Learning Together. Building Community.

Sep 2, 2021
3 min

Unlock Creativity with a Digital Whiteboard

What do you do when you’re grappling with a bunch of random ideas all at once? So many of our digital tools are linear: word processors, spreadsheets, etc. Sometimes you just need a wide open, unstructured space to capture thoughts as they come. Then you can start to see the connections between the ideas and how they naturally group together. It’s hard to do this with a word processor. This is where whiteboards come in handy. And digital whiteboards have the added advantage t

Mar 12, 2021
5 min

Learning

Lessons from Uganda

I recently talked with Aaron Enyetu, who arrived here from Uganda just a few months ago. Aaron has worked both as a volunteer in the community-building work of the Baha’i community, and as a professional for Kimanya Ngeyo, an organization based in Jinja that promotes the empowerment of rural people to participate meaningfully in the development of their communities, families and themselves. One of the organization’s areas of focus is sustainable organic farming methods. Eager

Jan 28, 2021
3 min

Community

How difficulties can build community

As we learn to embrace diversity at all levels of society, it helps to have examples of what inclusion looks like. I recently talked to Ruhiyyih, who shared her story of being accepted and included despite difficulties and differences. Facing Medical Difficulties After a near-death experience in Tibet and an extended hospital stay, Ruhiyyih slipped into a severe depression and decided to return to the U.S. to live. She had been living and teaching in China for nearly 10 years

Oct 15, 2020
2 min

Learning

What does it mean to make space?

I recently participated in a Zoom workshop on consultation offered to an association of facilitators. The workshop was a familiar setup — a speaker gave a presentation and then we split up into breakout rooms to practice the skills of consultation by talking through a scenario. But this time I got a valuable lesson in making space for others. We went into the breakout rooms of three or four people to discuss our scenario. You know how there’s often an awkward pause when you’r

Apr 15, 2020
3 min

Learning

Tools for Rebuilding in a Complex World

Our world is complex. Our systems are complex. Now, with a global pandemic on our hands, we’re starting to grasp just how interconnected these systems really are. It’s now very clear that what happens in one part of the world quickly affects people around the globe. We need tools that allow us to “see” these systems and their effects. We need tools for rebuilding in a complex world. Systems thinking—grappling with complex systems—requires an understanding of the system. But “

Apr 6, 2020
3 min

Learning

What makes communities successful?

How can we best build, join and harness our local and international communities? Ethical Business Building the Future (EBBF) recently held a webinar to explore these ideas: Best Practices in Building, Joining, Harnessing Communities. They asked their most experienced community builders to share their insights. Here are a few highlights from the webinar. Jenna Nicholas is the CEO of Impact Experience. They work with under-served communities in places like Puerto Rico and Houst

Dec 13, 2018
3 min

Community

A Decision Corrected

A few years ago, my Dad died suddenly. He lived in a tiny, remote astronomy community in rural Arizona, where the skies are dark and the stars are bright. My brother and sister and I flew in from opposite corners of the country and were immediately faced with a million decisions. If you’ve ever had to settle the affairs of a loved one who has passed, you know what I mean: there were funeral arrangements to make, people to inform, family accommodations to arrange, financial an

Dec 11, 2018
2 min

Consultation

Support the Decision

Have you ever made a decision as a group and then discovered that one or more members were undermining that decision? What happened? Not much gets accomplished, does it? Then bad feelings set in and people start bickering with one another. This is why the consultation process extends even beyond the decision itself to the support necessary to carry it out. Though one of the parties may be in the right and they disagree that will be the cause of a thousand wrongs, but if they

Dec 5, 2018
2 min

Community

Truth-Seeking Under Pressure

When I was in my 20’s, I was asked to work with another young woman to facilitate a youth retreat for young teenagers. Neither of us had done this before, so we really relied on each other to pull it off. We each had different strengths and we discovered how to learn as we went along. Talk about being thrown into the deep end! The two of us devised an approach that worked brilliantly. After each session with the youth, we’d get together and each of us had one minute to say ev

Dec 3, 2018
3 min

Consultation

Seek Truth

Consultation is about searching out the truth. Without this goal, we quickly devolve into warring opinions. But truth has gotten a bad rap over the years. So often our experience has been that of one person or group imposing their “truth” on others. This is a distortion. Truth is one. It’s like light. Light may shine in many different lamps, but it’s still light. We may view it through different colored lenses, but it’s still light. Consultation bestoweth greater awareness an

