The Motivational Speaker

Inspiring Presentations by Ronit Baras

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International Day of Peace 2009

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The Griffith University Multi-Faith Centre invites members of all communities to its International Day of Peace Commemoration on Thursday, 17 September, 2009, 7:15-9:00pm.

I will be delivering one of the key presentations of this evening.

In 2002, the United Nations designated September 21st each year as the International Day of Peace (IDP), as a day to encourage all peoples and countries to make a commitment to world unity, a global ceasefire and non-violence.

This event is an opportunity for individuals, communities and organizations to witness and participate in a multi-faith commemoration for peace. In the lead up to the IDP, it will enable participants to link with millions of people and many governments, regional and non-government organizations, faith/religious communities and educational institutions engaged in IDP events.

The Program will include:

  • A multimedia, multi-faith reflection on Peace
  • Two presentations on peacemaking
    • A lasting peace in Sri Lanka?
      The way forward from a Christian perspective
      – Rev. Pan Jordan
    • The challenge of peace-building among children and youth
      The Together for Humanity experience
      – Ronit Baras
  • Musical performances for peace

Please RSVP by September 11
Dianne/Yaseen  3735-7052 or mfc@griffith.edu.au

Full invitation flyer fo IDP 2009

See you there,
Ronit

Exciting Parenting Success Story

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It can be difficult to demonstrate the results of any presentation, course or workshop. If I write about “the great benefits” and “excellent results” myself, it just gets classified as self-promoting hype.

So at the recent Better Parenting Skills workshop I ran for a school in Brisbane, I asked participating parents “Why are you here?” and captured on video their reasons for coming to the workshop. A month later, I revisited the school and captured on video the great benefits and excellent results they described.

These are real parents telling their personal stories of parenting success.

Here is the first one, the story of Irene (please turn up the volume and excuse the shaking):

Pretty exciting, isn’t it?

Ronit

Making Multilingual Super kids

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I met Elodie at one of my workshops. She had a French accent and was very curious about the concepts of first and second language. Her son was just a baby when she participated in my “Cross Cultural Awareness” course for public administrators in the Queensland government.

As a migrant, Elodie felt the gap at work between locals and migrants was widening. She came to my course to get some insights into possible ways to bridge this gap.

When she left, she said, “I’m so happy I met you when my son is just a baby. Everything so makes sense now and I have full confident about what I need to do”.

In the last two years, I’ve met Elodie a few of times when she was trying to organize a group at her workplace to support migrants and help locals and migrants communicate better with each other.

This week, she sent me this email:

Did I tell you my son can count to 15 in his 3 languages? Just turned 2… Speak to him in one language and he answers in another, never needs translation… It freaks some people, I find it fascinating. You gave me the best advice ever first time I spoke with you. Thanks, it really means a lot to me.

We speak English (all of us), French (me) and Italian (husband and my in-laws).

He spends 1 day/week with his Italian grandmother who only speaks Italian to him (with your recommendation, we asked and she is very happy to comply). I go home once a year where he baths in French and has no problem whatsoever communicating with other kids and adults.

It is the most amazing thing to observe, the non-translating part. For example, he learned face, lips, ears, eyes, etc in Italian and I was thinking oh I need to get him that in French too so we had a mummy/son moment and I was saying them in French and he already knew. Bizarre.

Life in a multilingual environment!

Thank you so much.

Elodie David-Quarta

A/Senior Administration Officer, Compliance Support Unit
Department of Environment and Resource Management

Yet another victory of one more family raising multilingual super kids.

Ronit

Parents Learn Invaluable Things

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Yesterday, a group of excited parents gathered in a big room for a Better Parenting Skills workshop. Some of the parents were also teachers at the nearby Upper Mt Gravatt State School, one was the principal, one was from the Lions Club, who sponsored the event, and the rest were parents from the school community.

