Compassionate Conversations

PCRC Coaching ProjectSession 1

March 9, 2012By Lynn Johnson

Consultant with Community Network for Youth Development (CNYD) and

Co-Founder/CEO, Glitter & Razz Productionslynn@glitterandrazz.com

Blind Drawing

Find a partner, a pen, and a piece of paper

Draw a portrait of your partner without looking down at your paper

Keep going! Don’t worry. In this activity, mistakes are okay!

When you’re done, look down and see what surprise awaits you.

Blind Drawing

How did you feel doing that activity?

How was it for you to not be able to look down?

What feelings came up for you?

What do these feelings have to do with a Compassionate Community?

History of this Coaching Project

Intercultural Connections in Redwood City 2010-11› More space for conversations› More tools to lead conversations

October 2011Convening› Playback Theater› A Conversation Café

Compassionate Conversations› Sharing these tools throughout Redwood

City

Goals for Coaching Project To bring together the Youth Development

team and Community Facilitators in a creative teambuilding experience and celebrate each others’ work

To make space to vent, share challenges with each other

To be introduced to key theory in the area of youth development and community building through the lens of compassion

To practice integrating this theory into the day-to-day work with youth

Goals for Session 1:All About You

An introduction Compassionate Conversations Requests and the 7 Elements of a Compassionate Community

Practice in the Areas of Empathy and Peaceful & Powerful Interactions

Discussion around how to support, maintain, encourage a Compassionate Community of professionals at PCRC

Play, creative learning, and interactive discussion infused throughout

Beyond Session 1… Play-work |Our “textbook”

http://compassionateconversations.tumblr.com Password: compassion

Session 2: All About the Youth› A Review of youth development and its connection

to building Compassionate Communities› Sharing back experiences from the month of Play-

Work› Practice facilitating difficult conversations with

youth while keeping compassion at the center

Agenda for Today

Icebreaker: Blind Drawing Introductions: Setting the Stage Interactive Presentation: The 7

Elements of a Compassionate Community

Activity: Empathy & Honor Short Break Activity: Peaceful & Powerful

Interactions Closing

Compassionate Conversation Requests

Be Here Say Yes! Assume the

Best Seek

Opportunity in the Discomfort

The 7 Elements of a Compassionate Community

What are your general reactions to the video?

What do you notice about how people participate as part of a community?

With your partner, come up with your 7 Elements of a Compassionate Community

What is a Compassionate Community?

An interdependent group of people connected by passion, proximity, or both and care deeply for the well-being of each other

“There is great strength in the closeness of the connections we build through interdependence, and this is ultimately the strength of a community. A community of completely independent people is a not a community at all.”

- Mary Gordon, Founder, Roots of Empathy

The 7 Elements of a Compassionate Community

Art

Empathy

Gratitude

Peaceful & Powerful

InteractionsHonor Altruism

Play

Gratitude

Celebrating our own gifts

Celebrating the gifts in each other

The key practice of Hope

Example Practices:› Gratitude Journals› Celebrations

Cards

The Superpower that can transform any situation.

Empathy

Get quiet & present Listen to and Share

our Stories Identify & Accept

all Feelings Example Practices:

› Journalism/Interviews› Playback Theater› Emotion Coaching

The ability to recognize, understand, and relate to the humanity in each other.

Peaceful & Powerful Interactions

Boundaries not Barriers Courage to stand up for

self and others Telling the Truth Practice & Do-Overs Forgiveness Example Practices:

› Community Conversations› Martial Arts/Chi Gung› Theater of the Oppressed› Kidpower› Restorative Justice

Finding Opportunity in the uncomfortable moments to grow together.

Honor

Honoring elders/history

Choosing right action

Integrity Example Practices:

› Keeping promises› Think before you

speak› Showing up and

following through

To respect what is and show up for it fully.

Altruism

Generosity Loyalty Sacrifice Example

Practices:› Pay it forward› Volunteerism/

Service Learning› Donating money/

“tithing”

Giving your time, money & stuff to those who can use it.

Art

Problem Solving Engaging,

Generating Ideas & Putting those ideas together

Taking Risks Example Practices:

› Trying to Fail› Making Art, Music,

Theater, Poetry, etc.› Brainstorming

Creating something new that has value in your life, your community, & beyond.

Play

Creative Play Physical Activity Games Example Practices:

› Play, play and play some more.

What do you do to play?

Our right as living beings to enjoy ourselves and each other. The ultimate mechanism to explore human interaction.

Reflection Where do your 7 elements and my 7

elements intersect? What would you add or change? What new thoughts do you have

about Compassionate Communities? What are your reflections about

PCRC as a Compassionate working Community?

Share Your Story: Compassionate Community at PCRC Example of effective

Compassionate Community practices…or not

Youth, colleagues or both

Beginning, Middle, End

Focus on Feelings

Empathy: Playback Theater Improvisational

art form of story sharing

Master “Empathizers”

Forms that can be practiced

Peaceful & Powerful Interactions: Theater of the Oppressed

Augusto Boal Games and

activities for full civic & community participation

Forms that can be practiced

Peaceful & Powerful Interactions: Theater of the Oppressed

Create a group image that shows the power of courage as a key element of a Compassionate Community.

Beyond Session 1… Play-work |Our “textbook”

http://compassionateconversations.tumblr.com Password: compassion

Weekly Reminder Emails Trying 3 activities with Youth from today and/or

the blog Posting reflections, questions, stories to the

blog Schedule a check-in call with Lynn (optional)

Celebrations

We celebrate what we liked and learned

Gratitude is a superpower and a building block of compassion

Reflection and gratitude brings us closer together

Celebration Cards available for just $12.