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From Turnover to Teambuilding - Growing a Culture of Trust, Innovation and Productivity George Washington University's Center for Excellence in Public Leadership Schedule Here Is your organization experiencing: Reorganization? Acquisitions? Interdepartmental Challenges? Communication Breakdowns? “So why aren’t employees fulfilled in their current jobs? Three big reasons: Not enough challenge or growth, not feeling appreciated or connected, and a lack of ownership or impact. A deficiency in any of these can prevent people from experiencing fulfillment at work.” —2023 Global Culture Report, Finding Fulfillment, O.C. Tanner 82% of American workers report being unengaged in their work 86% of employees say that poor collaboration and a lack of communication are the main causes of workplace failures A study of 615,000 American workers found that culture, values and leadership matter more than money Unity Through Creativity has a proven program that brings integrity, engagement and skill to replace communication blocks and to accelerate collaboration. “I think my next mission is to continue this program and provide an environment where more employees can participate.” — Joe Kaseda, President, ANAD, Silicon Valley, CA Our Peak Team Building experiences and on-going Leadership Training programs use Visual Art, Storytelling, Neuroscience and Ecology to deepen trust, innovation and productivity. We incorporate experimentation, play and mural production. According to Dr. Karyn Purvis, it takes about 10 to 20 repetitions to learn a new skill through play, compared to 400 repetitions without play. This is the key to our fast and firm route to a Growth Mindset Culture. Goals of Unity Through Creativity's Team Building Workshops: To increase employee engagement, contribution and retention To provide creative common endeavors that uplevel collaboration To increase understanding of the neurobiology of communication so that conflict is productive To increase innovative abilities To gain on-going support for creative collaboration and teamwork To increase a Growth Mind-Set Culture “I gained an approach to a problem for which there seemed to be no answer.” — Riku Nakishima, Azbil, Tokyo Outcomes A portable or permanent mural that expresses the mission, values and shared vision of success of your business The creation of unique marketing images and stories Improvement in being able to listen without judgement and share with vulnerability. Increase in group innovative results needed for a competitive edge in today’s world Increased creativity and collaborative skills Increased neuro-integration of right and left brain for innovation "It was an awesome workshop. Thank you for all you do. This process is very powerful." — Jennifer Telfare, General Manager, Department of Justice “This was an extremely useful and exciting workshop. It was impressive to see our group collaborate so quickly. I am taking Unity Through Creativity’s program to our colleagues in Japan so they can have this transformative experience. It fostered collaboration and communication, which we needed. Additionally, there were challenges that took me and my colleagues out of our comfort zones. It was vital practice for the reality of our business and left us as a more united team.” — Jeremy Tole, Vice President, Azbil “The Creative Collaboration process of Unity Through Creativity works. It just works.” — Tamra Gedd, Director, Creative Learning Center, Roswell, N.M. Schedule a free half-hour conversation Schedule Here The neurobiology of art as transformation is a multidimensional field that explores the ways in which engagement with art can have positive e ects on the brain and overall functionality. Learn more here Clients and Partners Azbil Corporation Oracle NASA FEMA US Department of Interior US Botanical Gardens Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, PA Boys & Girls Club, El Paso Sonoma State University Keystone Heritage Park UTEP GWU Unity Through Creativity builds: • Community • Trust • Collaboration • Conflict Resolution Frequently asked questions What is the Singing Tree Mural Project? The Singing Tree™ Mural Project is an invitation to everyone on the planet to transcend disconnection and loneliness by having fun creating together. It was inspired by Meredith Miller, an 8 year old school girl who asked “What if the whole world made a painting together?” When founder Laurie Marshall heard Meredith's idea, the vision of all of humanity working together resonated with a deep longing for peace in the world. She designed the Singing Tree™ mural structure - works of art created by many people working together inspired by the mutualism of trees and forests. Each Singing Tree™ is a collaged painting that envisions a positive future to a community challenge, helping to heal heartbreak and spark innovative action. Many of the murals are youth-led with multigenerational participation. It is a shovel-ready team building program, Who is the Singing Tree Mural Project for? The Singing Tree Mural Project is for businesses, organizations, associations, conferences, K-12 schools, higher education, governments, hospitals and divided communities. It is for youth, adults and elders. How will this project benefit our organization? • Creating a collaborative mural that expresses your shared values, creativity, and vision increase cultural cohesion, engagement and trust • Efficiency and productivity are increased through training in communication, creativity and collaboration • The completed mural provides unique symbols and stories for use in marketing How will this project benefit our community? The Singing Tree Mural Project: Strengthens intergenerational community bonds Creates a concrete, physical beacon that demonstrates that Collaboration is Possible, Powerful and Beautiful Helps heal conflict and division Sparks innovative actions Who will lead the project for our team? A Certified Singing Tree Mural Facilitator. Please see our Team - https://www.unitythroughcreativity.org/utc-team Is this project on-site or remote? The project can be on-site, remote and hybrid. How can our remote team members participate? Remote members participate in training in communication skills, restorative practices, collaborative designing, creating art, and connecting to the international Singing Tree Mural Project Community. How do we get started? Fill out this application: https://www.unitythroughcreativity.org/make-a-mural

