Week one of the Ripple Community Inc. was inaugurated by a sense of anticipation and surprise – wondering, “Will this work? Will this form of community gathering and education be welcomed, accessible and meaningful?” and surprised by how many people showed up, and surprised by the positive interactions around the process of the circle. We had over 20 people attend this week. People kept coming in as the meeting progressed. The circle was enlarged and, following the group instruction, we were spilt into three groups for compassionate listening.
We decided to begin with listening skills, since that quality is often needed before any meaningful dialogues could take place. Listening can open many doors that have been closed and release many negative emotions that have built up over time. As one participant put it , “I never felt so completely listened to in my life!” The time of snack and fellowship, which was scheduled to last about 20-30 minutes, went much longer, and positive after glow seemed to permeate the group. People wanted to stay in community.
A few questions-
What do you think brought so many people out on this warm June afternoon?
What might a measure of “these gatherings being successful” or “working” be?
It seems like start and end times (coming and going) are much more fluid in the city… any thoughts?
We decided to begin with listening skills, since that quality is often needed before any meaningful dialogues could take place. Listening can open many doors that have been closed and release many negative emotions that have built up over time. As one participant put it , “I never felt so completely listened to in my life!” The time of snack and fellowship, which was scheduled to last about 20-30 minutes, went much longer, and positive after glow seemed to permeate the group. People wanted to stay in community.
A few questions-
What do you think brought so many people out on this warm June afternoon?
What might a measure of “these gatherings being successful” or “working” be?
It seems like start and end times (coming and going) are much more fluid in the city… any thoughts?