1. Practice noticing who’s in the room at meetings – how many men, how many women, how many white people, how many people of color, is it majority heterosexual, are there out queers, what are people’s class backgrounds. Don’t assume to know people, but also work at being more aware. 2a. Count how many times you speak and keep track of how long you speak. 2b. Count how many times other people speak and keep track of how long they speak. 3. Be conscious of how often you are actively listening to what other people are saying as opposed to …
Olelo i ke aka Ka hele ho’okahi e Mamina ka leo He leo wale no e Speaking to the shadow Is what one does when travelling alone Treasure the voice For it gives sound to the thoughts otherwise dormant. — from Lele Kawa: The rituals of Pele by Taupouri Tangaro This is the beginning of my effort to bring some sense to what has happened to me since I stood on the rim of Kiluea in June shortly after the summer solstice in a week during which a large part of myself was opened up. In the six months since …
The Bowen Christmas craft fair http://post.ly/1ILtR # Bright morning with high clouds moving in. Moisture on the air, rain to come…darkness building into the Sound. # Great series of three videos with Peter Block talking about community, convening and social capital: http://youtu.be/CwahGcEiAr0 # Peaceful at #yvr on a Tuesday morning. Time to browse the world's best collection of First Nations and Inuit art (IMHO!) b4 heading to PG. # Shuck a heaviness to this still, dark northern morning. Prince George sits quiet and cold under a smelly cloud of mill smog # Back from Prince George. Good #openspace fun hanging …
One of the most useful books of the past five years in terms of the work I do is Peter Block’s Community: The Structure of Belonging. In it he aggregates the wisdom of those of us who have been practicing participatory process for the last 30 years in North America. The essence of the work is that social fabric, created through conversations that produce relationships, is the foundation for improvement in communities and the fundamental pre-requisite for effective and sustainable problem solving. This set of videos is a great introduction to Peter’s work. View parts one, two and three.