298974f5-a578-4111-b94b-d5b94c14a5ac Singing Tree Murals of 2010 35 Cypress Singing Tree of Peace More 17 Redwood Singing Tree of 350 More 16 Fig Singing Tree of the Child More 15 The Aspen Singing Tree of Heroes More 14 Bay Laurel Singing Tree of Worldview Exploration (Literacy) More 12 The Autism Singing Tree – a Virtual Project More Previous Next

396fd5b4-b5bd-4a41-8261-0e309a21f812 Singing Tree Murals of 2022 115 The Hawthorne Singing Tree of 100 Joys More 114 The Albany Oak Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness More 113 The Oak Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness More 112 The Nectarine Singing Tree of Peace More 111 AZBIL Cherry Singing Tree of Expanded Openness and Learning More 110 The Kyangwali Singing Tree of Healing the Trauma of War Uganda More 110 The Kyangwali Singing Tree of Healing the Trauma of War More 109 The Pacha Mama Singing Tree More 108 The Magical Window Singing Tree More 107 The Shanel Valley Academy Singing Tree of Community and Culture More 106 The Redwood Singing Trees of Holding Community Through Unity More 105 The Ukrainian Singing Tree of Strength and Freedom More 104 Cyprus Singing Tree Of Peace More 103 Singing Ash Tree of Abundance and Protection More Previous Next

< Back Lili Lopez Marketing and Web Specialist, Collaborative Art Facilitator Lili is in charge of UTC’s website, social media, and marketing. She generates imagery, posts, and videos to raise awareness of Unity Through Creativity’s programs. She has also co-facilitated over 35 murals in the San Francisco Bay area. Lili is in charge of UTC’s website, social media, and marketing. She generates imagery, posts, and videos to raise awareness of Unity Through Creativity’s programs. Lili has skills in Photoshop and other digital editing and design tools, fundraising platforms, and website development platforms. In addition, she is fluent in Spanish and specializes in trauma-informed approaches with young people. Lili is also a certified Singing Tree Facilitator. She inspires those who join in the collaborative painting process to let go, experiment, and have confidence in their creativity. Her artistic expertise is in collaborative murals and portrait painting. She has co-facilitated over 35 murals in the San Francisco Bay area.

14f9d1ea-44ff-4a17-a551-473f52a77feb < Back Nature Holds Us 1/1 Lily Burby’s 8th grade project, Novato Charter School, 8’ x 4’ for the Family Waiting Room at San Quentin Prison, San Rafael, CA. Facilitator: Laurie Marshall Novato, CA, USA Previous Next

