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TRIBUTE TO GENEVIÈVE BRABANT

We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Neufeld Institute Faculty member Geneviève Brabant, on October 7th, 2024, after a long battle with cancer.


A fierce proponent of the attachment-based developmental approach, Geneviève seemed to have boundless passion. As a personal mission, she took on changing our practices with our youngest children (aged 0-6); a mission that she worked tirelessly towards. As a social worker at the ‘Centre hospitalizer pour enfants de l’est de l’Ontario,’ she succeeded at transforming the care of preschool age children. 


Geneviève also cared deeply about how to support and care for our transplanted children, as well as helping us to rethink how we understand discipline. Her mark and legacy are deeply intwined in both Dr. Neufeld’s Art & Science of Transplanting Children course and his Making Sense of Discipline course. We will be endeavouring to bring forward and highlight some of these incredible contributions that she has left for us.


Reflections from Dr. Neufeld:


It was over 15 years ago that this young woman with such an impressive and commanding presence first entered my world at a speaking event of mine in Ottawa. I had no idea at that time that our lives would become so intertwined, that she would become so dear to our hearts, that she would become such a master of the paradigm I taught, that she would so enrich our lives with her own cherished loved ones. Geneviève accepted every challenge given to her with unflinching courage right until the very end. Now she leaves a gaping hole that is truly a tribute to who she was as a mother, grandmother, wife, teacher, therapist, social worker and child whisperer. Although the challenges she faced in life were always daunting, she kept on dancing with so much dignity and determination that it seemed to us like nothing could ever stop her. Perhaps this will be her truest legacy, that nothing ever will. 


Reflections from fellow faculty member Genevieve Schreier:


In the early days of the Neufeld Institute, we had never had two faculty members with the same name. So when I found out that there was going to be another Genevieve, I was surprised, to say the least. In my world, two Genevieves was a rare occurrence. Had it been anyone else, I may have even been a little put out to have to share my name. But having had the privilege of getting to know her during her studies, I couldn’t have been more delighted. It is hard to think of anyone I would rather share my name with.


From the very beginning, I was struck by her uniqueness, insight, wisdom and strength. Because of the shared first name, we would often get emails intended for each other, and in our back and forth, we ended up settling on nicknames (for clarity’s sake in our communication) - I was to be g1, having been on the scene at the Neufeld Institute longer, and she was to be G2 (it only felt right to me that she was the capital G, with all the ways that I look up to her).


Though we lived on opposite sides of the country, our paths did cross in person a few times, at conferences and Institute events - and I remember each time so clearly. Occasionally I was lucky enough to find myself sitting next to her - at a dinner table, or hotel bar – only to be surprised that we both ordered a whiskey.


Her passions - for us adults to show up in children’s lives, for us to see beyond behaviour - came through in all that she did. And the relentless energy and dedication and love she brought to life will remain forever an inspiration to me. We could all learn from the way she showed up - as a mom, partner, colleague, teacher, counsellor, mentor, friend….


I am grateful to have had the chance to work, play, and love alongside Geneviève Brabant.


Thank you, G2, for so many things.

You are missed.



GYMNASTICS, FRUSTRATION, TEARS ... AND MUFFINS


As a small example of her exceptional character and contribution to the Neufeld institute, we are re-publishing a well-loved editorial by her husband and fellow Neufeld Institute faculty member, Mathieu Lyons. In his early days at the Neufeld Institute, before taking on the helm of leadership for our French language program, he was tasked with his very first English language editorial. What we didn’t know at the time was how instrumental Geneviève was in choosing the text, and helping form and polish the idea. But in true Geneviève form, she didn’t want to take any of his limelight or create any shadow … so she just quietly worked her magic in the background, to help bring these touching reflections to light.


Read the full editorial on our website

Home-Grown Cultures of Connection

In entering a season of ritual and custom, we thought it appropriate to feature of couple of editorials that might help to inspire us to create our own home-grown cultures of connection, one ritual at a time. 

THE LIGHT OF CONNECTION

Food, Light & the Shoe Pile

BY LISA WEINER


Having that warm relational connection infused all the other times of interacting with the kids - times when I might have to make sure they were quiet at the museum or might have to take one aside for saying something that hurt another one’s feelings - flow much more seamlessly. They knew I cared about them, knew them, and would continue to be warm with them (and feed them!) regardless of how any particular interaction went. READ THE REST OF LISA'S EDITORIAL HERE >

FROM THE ARCHIVES: 

THREE GENERATIONS IN THE KITCHEN

BY DARLENE DENIS-FRISKE


My mother was the keeper of our family rituals ... She would have the table already set with her best dishes. We would gather to enjoy our feast, telling her it was the best one yet, and on to the dishes we would go. Don’t forget to wipe the counter! Do you want to take the extra turkey for sandwiches? Who wants the left-over mashed potatoes?? 



Laughter, gratitude, and best dishes put away till next time, with three generations in the kitchen all at once. Our holiday rituals were embedded in the comfort and simplicity of the day, the sameness, the consistency, the safety of knowing. READ THE REST OF DARLENE'S EDITORIAL HERE >

What's included with a Scheduled Online Class registration?

In addition to a weekly live class with a Neufeld faculty member, you receive a 4-month study pass (or 8 months for Intensive courses) to our Virtual Campus featuring Dr. Neufeld's video material, discussion forums, study guides, supplementary resources, and much more. Participants view Dr. Neufeld's recorded presentations prior to the scheduled support session with a faculty memberVisit More On Online Campus Courses for further details.


Class recordings

Not able to attend the live class due to a scheduling conflict? No problem! Classes are recorded so you can catch up later in the week when it works best for you.

