OT: Lifestream / Jim Quinn
computeruser
still around maybe as a franchise. I am not sure of the financial structure,
other than the group in Cincinnati has set themselves up as a non-profit and
have gotten the support of the local chamber of commerces.
They call themselves Life Success Seminars
http://www.lifesuccessseminars.com/.
This is an article from Jacksonville flordia where Jim Quinn's widow Therese
apparently resides.
From:
http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=1097
~~~~
The Daily Record
Jacksonville, Florida's only daily business and legal news source,
continuously publishing since 1912
03/21/2002
Lifestream helps 'good people getting better'
by Sean McManus
Staff Writer
Trever, the 12 year-old hero in Catherine Ryan Hyde's book "Pay It Forward,"
upon his teacher's challenge to "think of an idea for world change - and put
it into action," decides that he's going to do something nice for three
people. When they ask how he can return the favor, he explains to his
mother, he's going to say that they have to "pay it forward," and help three
other people each. That way, nine people are helped. The concept, of course,
is that good deeds cascade exponentially, and the world changes. Recently,
the book was made into a movie with Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt.
The pay it forward concept is only one of the philosophical pillars of the
20-year-old self-improvement seminar called Lifestream. Others include
responsibility, trust, balance, acceptance, social contribution,
communication, honesty and commitment.
Lifestream was founded in Chicago in 1973 by Jim Quinn, whose wife Therese
is still an active facilitator. It was brought to Jacksonville in 1984 by
Art and Martha Thiesen. Nancy Altman serves as the president of the
12-person board, and her husband Dr. Jim Altman, is another facilitator. Not
surprisingly, the concept originated on the West Coast in the 1960s when
businesses saw this as a way to help employees inter-relate.
It's corporate roots are evident if you watch their video, where Lifestream
seems to be about productivity and success. Corporations like DiscoverTec,
St. Vincent's, State Farm, BellSouth, Baptist Medical Center and the Federal
Reserve Bank have all encouraged their employees to attend Lifestream
seminars, and some even pay for it.
Testimonials explain how Lifestream helps you work harder, focus better and
improve the bottom line.
But when you talk to both the facilitators and the participants, it seems
more personal. They talk about "experiential" scenarios designed to implant
Lifestream's core values. They talk about writing a life script, about
developing critical boundaries for life decisions and learning when you can
and can't cross them. They talk about walking around with your "heart open,"
saying that it's scary but empowering.
Nancy Altman calls it "reality testing," activities created to be a metaphor
for life experiences that can then be applied as a vehicle for gaining
insights into the self. In an age when the trendy new thing is life
coaching, she says Lifestream teaches people to be their own life coach.
Asked why he came to Lifestream, Donny Lamey, who runs DiscoverTec in
Jacksonville and was a team leader at Marywood last week for the advanced
seminar, said that people he knew who had been through the program were
successful, confident, charismatic, had good direction in life and were
generally better able to answer life's questions.
"Lifestream gives you the tools you need to work through day-to-day issues,"
said Lamey, who is on Lifestream's board and pays for his employees to
attend the program (all of basic and half of advanced). "It manifests in how
you see yourself and how you relate to other people."
According to Nancy Altman, a study of medical students at Ohio State
University, another active seat of the program, showed marked improvement in
the grades of those who went through Lifestream. And half of the "12 Who
Care" in Jacksonville are Lifestream graduates.
Lifestream "success seminars," are for all ages. The three-day "basic"
workshop is held at Jacksonville University; the five-day "advanced" is at
the Marywood retreat just south of Mandarin.
Children, teens, and adults have separate classes, as the exercises change
depending on age. Parents are encouraged to join the children and teen
classes so that they can bring common experiences, knowledge, and problem
solving skills back home.
Nancy Altman said at a children's workshop last week, a nine-year-old
daughter of a Duval County school vice principal, said near the end of the
seminar, "I know why we are able to grasp these concepts better than adults,
we have more of our real selves."