< Back Fernanda Lugo Singing Tree Facilitator Fernanda Lugo is an activist and community organizer in El Paso Texas. She investigates and shares sustainable nature-based solutions and works to grow local social capital, by facilitating working groups to obtain grants that can help her community, and directly capacitating others to build and create, with creativity lost under the forces of capitalism. Fernanda Lugo is an activist and community organizer in El Paso Texas, where she strives to raise awareness of nature-based creative solutions and build bridges between organizations local and national, emphasizing how all our struggles are connected. She works with the Alliance For Just Money , and has connections to the American Monetary Institute, Move to Amend and Citizens’ Climate Lobby, trying to grasp some expertise on community building to overcome the limitations of our current economic model. Fernanda has a Master’s in biobehavioral health from Penn State, and experience in research in family health, health disparities as well as environmental health. She investigates and shares sustainable nature-based solutions and works to grow local social capital, by facilitating working groups to obtain grants that can help her community, and directly capacitating others to build and create, with creativity lost under the forces of capitalism. Her first singing tree, towards a Just and Democratic Economy, was completed for MAYDAY for Money and explores the power of money—but also barter and exchange— and how these can help us meet the goals of a just society, with planetary wellbeing and optimized human health. She works towards a Just Transition with AFJM and works directly in local land restoration and peace building efforts. Fernanda hopes that these fields that sustain our ecological health can have access to livable wages, healthcare, and that people with disabilities can have dignified work. Fernanda practices and offers eco-crafts, and eco-exhale yoga in her local community through Eco El Paso and occasionally online. She is an avid learner of permaculture, foraging, herbalism, and languages. She is currently leading the Branches to Roots project, a STEAM curriculum project that fosters trees and climate action and hope. The Desert Willow Branches to Roots Singing Tree of Propagation and Regeneration More The Singing Tree of a Just and Democratic Economy More

< Back Joanna Redfield Vaughn Certified Singing Tree Mural Facilitator Joanna is a Quaker who has been devoted to children, education and art for over four decades. She taught at the Austin Waldorf School for 11 years and was an elementary Art Specialist for 17 years at 10 of Austin’s public schools. She spent a year’s sabbatical at Pendle Hill, the Quaker retreat center outside of Philadelphia. She earned her B.F.A. from the Dayton (Ohio) Art Institute and her M.Ed. from University of Texas (Austin). Joanna Vaughn, BFA, M.Ed. is a Quaker who has been devoted to children, education and art for over four decades. She taught at the Austin Waldorf School for 11 years and was an elementary Art Specialist for 17 years at 10 of Austin’s public schools. She spent a year’s sabbatical at Pendle Hill, the Quaker retreat center outside of Philadelphia. She earned her B.F.A. from the Dayton (Ohio) Art Institute and her M.Ed. from University of Texas (Austin). Laurie and Joanna met at an educational conference at University of Texas in Austin where Laurie was creating The Pewen Singing Tree of Radical Love. Joanna came because The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy was one of her favorite books as a child and was curious about the project. Since retirement in 2011 she has become a grandmother, and a certified Singing Tree facilitator . She teaches children’s classes at the Contemporary Museum’s Art School and senior citizens through ArtSpark’s Mobile Art program. Her first Singing Tree Project is called The Oak and Linden Singing Trees of Wholeness and Belonging , bringing together the Friends Meeting of Austin, Austin tan Cerca de la Frontera and Escuelita Amiguitos. Joanna has facilitated: The Post Oak Singing Tree of Spiritual Refreshment for the Long Haul More Oak and Linden Singing Trees of Wholeness and Belonging More

Interviews Conversations Around Peace-Building Through Art - Inspired by Nature Peace Podcast | Empowering Youth and Adults Through Art and Collaboration | 2025 Laurie Marshall and The Singing Tree Mural Project - Musea Museum Interview | 2024 Painting for Peace - Bioneers Interview - Laurie Marshall | 2023 Soul Creativity - Laurie Marshall and Rivera Sun | 2022 International Day of Peace Celebration with KTEP | 2022 Soul Creativity - Laurie Marshall | 2022 Rappahannock Radio - Interview with Kiaya Abernathy and Laurie Marshall 2022 Interview with Jack Canfield and Laurie Marshall | 2022 TreeSisters Creative InnerViews with Laurie Marshall "The Singing Tree Project" Peace Community Magazine About the Singing Tree Project | 2022 | Article Think Tech Hawaii and Laurie Marshall Unity Through Creativity, Not Force (The Creative Life) | 2022 | Video Laurie Marshall and Peace Podcast Barbara Gaughen-Muller and Laurie Marshall | 2022 | Video Interview with Laurie Marshall and Mark Lewis Mark Lewis Wagner and Laurie Marshall | 2021 | Video Supporting Children Through COVID-19 Interview with Laurie Marshall and Gwilda Miyak | 2020 | Audio Kindness, A Family Value Real Hope Lifestyle and Laurie Marshall | 2020 | Video Interview with Laurie Marshall and the SingingTree Project Mark Lewis Wagner and Laurie Marshall | 2020 | Audio Peace Building Through Art – Inspired by Nature: The Singing Tree Collaborative Mural Project A conversation about Peace with Three German Social Work students | 2020 | Video Middle Age Can Be Your Best Age: Simple Tools for Stressed Out Parents Interview with Laurie Marshall and Roy Richards | 2020 | Audio Permission to be Powerful The power of holding space for children with Michelle Maree and Laurie Marshall | 2020 | Video Interview with Laurie Marshall Laurie Marshall and Rae Luskin | 2018 | Video Learning from Nature Interview with Laurie Marshall and Haley Campbell | 2017 | Audio What Can We Learn From Nature? Interview with the Human Current: Casual Conversations about Complexity | 2017 | Audio 016, Ignite Creativity in Every Classroom, Edspiration Podcast, International School Climate Institute Interview with Laurie Marshall and John Linney 2015 | Audio

