Conversare as a means to connect

As you may imagine there has been much concern, particularly but not only, in the United States about the Sandy Hook school massacre and its underpinnings.

One response has been to conduct a ‘Vancouver Speaks – Community Conversations around Connection.’

This happened as a Conversation Café recently in Vancouver in Washington State, USA – just south of  British Columbia, Canada. Participants were invited to address three questions:

First round: What concerns you about isolation contributing to acts of violence, despair or suicide?

Second round: What does connection mean to you? What are the beliefs, values, and principles that will cause a renewing of connection in our community?

Third round: What can I do personally, in my own world (family, organization, community) to reduce isolation and to promote a life of community?  What are the barriers to you connecting deeply with another?

After the three rounds, participants shared the main themes of their small-group conversations in a large-group format. Then, as a closing question, participants were invited to respond to the question:  What are you personally willing to do, to create more connection in your community?

See here for what emerged as the harvest of this exercise. From this you may notice:

.  the great questions chosen gave rise to an ‘awesome’ harvest.

. there are many ways in which each of us can act to enhance connections between others and ourselves.

Conversare is one such way. It provides the context for people to come along to join in a social gathering in a public place even though they may not know anybody present. With the primary activity of having a conversation with a stranger. While everyone in the room is doing the same. And with ample time for informal and enjoyable mixing with others before and after the core exercise.

All that is asked of participants is that they seize the opportunity to connect well with the ‘other.’  See previous post.

The person who convened the Vancouver Speaks exercise commented on Conversare to say:

“Thanks for sharing your work down under.  Looks like some fabulous conversations.  Thank you for sharing and connecting.

I do love how you have framed the time as conversations between people who do not know each other.”
Kevin Hiebert
www.resonateNW.com

I wonder if you recognise the potential significance of doing this? And have the intuitive feeling that taking action on it could make a wholesome difference to how you relate to others – and what this could mean for them and for you?

                  See Forthcoming Events for how to do this in Adelaide.

Alan Stewart
Social artist
Adelaide