Introducing Shanon Faulk-by Marnie

This is Shanon Faulk and her daughter Annaliese. Shanon has worked with me as a trainer in programs for women for almost ten years now. Her special interest and talent is working with young women-developing their capacity for leadership. She and I have worked together closely and it was very, very hard to leave her in the US. I miss her wisdom and energy in my work here. She also has a passionate interest in different cultures and international work-and would love to come here -but for now her place is in the US taking care of her beautiful daughter and working with young American women. I have asked her to work with me on the Alluhoddin pen pal project. She has developed this request into a learning opportunity for the young women she works with in a group bi-monthly. I wanted to share with you her program. Let me know if you would like to correspond with Shanon.

Building a Common Fire: Your Global Community
Shanon Faulk

“We don’t set out to save the world; we set out to wonder how other people are doing and to reflect on how our actions affect other people’s hearts”1
-Pema Chodron

This is an opportunity to feel connected, make a difference, and to step into your role as a leader in the global community. This is an invitation to build a relationship that will provide learning, insight, inspiration and opportunity for contribution.

As a group of leaders this is your first step in building a common fire.

You will be writing to a young girl at the Allauddin Orphanage in Kabul, Afghanistan. The intention of the dialogue and relationship is:
• To provide the experience of being seen, heard and recognized
• To ask questions that create new questions
• To look for and create a common ground
• To embrace the differences with compassion
• To look to your penpal as a source of leadership and inspiration
• To recognize your own gifts and contributions as a leader

To build this relationship you are asked to commit to the following:
• Write to your pen pal two times per month, or more if your wish!
• Agree to write for one year
• Read the updates about Allauddin Orphanage on the blog at http://parsakabul.blogspot.com
• Work together as a team to create other possible ways of supporting and/or educating people about the orphanage

Please email your letters to your chosen pen pal to shanonaf@hotmail.com. Please send letters on the 1st and 15th of every month. You may also include pictures, images, poetry and song lyrics.

“Through shared talk we engage with voices different from our own and take them in, creating a diversity in our inner conversation that corresponds with the diversity in the outer world”2