#219 - iChange Justice: Rehumanizing Community - The Power of Person-Centered Leadership

Welcome to the Season 5 Premiere of iChange Justice! In this landmark episode, hosts Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball celebrate an incredible milestone with our dear friend and international collaborator, James White. James is a member of Community Living British Columbia, serves on the Board of the Restorative Community Coalition, and founded the ESATTA Cooperative (Empowering Self Advocates To Take Action) over 40 years ago. Trailblazing anew, it’s achieved a distinctive level of civic leadership!

Focusing on 2026, James identifies this as the Year of the Fire Horse—his own Chinese astrological sign—signaling a time of high energy, passion, and rapid advancement. A globally recognized mentor in the international learning community for person-centered practices, James is guiding us to use this "on fire" energy to move away from cold, transactional bureaucracy and back to the heart of Human Connection.

Inside this Premiere, he introduces tools and demonstrates action:

The "Who Am I?" One-Page Profile: James details how ESATTA uses this tool to help people move past labels and "ableism." It’s a blueprint for building symbiotic, life-giving friendships and professional support systems based on who we actually are, rather than institutional "pigeonholes."

The Mission, B.C. Success Story: We dive into the "Reimagining Community: Welcome Home" project. Using the power of World Cafés, James shows how he helped bridge the gap between city councils, 27 diverse tribes, and everyday citizens in British Columbia to create a roadmap for true civic inclusion.

Breaking Down Barriers: Following the theme of "Nothing About Us Without Us," we discuss how to challenge systemic barriers and return control to the individuals most impacted by the justice and care systems.

Moving from Logic to Legacy: This episode sets the stage for a series of five intensive trainings James will be leading in 2026. We are moving from the “logic” of the system (the data, the labels, and the rules) to a “living restorative legacy”—utilizing the powerful "Fire Horse" energy of the year to create a world where everyone is treated with compassion, respect, and dignity.