I started by asking them why they were there and what they wanted to learn. Here are some of things they said:

  • How to handle kids’ behavioral problems
  • How to support kids with their academic and emotional development
  • How to feel well-equipped for parenting
  • How to feel like good parents who do the right things by their kids

During the day, there were many “aha” moments. Parents learned about using positive language, recognizing communication styles and love languages and focusing their parenting on the things that are truly important to them.

For example, one parent told the group he’d had friction with his son for spending too much time on specific details, while he’d just wanted “to get on with it”. During the parenting workshop, he found out his son wasn’t being picky but may in fact be digital. With a bit of patience and an understanding of communication styles, this parent can now improve the communication with his son a great deal.

When asked what she would tell a friend about this workshop, Terri Schneeberg said:

It was like looking in a mirror… Very interesting. I like the way Ronit explains things. Take the time to attend. Invaluable!

Another parent said:

I found Positive Thinking useful. It was fun playing games. It’s great to be here with other parents to share and learn in this skill to change yourself to do a good job as a parent.

Derek Brady, the principal of Upper Mt Gravatt State School, summarized by saying:

This workshop was thought-provoking and had a significant meaning for my work life and home life. A fantastic experience that shifted my thinking.

I am happy to know there is now another group of inspired, focused parents out there, making the world a better place, one child at a time.

Ronit

Housing for Migrants and Locals

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Mulsim kids prayingI have just run a cultural awareness workshop for government officers dealing with the provision of housing to low-income families. While I was telling them about cultures, languages and acceptance, they also told me some amazing things.

Low-cost housing is provided to many migrant and refugee families. In fact, as soon as people are recognized as refugees, they are immediately entitled to government housing until they can afford their own residence.

As humane as this may seem, the locals object to this privilege and protest against it as being discriminating against them. They say, “Why should someone come into the country and get something straight away, while others who grew up here don’t?”

The obvious answer, “Where would they go if they have no family and no friends here?” But this answer doesn’t satisfy some of the locals in government housing, who sometimes abuse the newcomers verbally and even by damaging their property.

If this is not bad enough, reports are that migrant families in government housing are polite, quiet and considerate. They take excellent care of their dwellings and carry out all of their obligations on time, despite the occasional harassment.

Another amazing fact is that in some migrant and refugee units, there are as many as 21 people living in 3 bedrooms! Compared to where they came from, they think it is better, because at least nobody is trying to kill them…

Now, equipped with their new cultural awareness, the housing officers can help refugees and migrants assimilate quicker into society, while making the locals feel a lot better about accepting them.

God, I love my work!
Ronit

Language of the Heart at Upper Mt Gravatt

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I’ve just returned from presenting Language of the Heart at Uppert Mount Gravatt State School. Today is a student-free day and I was part of the teachers’ professional training.

Teachers are usually more switched on than the general population and keep up with new trends in education and educational technology, so I wasn’t sure how familiar they were with the acquisition of multiple languages. Besides, Upper Mount Gravatt students come from nearly every country on Earth.

As it turns out, this school has its own share of multicultural challenges and the teachers were very excited to discover the link between academic achievement and speaking several languages. But what excited them even more was the connection between speaking another language at home with the parents.

The Upper Mount Gravatt parents find it difficult to influence their kids’ values and direct their morals in English, because they can’t express themselves well enough to convey complex and/or emotional ideas. The teachers found a good explanation for what goes on in their classes and for why parents shy away from being involved at school.

I was very happy to be able to provide some relief to a challenging situation and help parents and teachers come together for the benefit of the kids.

The teachers agreed in the end that Language of the Heart should be attended by many of the parents at the school and I was thrilled to be able to make a difference with my presentation.

Here’s what one person said about Language of the Heart today:

I have totally changed the way I think about parents speaking in their language to their kids

Lisa Conroy, Teacher

The Motivational Speaker is Live!

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I’m so happy I could jump out of my skin!

My new website is up and running and already showing my motivational presentations and workshops in two areas: Cultural Awareness and Diversity and Communication and Relationships.

This is a great place for schools, community organizations, youth services, government services and schools anywhere in the world to find and book some inspiration for their own audiences.

Read the site, find out more and book on any presentation page.

Ronit

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