a reality by designing a personal, social, and political transforming architecture aligned with the VF powerful positive statements and energized by the VF positive core. The intent of the Design Phase is to create provocative propositions that stimulate the imagination while presenting clear options for moving from theory to practice.
#5 Delivering Phase: The Delivering Phase integrates the best thinking of individuals to sustain personal, social, and political commitment around VF strategic initiatives. Individuals reflect and identify various behaviors and practices that have lead to sustainable efforts and how they may be applied to VF strategic initiatives. Through continuous Appreciative dialogues, individuals identify other VF powerful positive statements. The intent of the Delivery Phase is to create a strength-based network of individuals committed to creating a violencefree environment.
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