Elaine Zook Barge
Elaine Zook Barge is the Program Director for STAR (Seminars on Trauma Awareness and Resilience). She has been involved with STAR since 2002 in the development and facilitation of Spanish workshops. Previously she worked with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) for 20 years both in the U.S. and in Central America (El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala). Living in countries experiencing the trauma of war, poverty and violence, she worked closely with widows, displaced persons, development and human rights workers and facilitated experiential learning tours to promote relationship building and social change.
Among other roles, she was Latin America/Caribbean Connecting Peoples Coordinator, East Coast Peace Associate and the Guatemala Country Director. Elaine holds an M.A. in Conflict Transformation and a B.S. in Nutrition/Community Development from Eastern Mennonite University. She recently became certified as a Compassion Fatigue Educator and a Field Traumatologist through the Figley Institute.
Lou Furman is Associate Director of Turning Points Partners, a restorative justice initiative in New Orleans, Louisiana. Turning Point Partners has developed programs for the youth court, juvenile institutions, and a local charter school. Turning Point Partners sees restorative justice as a tool for teaching the skills and values restorative philosophy and practice in school, court, and correctional settings.
Lou is a Registered Drama Therapist (RDT) and Professor Emeritus at Washington State University and has extensive classroom experience with distressed youth.
Lou left the university to work with inner city kids from new Orleans. He will be a partner to WAMS,UCC and to the Good Shepherd UCC in Metairie LA in helping to initiate Youth STAR programs in the New Orleans area schools
The Rev. Shantia Wright-Gray
Mission Educator and WAYS Coordinator for
Tthe Worcester Area Mission Society, UCC
shantiawg@gmail.com
978-422-6256 home/office
508-450-2001 Cell
48 Main St.
Sterling, MA 01564
