Testimonial of the week: Michael Ford

Michael Ford grew up under the supervision of his older brothers. He acted out in class and got kicked out of high school during his junior year. Though he was only 17 at the time, he was allowed to come to TEEM. He was skeptical at first, but started listening in the Career Development Workshop, and began to see a turn for the better. He received his GED from TEEM, and continued taking classes here for some time. Following that, unfortunately, he fell back into his old habits. He was not working, homeless, and staying with family. He felt as though he was a burden to his family and ended up sleeping on the streets. When he found himself in this situation, it was then that he ran into TEEM’s administrative director, Michael Jackson, who helped him discover his options. He chose to visit his local Army recruiting office, and in January 2008, he joined the United States Military. He was an active duty member for 4 years and served in Iraq for one year. Now, Michael is attending Rose State University under the G. I. bill, and plans to continue his education at Boston University to study Criminal Law. Eventually, he wants to go to law school. He wants to clean up the streets and help others who may encounter the same challenges that have shaped his life. At TEEM, he learned that if you fall down, you must get back up.

“Never give up. Keep going with what you want to do.”

We want YOU! TEEM seeks to find former students!

As part of our 25th anniversary, TEEM would like to recognize 25 people who have been through our program & experienced success as a result of their hard work. If you or anyone you know has been through our program and would be willing to participate with an interview and photo, please contact Lindsey Flowers:  lflowers@teem.org.

A Season for Nonviolence - 64 Ways in 64 Days

Daily Commitments to Live By : These principles for nonviolence were adapted by the Denver Area Task Force for: A Season for Nonviolence - January 30-April 4, 1998

Inspired by the 50th & 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

    1 -- Today, I will reflect on what peace means to me.

    2 -- Today, I will look at opportunities to be a peacemaker.

    3 -- Today, I will practice nonviolence and respect for Mother Earth by making good use of her resources.

    4 -- Today, I will take time to admire and appreciate nature.

    5 -- Today, I will plant seeds--plants or constructive ideas.

    6 -- Today, I will hold a vision of plenty for all the world's hungry and be open to guidance as   to how I can help alleviate some of that hunger.

    7 -- Today, I will acknowledge every human being's fundamental right to justice, equity, and equality.

    8 -- Today, I will appreciate the earth's bounty and all of those who work to make my food available (i.e., grower, trucker, grocery clerk, cook, waitress, etc.)

    9 -- Today, I will work to understand and respect another culture.

    10 -- Today, I will oppose injustice, not people.

    11 -- Today, I will look beyond stereotypes and prejudices.

    12 -- Today, I will choose to be aware of what I talk about and I will refuse to gossip.

    13 -- Today, I will live in the present moment and release the past.

    14 -- Today, I will silently acknowledge all the leaders throughout the world.

    15 -- Today, I will speak with kindness, respect, and patience to every person that I talk with on the telephone.

    16 -- Today, I will affirm my value and worth with positive "self talk" and refuse to put myself down.

    17 -- Today, I will tell the truth and speak honestly from the heart.

    18 -- Today, I will cause a ripple effect of good by an act of kindness toward another.

    19 -- Today, I will choose to use my talents to serve others by volunteering a portion of my time.

    20 -- Today, I will say a blessing for greater understanding whenever I see evidence of crime, vandalism or graffiti.

    21 -- Today, I will say "No" to ideas or actions that violate me or others.

    22 -- Today, I will turn off anything that portrays or supports violence whether on television, in the movies, or on the Internet.

    23 -- Today, I will greet this day--everyone and everything--with openness and acceptance as if I were encountering them for the first time.

    24 -- Today, I will drive with tolerance and patience.

    25 -- Today, I will constructively channel my anger, frustration, or jealousy into healthy physical activities (i.e., doing sit-ups, picking up trash, taking a walk, etc).

    26 -- Today, I will take time to appreciate the people who provide me with challenges in my life, especially those who make me angry or frustrated.

    27 -- Today, I will talk less and listen more.