Jan 30 -

Apr 3

Save the date!

 Making Sense of Adolescence Part I: Seven Rites of Passage

Offered by Robin Brooks-Sherriff & Lisa Weiner

Thursdays from 1:00 - 2:00 pm Pacific

Jan 30 to Apr 3, 2025


Registration will open in early January

Apr 10 -

May 1

Save the date!

Making Sense of Adolescence Part II:

Adolescence & Sexuality


Offered by Robin Brooks-Sherriff & Lisa Weiner

Thursdays from 1:00 - 2:00 pm Pacific

Apr 10 to May 1, 2025


Please note that Adolescence Part I is the prerequisite for this course


Stay tuned for details in our next newsletter!

ANNUAL CONFERENCE UPDATE

We will be taking our annual conference to Europe this year, Warsaw specifically. The May conference will be hosted by our Polish Neufeld team under the direction of Joanna Bylinka, our Polish Director. There has been an emerging interest in Europe which we would like to honour.


Gordon, Tamara and Deborah will be travelling from a conference in Prague (hosted by Body Mind Unity) to Warsaw to share presenting responsibilities with some of our European faculty – Jule Epp from Berlin, Joanna Bylinka from Poland, and Urška Žugelj from Slovenia.


If you have been looking for an excuse to travel to Europe, hopefully this will provide the needed nudge. If not, and you are prepared to eavesdrop on the sessions in the middle of the new world's night, most of the conference will be live-streamed and we will be putting together a package of recordings that can be listened to at a saner time. 

SAVE THE DATES!

WARSAW - Neufeld Institute Poland Conference

Weaving the Tapestry of Togetherness


Offered by The Neufeld Institute

May 22 & 23, 2025


May 22 - Full day conference - open to all (parents, educators, helping professionals)

May 23 - Lecture and Masterclass - open for Intensive I alumni


For more information on the Warsaw Conference, please tune in to our January newsletter!

PRAGUE - Body Mind Unity Conference


Offered by Body Mind Unity

May 16 - 18, 2025


May 16 - Gordon kicks things off with a keynote on stress, trauma and recovery on day 1 of a 3 day conference

May 17 - Deborah MacNamara speaks on emotional defense and Tamara Strijack speaks on the healing power of play, followed by a panel together with Gordon in the afternoon


For more information on the Prague Conference, please visit their website. Currently, they are offering an 11% holiday discount if a promo code BMU11 is entered upon purchase (valid until December 24). 

As the year winds down, we hope that those considering year-end donations will keep our Ukrainian Orphan Project in mind. 


In 2024 we offered, free of charge, Ukrainian versions of the Making Sense of Aggression and Alpha Children courses to 82 and 84 Ukrainian professionals, who are supporting families who wish to take orphans into their homes. This fall over 250 Ukrainian professionals from many different agencies signed up for our Introductory course. 


This was possible due to your generous donations and to a grant from the Canadian Ukrainian Foundation. We continue to require funds so that we can offer courses without charging a fee. Those taking the courses are grateful for the rich material and for the support from the Neufeld Institute, making them feel less isolated in these very trying times. 


A detailed update can be found on our website.


Thank you so much for your support,

Eva de Gosztonyi, Julia Fomina and Iryna Shokur 

https://neufeldinstitute-ukraine.com


To make a donation, click on the button below, then scroll to the bottom of the page to find the donation link. A charitable receipt will be provided.

Donate to the Ukranian Orphan Project

COME PLAY THIS SUMMER

PARKSVILLE EVENT

Four Days with Gordon & Faculty


Offered by the Neufeld Institute

July 14-17, 2025


We are planning an in-person Parksville summer immersive on creating home-grown cultures of connection. Gordon Neufeld will anchor the 4-day event with one or two presentations each day, with other faculty leading in the remaining session or sessions. 

Registration will be opening in the new year! Stay tuned to our newsletter for more information.

 EXPERIENTIAL PLAY INTENSIVE

Playful Therapy: Matchmaking Play & Emotion


Offered by Tamara Strijack & Tracy Azevedo

JUNE 16-20, 2025


We (Tamara and Tracy) are excited about this opportunity again to dive into a 5 day experiential intensive on play and emotion, offered in-person in partnership with a university that Tamara has been teaching at since 2010.


In this on-site experiential course, we will play with the practical application across the lifespan. What does it look like to bring true play and playfulness into our practice, both in and out of the therapy room? What does it look like to matchmake play and emotion for those you care for and for yourself? With this insight of true play, we can see how play is nature’s design to take care of us, no matter what one’s role. We look forward to playing together with you!


This course will take place in Langley, BC, Canada (one hour outside of Vancouver).

 

Suitability: Open to all those who work with children, adolescents and adults and would like to apply play to your practice (eg. as counsellor, child care worker, educator, parent, grandparent, etc).

Contact us to find out more

RE-IMAGINE CAMP:

AN EXPERIENTIAL GATHERING FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH AND ADULTS


Offered by Tamara Strijack & friends

June 23-27, 2025

 

An experiential family camp with music, art, story, movement, and other “ish-ful” activities is in the works again, to be hosted outdoors on the West Coast of Canada. Let us know if you are interested and we will send you more information as it is available.

Contact Tamara to register interest

HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS

Closed December 23-26, 30, 31, January 1

Limited hours December 27, January 2 & 3

For urgent requests, use our Inquiries feature or email our office.

Catch up on newsletters you've missed by visiting our Archived Newsletters page.

Neufeld Institute | 604-263-4278 | www.neufeldinstitute.org

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