Debbie Haley, who is on Lifestream's board of advisors, made the "Pay It
Forward" analogy. She said part of the social commitment is encouraging
people to do good deeds. Both she and Robert Forsyth said that they were
drawn to Lifestream by people they knew who had gained "powerful tools to
help them get through life." Forsyth said that he joined because his
girlfriend was magnetic, people wanted to gravitate toward her. "It changes
the whole way people perceive you," he said. "People begin to trust you,
strangers will ask you important, philosophical questions."
Nancy Altman said that while stress may often be the catalyst for people who
sign up for Lifestream, it's really supposed to be about "good people
getting better" and "getting the optimum out of life." Each class is
responsible for developing a community service project (that will hopefully
involve others) as a way to take the skills and concepts they've learned in
class and apply them to the community.
In the last few months, Lifestream has sponsored workshops for children at
the Webb Center for the mentally challenged, worked at the Aslan House for
the critically ill, worked with children with Down's Syndrome, joined the
Mentors Who Save program, and in April they'll be walking with the American
Cancer Society.
Nancy and Jim Altman are no strangers to using progressive techniques to
help students learn about life. In 1974 they founded the Mandarin Farm
School and Learning Center with Melissa and Conrad Weihnacht. Serving grades
9-12 and with a 10-1 teacher to student ratio, the Farm School believed in
mixing ages in a classroom, and in teaching children different and unique
ways to relate to each other.
Nancy Altman said this all really started when she was invited to
participate in an experimental program in education at the University of
Florida, where she and the other founders of the Farm School met. It was out
of that curriculum that the principles of the Farm School were founded, and
later applied to Lifestream. Nancy Altman said they were ahead of the curve
with the ideas that there are levels of emotional intelligence. "There are
ways to magnify individual strengths, help kids glean important information,
and helping students feel empowered," she said. The Farm School was
purchased in the 1980s and is now the Greenwood School for the disabled.
Nancy Altman has a master's degree in counseling from JU and a master's
degree in social administration with a specialty in social science from
Georgia Southwestern University. Jim Altman has a Ph.D. in education and
behavioral disorders and currently works for the Duval County School Board
managing the popular Excel program, an alternative real-world problem
solving initiative at S.P Livingston Elementary.
Loud music calls the participants back to the Casa de Caridad, one of the
houses at Marywood where Lifestream is just gearing up for more experiential
scenarios after dinner. Nancy Altman discounted any notion that Lifestream
is cultish.
"Why would the Florida Board of Nursing give credits as part of their
continuing education program?" she asked. "We've got lots of Chamber people
involved."
Lifestream has affiliate offices in Toronto, Columbus, Cincinnati, and
Rochester. It's $400 for basic and $1,200 for advanced courses. Lifestream
just went non-profit last May and she said there's a complete money-back
guarantee.
denni...@gmail.com
Bentot
>I did this in 1981. Skokie. Was $400 then. Is worth it!
bentot 1978 EST-ie $300
tubby
The " Serenas" will now come out of the woodwork and say otherwise.
Are you there Serena?????
We all miss you!!!!
Bentot
exterminate the last two estie-L'markers. ;)
Good to see you here. We are now permanent residents of Aridzon.
Damn, it's hot! And dry! Martini evaporates before I can drink it!
Cheers, Bruno...
unrepentant estie, Bentot
tubby
Its a wee cold down here and I am happy as my wife is back home after her trip to Europe to a homecoming 50 year old School physiotherapy reunion and then to top it of she went on the Santiago Camino walk in Spain so as to purge herself of all those sins.
I lost weight all those weeks she was away and unfortunately I'm soon putting it all back again.
IF THE MARTINIS are drying up so quick to need to gulp down 1/2 dozen aussie style.
Always good to hear from you Ben .
Read a most interesting book called the Molecules of Emotion by Candace .B. Pert PHD . Although a few years old and she has passed over now most interesting ballsy lady who was entitled to win the Nobel prize for her discovery however she was shafted by the male scientists and she stood her ground and stuck it up all of them so no one got the prize.
I wonder what Serena would say about that????
My birthday a few days ago so all good down under.
Looking forward to U3A Croydon starting up next week so I can go back to singing the songs of the sixties supported by a band of Ukuleles and Guitar seniors all strumming out of tune to their content.
I am going to sing Jambalya by Hank williams at the first opportunity so need to rehearse a little.
Cheers Bruno