< Back Sweta Chawla Certified Singing Tree Mural Facilitator Sweta Chawla PharmD, MS is a Former Professor of Pharmacy and Clinical and Residency Director turned Speaker, Facilitator & Leadership Coach and Author. Sweta Chawla, PharmD, MS is a Former Professor of Pharmacy and Clinical and Residency Director turned Speaker, Facilitator & Leadership Coach and Author. She supports organizations, highly driven professionals, budding creatives and entrepreneurs to reinvent how they work and lead. Through her natural leadership model, she empowers her clients to create personal structures that leverage their natural brilliance. As a result they experience more passion, impact and meaning without compromising their integrity and well-being. She is a certified Art of Sacred Circle, Singing Tree and Step into Your Moxie Facilitator. Her training and passion for creating brave and encouraging spaces of expression through art, self-awareness and vocal empowerment has provided her the skills to create meaningful impact within several groups and communities. Dr. Sweta is the author of the book I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For...Now What? and contributor to the award-winning Anthology She’s Got This: Essays on Standing Strong and Moving On. She has published articles and essays in several journals, magazines and has spoken on many stages and panels, including the White House.. Sweta has facilitated: The Willow Singing Tree of Trust More The Singing Tree of Reproductive Freedom that Restores Mother Earth More The Redwood Singing Tree of Healing and Freedom from Fear More The Albany Oak Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness More The Redwood Singing Trees of Holding Community Through Unity More

< Back Emmanuel “Emma” Kavuma Certified Singing Tree Facilitator Emmanuel “Emma” Kavuma is a self-taught artist born in Masaka, Uganda. Emmanuel “Emma” Kavuma is a self-taught artist born in Masaka, Uganda. He was orphaned at age four, during the AIDS epidemic, and was sponsored by an Austrian family that helped him practice painting and drawing through pen and pencil friendships, in which he would send pieces of his artwork.When that sponsorship ended, Emma joined high school with the intervention of a member of parliament. after helping him create his portrait in pencil. During this time he served as tour guide an artist at the Kasubi Tombs and the Buganda Kingdom’s royal palace in Mengo, painting on backcloth. This experience engendered a love of adventure, and Emma has taken his art to Zanzibar, Tanzania, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, Sweden, the Netherlands, and beyond. Emma has done numerous fundraisers for animals and civic activism. His passion is to see all youth and children become creative. He says: “It is only through this that we can change the world.” Both Emma and Kanizius are enrolled in the Singing Tree Facilitators Training though scholarship support.