Nov 28, 2018
1 min

Community

Letting Go of My Opinion

I was recently in a group that was dealing with a complex issue. This time I really experienced offering a view and letting it go. It quickly became clear that this view was only a piece of the puzzle. And because I didn’t hang onto it, I could see its limitations as the discussion continued. Letting go is not just about not insisting on my view, but it also means not feeling bad when the flaws of that view are pointed out. We human beings are limited creatures. I can’t see t

Nov 26, 2018
3 min

Consultation

Express Your View and Let It Go

In building community, invariably issues come up. Some are simple and easy to manage. Others are more difficult. How do we handle these issues as a community? In order to really understand an issue, we need to be able to look at it from all sides. And since no single person has all the information, we need to hear from everyone. Each of us has a different way of looking at things. Some of us see vistas. Some of us see details. Some of us look at the practical side of things.

Nov 21, 2018
2 min

Community

Circle Time

Mrs. Weeratunga is a gifted teacher; she has truly found her calling. She owns Sunshine Montessori and was my daughter’s preschool teacher. Talk about radiance of spirit! She just has this gentle glow about her all the time. She is the most patient person I’ve ever met. She doesn’t put up with nonsense, but if you are striving toward something, she has all the time in the world for you. She sees each of her little ones—more than 50 children between the ages of three and five—

Nov 19, 2018
3 min

Consultation

Building Community From the Inside Out

Spiritual Qualities as the Starting Point Building community is as much about working on myself as it is about working in a group. If I come into the group thinking that my ideas are the best ones and that everyone else should listen to me, we won't get very far. But if I come into the group with patience, humility and a desire to serve a higher purpose, some amazing things can happen. By focusing on these qualities of patience and service, I’m able to interact with the group

Nov 15, 2018
3 min

Community

Putting Differences to Work

I once took a class on the meaning of color and found it fascinating. I was intrigued by how each color can have different meanings and how those meanings change from culture to culture. Orange indicates abundance, but it can also mean caution. Black is sophisticated and yet it can be heavy and oppressive. The color for royalty in the West is purple, but in China, the emperor’s color is yellow. So many layers and varieties of meanings. A few weeks later, I was outside when th

Nov 13, 2018
2 min

Consultation

Unity in Diversity

What we see around us is a world full of conflict: us vs. them. This culture of contest permeates every aspect of our lives—from business and sports to politics and the justice system. Because this is what we see, it shapes our thinking. But our reality is that we humans are one people, one global family. Like the cells of the body, we constitute one organic whole. …this limitless universe is like the human body, all the members of which are connected and linked together in t

Nov 8, 2018
2 min

Community

Starting with Love

The other day I was challenged by a friend to examine how much I am really contributing to bringing about racial and social justice. Am I actually taking action? Or am I just sitting in my white comfort level, content to think that simply believing in equality is good enough? It was a sobering conversation. I had to take a good, hard look at myself and realized I need to do more. And then immediately the white guilt kicked in: “Oh! I’m not doing enough! I need to do this and

Nov 7, 2018
2 min

Community

Building Community in the Theater

Is it possible to build community among diverse strangers in a very short time? I’ve seen it happen and the experience is extraordinary. Years ago, I got involved in the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Theater, established by the Black community in Evanston, just north of Chicago. I just showed up one day to volunteer and they graciously allowed me to stay. Most of the time, I was the only white person in the building. Rehearsals were underway for Sophisticated Lady, a musical f

What Does Love Have to Do with Learning Together?

Nov 6, 2018
3 min

Consultation

What Does Love Have to Do with Learning Together?

If we are to build a vibrant, sustainable home for ourselves on this planet, we’re going to need to learn quickly and learn from each other. No one of us has all the answers. The pieces of the puzzle are scattered throughout our human family. Indigenous peoples have vital wisdom for our successful future on this planet. Science and technology offer valuable tools. Urban people and rural people both have important contributions to make. We all have a piece of the answer. It’s

Nov 1, 2018
2 min

Community

Vacation Plans – Community Building in the Family

Last spring, we were planning our family vacation. This is always a tricky thing for me. Our teenage daughter wants something active and adventurous. My husband’s work is rather intense and he just needs a rest. I feel like I’m caught in the middle trying to broker a deal between the two of them. Usually we end up with a compromise that no one really wants. As I began working on these consultation materials, I suddenly realized, “We’re not consulting!” So I went back to them