    28 -- Today, I will notice the peacefulness in the world around me.

    29 -- Today, I will recognize that my actions directly affect others.

    30 -- Today, I will take time to tell a family member or friend how much they mean to me.

    31 -- Today, I will acknowledge and thank someone for acting kindly.

    32 -- Today, I will send a kind, anonymous message to someone.

    33 -- Today, I will identify something special in everyone I meet.

    34 -- Today, I will discuss ideas about nonviolence with a friend to gain new perspectives.

    35 -- Today, I will practice praise rather than criticism.

    36 -- Today, I will strive to learn from my mistakes.

    37 -- Today, I will tell at least one person they are special and important.

    38 -- Today, I will hold children tenderly in thought and/or action.

    39 -- Today, I will listen without defending and speak without judgment.

    40 -- Today, I will help someone in trouble.

    41 -- Today, I will listen with an open heart to at least one person.

    42 -- Today, I will treat the elderly I encounter with respect and dignity.

    43 -- Today, I will treat the children I encounter with respect and care, knowing that I serve as a model to them.

    44 -- Today, I will see my so-workers in a new light--with understanding and compassion.

    45 -- Today, I will be open to other ways of thinking and acting that are different from my own.

    46 -- Today, I will think of at least three alternate ways I can handle a situation when confronted with conflict.

    47 -- Today, I will work to help others resolve differences.

    48 -- Today, I will express my feeling honestly and nonviolently with respect for myself and others.

    49 -- Today, I will sit down with my family for one meal.

    50 -- Today, I will set an example of a peacemaker by promoting nonviolent responses.

    51 -- Today, I will use no violent language.

    52 -- Today, I will pause for reflection.

    53 -- Today, I will hold no one hostage to the past, seeing each-as I see myself-as a work in process.

    54 -- Today, I will make a conscious effort to smile at someone whom I have held a grudge against in the past.

    55 -- Today, I will practice compassion and forgiveness by apologizing to someone whom I have hurt in the past.

    56 -- Today, I will reflect on whom I need to forgive and take at least one step in that direction.

    57 -- Today, I will forgive myself.

    58 -- Today, I will embrace the spiritual belief of my heart in my own personal and reflective way.

    59 -- Today, I will enlarge my capacity to embrace differences and appreciate the value of every human being.

    60 -- Today, I will be compassionate in my thoughts, words, and actions.

    61 -- Today, I will cultivate my moral strength and courage through education and creative nonviolent action.

    62 -- Today, I will practice compassion and forgiveness for myself and others.

    63 -- Today, I will use my talents to serve others as well as myself.

    64 -- Today, I will serve humanity by dedicating myself to a vision greater than myself.

Testimonial of the week: Jack Weller

 

Jack Weller worked in the restaurant business for 42 years and for that amount of time, he battled one form of addiction or another. His addictions got the best of him, and he lost his apartment, vehicle and job, and found himself at the City Rescue Mission. Of his viable options, he chose to come to TEEM because he felt it was more conducive to altering his life. It offered not only education, but employment and ministry. "All of the elements of TEEM tie together," he says. His first impression of TEEM was a common one. He thought he already knew who he was; that he was better than the elements around him, but during the Career Development Workshop he learned that we are all the same. No one is better than another. This excited him, and he was proud to share the realization that when you find out about yourself, you can rise above! He now knows his mission in life. He wants to give back to his community by becoming a social worker. He is enrolled and financially set to attend school at OCCC for 2 years, then plans to move on to OU. He hopes to tell people that what TEEM offers is abundant.   “We are the box,” he says. “What we think inside that box about the world, sometimes we need to think outside that box to realize our potential is there.”

TEEM celebrates Black History Month with a contest!

This month, TEEM will honor Black History Month by hosting a contest among its students. Essays, poems, illustrations, and songs will be collected and judged, and winners will receive a tour of the Oklahoma State Capitol & invited to an honorary luncheon. We look forward to seeing the creativity of all of our students as we pay homage to African American individuals who have shaped our state and country.