The
greatest gift we can give another is the gift of ourselves -
our presence, acceptance, and willingness to sit with each other
in circle, speak and listen from our hears, and trust the process.
This seemingly small act of focused attention is healing for
everyone involved. It brings forth powerful energies, amplifies
our ability to see our lives more clearly, hear our own wisdom,
discover our own answers, and make healthy choices that free
us to offer our unique and beautiful genius to the world. Through
this remarkable process we discover that we are not alone but
are in fact inextricably linked within the sacred web of life.
Imagine
facilitating a circle for teens. Imagine giving them a safe
space to tell the truth without fear of judgment, criticism,
or rejection. A place where they can take down their "tough
guises," share their deepest feelings, work through conflicts,
expose their fears, and reveal their hearts. How might this
change their lives? How might this change the world? You can
be part of making this happen.
Our basic
in-house Facilitator's Training usually runs from Thursday afternoon
to Sunday afternoon and is typically held at a private home
or intimate community space on Bainbridge Island, in Washington
State. Trainings are limited to 11 participants and include
all meals, but do not include transportation or lodging. Early
bird sign up is recommended to assure your space. The comfortable
location is set in a rural environment near the state park and
beach which allows for plenty of walking exercise.
Facilitator
trainings are attended by adults of all ages and professions
including parents, teachers, counselors, social workers, youth
service providers, mental health professionals, and anyone interested
in bringing teen talking circles into their communities.
Our training
is unique in that we come together as facilitator-trainers and
participants/facilitators-in-training to form our own circle
and look at the issues we still carry from our own teen years.
This allows us to discover where we might be challenged in our
ability to be accepting and supportive towards teens in circle.
This is a critical component of facilitation, as teens will
only share as much of themselves as we as facilitators can open
ourselves to hearing without judgment or criticism. By making
peace with our own teen years, we form a basis for developing
deep trust between teen participants and ourselves as facilitators.
As a participant,
you’ll experience how it feels to be in circle by sharing
about your own teen years, while learning the basic components
of facilitation and practicing specific exercises you can use
in your own teen circles. You will learn the basics, the how-tos,
from "calling a circle,” to “closing a circle.”
You’ll learn how to work with a co-facilitator, understanding
how to create safe space, practice “Heart to Heart”
processes, our specifically designed model of conflict resolution
which uses pieces of important process oriented technologies
such as Nonviolent Communication, Compassionate Listening(SM),
and our own brand of “Inappropriate Rant.”
The practice
of Compassionate Listening is a very important part of our training
as well as our local circles. Linda Wolf is a past board members
and certified facilitator of the Compassionate Listening Project.
(For more info on TCLP, check their website: compassionatelistening.org.)
We highly recommend to all our facilitators, trainees, and youth
to take one of their workshops.
The TTC
training is an opportunity for you to learn everything you need
to know to start and run a teen Talking Circle confidently and
successfully.
