Journal of the International Ombuds Association (JIOA)

JIOA 2025 Articles

IOA Journal - Creative Issue (2025) 

Ombservations^TM in Three Poems - Every Separation Is a Link. Simone Weil

DEBORAH DODGE

October 2025

Abstract:

“Ombservations in Three Poems” may be best thought of as one longer poem, in three parts. The epigraph, “Every separation is a link.” (Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace) suggests their connectedness as poems or sections, and foreshadows the opportunities for connection, intrinsic to conflict. In the first, the political and the personal coalesce as organizational landscape or context from which our lives and work generate. Just as we are both shaped by and shape our environments, our organizational cultures, and discrete work units – so too does the broader world insert itself in and impact our practices. The second part comes consequent to processing reflection notes taken at the end of a weekend town gown workshop and dialogue. The third, structurally signals the dualities and dissonances we navigate in our daily work and in particularly challenging circumstances. Our values, italicized flush with the right margin, scaffold the poem and our professional community.

The Ombuds' Path

CENTRE FOR OMBUDS AND RESOLUTION FOR HEALTH CANADA AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCY OF CANADA

October 2025

Abstract: 

This poem was born from a blend of human emotion and digital inspiration. As I explored themes close to my heart, I turned to artificial intelligence as a creative companion—offering structure, rhythm, and phrasing that helped shape my ideas into verse. While the words are mine, the process was enriched by this collaboration and connection.

Expressions of Ombuds in a Changing World

NASHIRA ABRAHAMS

October 2025

Abstract:

My submission is a small collection of poetry I have written, mostly in the spoken word format, which aims to explore the deeply personal and human dimensions of ombuds practice. Through this work, I seek to highlight the nuanced and often untold aspects of our work that resonate on an emotional and human level, especially in the context of a rapidly changing world.

The Liminal Lens: Perspectives, Portals, and Possibilities

KATHERINE GREENWOOD

October 2025

Abstract: 

My photographs emerge in quiet moments of observation. I seek to capture images that evoke the timeless possibilities that may be
found on the other side of portals and thresholds. Through my work, I invite viewers to pause, connect, and reflect on the motif of what opportunities may lie beyond our limits of perception.

The Panthers for Pawsitive Peace Project

BIRTHE C. REIMERS

October 2025

Abstract:

The Panthers for Pawsitive Peace Project was born out of a shift in mindset. As conflict management specialists, Ombuds tend to see conflict first – the challenges, struggles, and problems our visitors and communities face. Inspired by scholarship on art therapy and placemaking as well as Johan Galtung’s (1969) concept of Positive Peace, which extends past the absence of war to include the harmonious integration of human society, this work represents an expansion of focus to the pursuit of Positive Peace through the promotion of a sense of belonging for all. 

The implementation of welcoming, collaborative, and accessible practices to create and support resilient communities falls in line with Georgia State University’s Strategic Plan. One of the pillars of GSU’s BluePrint to 2033 is “Identity, Placemaking, and Belonging.” The vision is for GSU to be(come) a place where people want to learn, study, work, live, play, and connect. The Panthers for Pawsitive Peace Project is a participatory kindness rocks initiative that raises awareness of the Ombuds office while bringing together the GSU community in both physical and virtual ways and spaces. People come together during drop in hours for rock painting and in-person rock hunts. They get to keep rocks that particularly speak to them as physical artifacts and re-hide others so they can make someone else's day. Finally, they get to share the rocks and their journeys across campus and beyond with the greater community using a hashtag and posting in a Facebook group. A note on the name “Panthers for Pawsitive Peace” – it is a playful homage to GSU’s panther mascot, Pounce.