Next month Red Kite Project will be speaking to leaders in the public transit industry on how to implement social responsibility programs for community sustainability. We figured now was as good a time as any to answer that big question people frequently ask us—
“Why name your company Red Kite Project? Does the kite have some special meaning behind it?” Our answer: Absolutely, it does! In fact, our tag line “Helping organizations rise above conflict to achieve their goals” hints at the significance of the kite; a nearly weightless object built not only to endure intense winds but soar because of them.
Red Kite Project is a consulting and training organization dedicated to helping organizations and communities transform conflict and heal from violence and trauma so they can actualize a more sustainable vision. For us the kite is an emblem of hope for freeing human beings from prolonged and toxic conflicts, which erode relationships, creativity, productivity and fulfillment. The wind is the necessary element for the rising, but it takes a strong and steady hand, quick feet and perseverance to make the thing fly.
When I refer to conflict as something to rise above, I’m not suggesting conflict is to be ignored. In fact, to rise above conflict allows all parties to gain a wider perspective on the struggle and see each other’s point of view. This is a reflective practice, which requires thoughtfulness and that perseverance I just mentioned. The kite is not so much an inanimate thing; rather it’s symbolic of our community re-humanized in the stirring of the wind and the compassion of one another.
But where does the color red come from? The red in Red Kite Project signifies the passion within each of us that too often remains buried underneath cyclic, long-term conflict and alienation. So in addition to rising above conflict, it’s each person’s passion that must be put to flight if we’re going to fully re-humanize ourselves as a productive society. It’s our mission. It’s our project. And we can only do it if we do it as one community working together.
Charlotte DiBartolomeo
C.E.O and Co-founder, Red Kite Project
