“We need to build a bridge between where we are and where our future generations need us to be.”

In this episode, Shore Charnoe shares how growing up in connection with nature led to her developing the attributes of connection, and how she supports others to develop them as well. She tells us the four core practices that she believes lead to the most connection over time, practices that each of us can start today. Shore also gives us a behind the scenes look into the design of her summer gathering, Rekindling Connection, which is based on 8 Shields principles and has evolved to maximize the opportunity for participants to experience a culture of connection firsthand.

“Shift your attention to a place of curiosity and receptivity. Go in there adventuring the same way that those children could experience it, and let’s just see what happens.”

About Shore Charnoe

Shore has had a private counseling practice since 1994. As a traditional counselor, helper, and social worker, she has directed several community clinics and many highly-effective community helping programs. These programs have focused on at-risk youth and have included suicide prevention, apprehension prevention, parenting skills, lifeskills, adoption facilitation and short- and long-term foster care. She has helped foster, raise and mentor over 100 children. She is a mother of eleven adopted and biological children and a grandmother of six. A number of her adoptive children were born with fetal alcohol syndrome and came from abusive homes where they were victims of severe abuse, neglect, and trauma. She has been a consultant for child welfare organizations.

She credits much of her effectiveness to the lessons she has learned from over 20 Indigenous Elders. To name just a few specifically:

She studied for 10 years under the Odawa Medewin Elder Eddie King.

Shore’s husband and partner, Richard Szponarski, was a student of Eddie King for over 30 years.

She took her degree in Indigenous Social Work through First Nations Technical Institute under the direction of Banakonda Kennedy-Kish (Bell) , an Anishinaabe (Ojibway) Elder; Katsitsiase, also known as Betty Maracle, a Bear Clan Grandmother of the Mohawk Nation, Elder and Wisdom Keeper, and Ben Carniol, who was a Holocaust Survivor, social activist and author.

Shore also studied language and traditional stories with Basil Johnson, an Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) Elder.

Shore’s unique gift and skill is her ability to make the lessons she learned from these and many other Elders accessible to others. She has a deep gratitude and love for all the Elders and their teachings.

Learn more about the Rekindling Connection gathering

Show Notes

You can view the full show notes on our Living Connection 1st site

Visit https://www.livingconnection1st.net/ for more information about our work in nature connection and people connection.