(11/2005)

… by working together to create innovative, culturally specific, developmental programs for families, schools and communities all over the world…

Each year the Institute meets thousands of colleagues through conference presentations by director Lois Holzman and other staff, through books, articles and chapters written by Holzman and Fred Newman, and through the Internet. Many have become friends, conversational partners and collaborative colleagues out of a shared recognition that traditional approaches to psychology and education are failing to help our children, our families and our communities to grow. One of the Institute’s longest-standing collaborative partners is Zdravo da Ste (Hi Neighbor), an organization of several hundred psychologists, educators and social workers that has worked for more than a decade to build community among refugees and displaced persons in the former Yugoslavia and to integrate them developmentally into the broader culture. Newer “partners in development” include community psychologists in Argentina, diversity educators on behalf of Nicaraguan youth, and health and community development specialists in Kenya.

…by bringing down the walls between professionals and everyone else…

What makes the Institute unique as a research and training center is its ties to community-based projects. Our theory and teachings come from independently funded practical work and innovative practitioners, not from a university laboratory. Our events encourage academics, community- based practitioners,clients and students to create together. The Institute’s cross-disciplinary conferences bring together people who work passionately for social transformation. Performing the World 3 in October 2005 was a gathering of hundreds of people — performers, educators,artists, scholars, therapists, health professionals, business professionals and activists from 24 countries — whose practices recognize performance as a powerful developmental activity for people and organizations. Also in 2005, the Institute’s two-day experiential conference on the work of psychologist Lev Vygotsky drew students, professors and practitioners eager to learn from the Institute how to realize the transformational potential of Vygotsky’s work in formal and informal learning settings.

… by creating a psychology of possibilities…

The East Side Institute developed social therapy, a radically humanistic approach to helping all people deal creatively and socially with the emotional pain, problems and challenges of contemporary life. Social therapy is not concerned with who people are, but with who they are becoming, given who they are. We believe that, given the choice, people want growth, hope and community — not diagnosis, labels and a new inner reality. Since its inception in the mid 1970s, social therapy has helped thousands of people to reinitiate their emotional and intellectual development, and has inspired dozens of innovative educational and cultural projects for children and youth in both school and outside- of-school settings. We work with hundreds of professionals who have revitalized their practices through training in the social therapeutic approach. Social therapy centers are located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Long Island, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Saratoga and Washington DC.

…by transforming how we relate to one another, how we teach and heal, and how we live with family and friends…

The Institute offers educational and training programs for people who want to learn qualitatively new and different ways to see and be. We attract people with a broad range of educational and life experiences, including psychologists, psychotherapists, educators, physicians, nurses, social workers,youth workers and corporate executives. One of the Institute’s oldest projects is its two-year postgraduate Therapist Training Program, provisionally chartered by the New York State Board of Regents since 1985. The newest program is the International Class, a yearlong (onsite and online) course of study enrolling students from the US and around the world. Only in its second year, the International Class has attracted accomplished professionals from Argentina, Kenya, Nicaragua, Serbia, South Africa and Sweden, as well as cities across the US. Our Continuing Education program includes seminars on development-related topics, classes with social therapy founder Fred Newman,and workshops in improvisation and performance.

…by bringing the discovery and practice of development to others through books and other writings…

Fred Newman and Lois Holzman have spent the last three decades organizing, studying and learning from social therapy practice and other projects in educational, healthcare, organizational and mental health settings that have been influenced by the social therapeutic approach. Together and separately they have written ten books and dozens of articles and chapters, some of which have been translated into other languages. These writings articulate the methodological, philosophical and political implications of their new approach to understanding human life, to fostering human development and to building community. Over the years, thousands of scholars and practitioners have been inspired and provoked by their bold statements.

…by creating new initiatives…

2006 will see the beginning of two new Institute projects. The Developing Teachers Fellowship Program is designed to enhance the group-building skills of New York City teachers. A select group of public and charter school teachers will be chosen to train in the Institute’s approach to teaching and learning, which develops teachers’ capacities to create more collaborative, creative, playful and participatory learning environments for themselves and their students. The Development Centre for Youth and Community will lend support to community educators and health workers in South Africa who take a human development approach to HIV/AIDS. Building on the pioneering work of The Living Together Project in Johannesburg, which uses storytelling and performance to break through fear and silence in the face of the AIDS epidemic, the Centre will bring several community-based organizations together in collaboration with the Institute around the world. Many people come to us from community-based programs in poor countries where they do not have access to funding. In the US, traditional funding sources are loathe to financially support work that is as “outside the box” as our development approach. In addition to Psych Out, our annual awards dinner and fundraiser, the Institute invites you to join our Circle of Development, a leadership circle made up of people who give an annual gift of $1,000 or more. Or join our Giving Circle with an annual gift of whatever you can afford. Your support will help underwrite training, international collaborations and conferences.