Trust, Trauma and Reality with Mark Matzeldelaflor

Engaging in positive work allows bridges of trust to transform communities.

I've seen it across communities too, where it's just like: we have different sets of trauma, but because we're still sitting, sharing in work to move through suffering or to do something positive, trust forms across communities... it allows us to see each other as humans.

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Throughout his life, Mark has felt intrinsically connected to the potential of nature.

I had this epiphany going back to my childhood... nature is where I'm just tapped right in. Whether it's hunting or hiking, climbing a tree, sitting around looking at a leaf, looking at the sun... whatever it is, the natural world and the organized beauty of it, of life, is healing, especially when you have a purpose connected to that.

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The work of Guardian Grange allows conversations to form naturally and in turn, for healing to take place.

You know maybe just notice someone and say, "Hey, well we're getting together and we're going to make a fire... we're going to clean up some area or plant some crops or go fix an erosion point or something. Do you want to come?" And that way there's a purposeful connection and then the opportunity for communication to naturally occur, on their terms, once there's a level of trust built, happens and that's where I see the "therapeutic value", even though it's like a natural therapeutic value of human beings coming together, doing work in a positive direction.