One of the guiding principles of Something New is that we consider and respond to the needs in front of us. In just the last 15 days, we have:
- Mourned the loss of 37 people who were killed and 79 wounded in El Paso, Dayton, San Francisco, Southaven and Brooklyn due to an uprising of racially motivated violence
- Cried with the children of immigrants begging to see their parents after ICE raided poultry plants in Mississippi
- Remembered the life and death of Michael Brown and the protests that followed his shooting in Ferguson five years ago
- Marked the 2-year anniversary of Heather Heyer’s death at the hands of a white supremacist in Charlottesville
What we’ve done so far
Seven years ago we started New Way with one goal in mind: to train people to effectively and peacefully handle conflict. Since it started, New Way has grown from two trainers who trained our volunteers to a team of diverse peacemakers with over eighty years of combined experience. Our team includes lawyers, corporate executives, a former trainer from the Southern Poverty Law Center, life coaches and educators. In the last few years, we have led workshops across the country to train:
- men and women released from prison transitioning back to life
- teams struggling to work through cultural boundaries
- students reconciling after instances of physical altercations
- youth seeking healthy alternatives to juvenile detention
- groups divided from a “romantic” relationship gone bad
- educators teaching in diverse schools and classrooms
- and everything in between
What do we do now?
As we have considered the best ways to respond to our country’s current situation, we believe that love and reconciliation are the best answers. We also believe that, especially in the face of what seem to be HUGE, systemic issues, we cannot turn a blind eye. Even though we can’t change everything, that doesn’t excuse us from doing something. We see a pressing need for New Way–the training branch of our organization–to expand and reach more people and places. Throughout the years, we have seen New Way workshops transform communities, schools, teams, and lives. And we strongly believe New Way will play a role in helping our country heal and move forward.
What we do best is:
- Equip communities traumatized by violence with tools for healing and reconciliation
- Facilitate dialogue with people of opposing mindsets
- Train leaders who want to organize and educate others
Be a part of the rEVOLution
There is much more work ahead for us. That’s why as of Fall 2019, New Way will officially serve in its own capacity. While Ronald Smith (New Way’s founder) will remain on Something New’s staff, New Way will now have its own website focused on providing workshops, keynote speeches and trainings across the country.
Ronald and his team are mobilizing. They are ready to go to the hard places, the uncomfortable places, and places with conflict, to teach healing and reconciliation. Like Ronald and the New Way team, we believe that the principles of love will change the world.
Be a part of the rEVOLution: check out New Way’s website and follow on social media to bring the rEVOLution to your organization and community.