< Back Inner Landscapes by El Paso Art Teachers Inner Landscape paintings with El Paso Art Teachers brought together by El Paso’s Arts Alliance. Previous Next

Mural made with homeless youth of Marin County. < Back Marin’s homeless youth get a hand – ART Mural project gives Marin’s homeless youth a hand – and a paintbrush Mural made with homeless youth of Marin County. Mural made with homeless youth of Marin County. Sam Laidig knows the ropes of being homeless. He knows which public bathrooms and parks are the cleanest and which coffee or doughnut shops open the earliest. He’s become a pro at staying awake all night to guard his belongings. He is 19 and one of the estimated 2,600 homeless youth in Marin County – one of the nation’s wealthiest regions. “I hope that I’m a post-homeless youth of Marin,” Laidig said with a wry laugh as he worked on a mural intended to depict a rosier future. “I spent the last few nights in a park bathroom in San Rafael, but I think I just found a place to live.” Laidig is part of a mural project organized by two Marin County nonprofits, Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity, and Unity Through Creativity, and supported by organizations including the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art. Two days a week through July and August, youths gather in a home in San Rafael to paint, and to share their stories. They talk about what they’ve been through, and what they’d like for the future. There are teenagers who are homeless or at risk of being homeless, and there are high school students who are involved because they want to make a difference and help a hidden population. The homeless and at-risk youth are paid for their work on the mural. “It’s a community-wide mural project called ‘The Seasons of Hope Singing Tree,’ ” said Zara Babitzke, the founder of Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity, an organization begun to create a safety net of housing and guidance. “It’s for this overlooked or forgotten youth population.” Babitzke’s program helps youth ages 16 to 25 who are “push outs,” abandoned by their parents, or who have “absent parents,” parents who are unable to parent because of mental illness, incarceration or drug or alcohol dependency. The program provides emergency shelter, rooms with host families or apartments with peers. It also links youth to jobs, scholarships for college, counseling, and legal and medical aid. “I envisioned the whole community coming together as ambassadors of hope and opportunity for young people without families,” she said, as a group of teenagers painted and others created leaves and birds to be placed on the painted limbs. Babitzke partnered with Unity Through Creativity’s Laurie Marshall, who started engaging at-risk youth in art in 1999, and over the years has spearheaded the creation of 24 murals, with four 8-by-8-foot freestanding panels showing the same tree in four seasons. The finished murals are expected to go on a traveling exhibition to nearly two dozen Marin County schools and other organizations. Kaila McDonald, who is 21 and formerly homeless, serves as the program director for Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity. “I became homeless at 17 when I was taken out of my home by child protective services,” said McDonald, who attends UC Berkeley. “We are not as visible as the adult homeless because we are couch surfing and we sleep in cars. I slept in my car. I was working three jobs. I just wanted to go to college. I was helped by Zara and her program.” Laidig, working nearby, said, “Being a part of this is great. I get to do art, which I haven’t really had the chance to do. The sentiment is good. It’s nice to be around people who care.” Article write by Julian Guthrie, San Francisco Chronicle, Aug 17, 2012 (used with permission) UTC is no longer involved with Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (AHO) due to their discrepancies and malpractice. Previous Next

Interview with Laurie Marshall and Roy Richards | 2020 < Back Middle Age Can Be Your Best Age: Simple Tools for Stressed Out Parents Interview with Laurie Marshall and Roy Richards Social distancing along with your children while furloughed, unemployed or working from home is making parenting much harder. It’s even more difficult if you as a parent must assume an active role in your child’s home schooling. Guest, veteran educator, author and bullying prevention expert, Laurie Marshall offers creative solutions that can help your whole family get along and together safely blow off stress during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Tune in for suggestions on how to make home-based learning fun while broadening your children’s horizons. Discover safe ways your teens and pre-teens to can socialize during the pandemic, rather than simply telling them what they can’t do. Uncover the benefit of taking three deep breaths before lashing out at a family member and how to convince your kids that temporary social isolation will pay off for them in the long run. Host Roy Richards explains why in allocating limited time and financial resources, it makes sense to “enjoy and employ.” Previous Next

69dd1a2e-a5ab-4d8a-8029-c3b0b31c2795 Singing Tree Murals of 2006 11 Cherry Singing Tree of Hope More Previous Next

3fa9fc3b-315a-4d5d-a517-bb406346d314 Singing Tree Murals of 2012 29 Seasons of Hope Singing Tree – Spring of Sustainability More 28 Seasons of Hope Singing Tree- Autumn of Abundance More 27 Seasons of Hope Singing Tree –Summer of Serenity More 26 Seasons of Hope Singing Tree – Winter of Wellness More 23 The Baka Singing Tree of Thanks More 22 Singing Tree of Diversity II More Previous Next