dymir
arthur

EDUCATION

MY PASSION

My introduction to supporting the development and well-being of others began with teaching. Through my experiences working with under-served populations of students, as a teacher and educational leader, I both witnessed and participated in the socialization of children and adults in educational settings. While our practices and approaches were well-intended, they were optimized to help individuals meet external standards even when that sometimes meant neglecting opportunities to cultivate what was best within them. On a journey to understand learning at its finest, I came to believe that the best educational experiences are ones that both leverage and foster a sincere sense of wonder about oneself and the world. Today, I am driven by opportunities to cultivate and celebrate this sense of curiosity as the greatest path we can take to live lives that honor our greatest potential. I am on a mission to design learning environments and experiences that support our ability and freedom to think far more than it aspires to train us what to think.

Writing

MY Purpose

Following my 12th birthday, I was sent to live in my mother’s native land of Bermuda for the summer. While there, I began to form the foundation of my spiritual understanding by attending church with an aunt who also gave me a copy of The Tongue, A Creative Force by Charles Capp. It was through experience and reading that I came to fully appreciate the power of words. Beginning with poetry and then developing a love for essays, I formed an ability to use words to express ideas, challenge assumptions, illuminate absurdities and to honor overlooked perspectives. Regardless of what professional positions I have held, what has been my constant motivation is the opportunity to write a story. Whether it has been acquiring a blank page where something new could be crafted or taking a story of failure and imagining what might be possible in a new chapter, I have found deep satisfaction in writing and rewriting stories that have a direct impact on the lives and perspectives of others.

disruption

MY Position

I am a firm believer in the Dalai Lama’s belief that our chief purpose is to help others and if we can’t help them, we should at least not hurt them. Our world has countless examples of policies that have caused great harm to many for the benefit of a few. We have seen inequities in every social system. We have seen complex decisions reduced to false choices, special interests silence truth and the intentional disregard of dangerous acts of violence and assaults on liberties that stand in direct opposition to the world we claim to want for our children. Career politicians are unlikely to seek radical change, too many corporations prioritize profit over integrity and far too many non-profits are focused on the professionalization of service than sincere activism. If we want to bring about true and lasting change, it will not be solely through voting, protesting, boycotting, financing, suing, posting or praying. All of these actions and so much more will be needed for us to intentionally disrupt systems designed to maintain the status quo. We may not all agree and in fact we are better when there is diversity of thought, but we must not allow anyone’s values, interests or opinions to be the constant foot on the necks of others.