Waupaca Area Public Library to offer Life Classes
The Waupaca Area Public Library’s next four Life Classes will focus on the importance of creating a community that is safe, vibrant, resilient and connected for all.
The virtual classes will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. on Zoom, with the first part beginning on Thursday, March 4.
Those interested in joining may register on the library’s website for each class.
During the four-part series, participants will begin each class by viewing an episode of “Whole People,” a Twin Cities PBS series about Adverse Childhood Experiences.
They will learn how their personal stories connect them to each other and how they may help build a compassionate community.
After each viewing, Shawna Hansen, Michelle Gardner and Jane Doolan, from the Waupaca County Department of Health and Human Services, will lead the discussion and provide additional information.
Schedule
• March 4 – Whole People, Part 1: The Effects of Childhood Trauma;
• April 1 – Whole People, Part 2: Healing Communities;
• May 6 – Whole People, Part 3: A New Response;
• June 3 – Whole People, Part 4: Family Solutions.
The library’s first Life Class of 2021 met on Feb 4.
Elizabeth Timmins from the Seymour Public Library met with the class virtually on Zoom and taught participants about the six principles of Wakanheza.
Those principles are recognizing and suspending judgment of others, showing empathy and respect for others, being open to all cultures, recognizing behaviors often arise from an individual’s sense of powerlessness, working to create a welcoming environment for all, and how to act “in the moment” to help others.
Participants learned how to assess themselves in order to develop compassion towards others and themselves, and also how best to respond in challenging situations.