Input on 'Listening' Tool kit for Deep Hanging Out

Hi Edwin.
Thank you for this. I'm just flagging up that the links don't seem to work. Have you got a good link that we could use to signpost people looking to run an Empathy Cafe?

Hi Josie, here is the list.
https://sites.google.com/site/empathycircles/gateway-practice
these are practices that have Active listening, ie Empathic listening as a foundation or element.

Thanks :)

Hi @Josie Holt , this sounds a really good initiative and I wish you well with its development.

I quite like the term 'community democracy' and presume your Manual somehow relates to that term? ( @Margaret "Join your UK regional...", signs with "Community Democracy Team at XR UK")

Maybe not essential, but would help a manual as a stand alone document, if it included something like what the authors/Community Democracy Team at XR UK, mean by the term 'Community democracy'. So, it's more about, before the tools and resources, who are they for and for what purposes (in perhaps a bit more detail).

Your posts seem to already include something on this:
"...self-organising communities which are our best hope for survival as climate and ecological breakdown unfolds."
"...groups looking to create community projects such as Credit Unions, Cooperatives, or Flatpack style Council takeovers, or as a more general community building exercise focused on finding shared concerns and solutions to local issues."
"... increasing democracy from the ground up. "

One of the reason's I feel something like this is necessary is that there's perhaps a need to differentiate what 'community democracy' means contrasted both to
*"Traditional representational democracy"
(that the People's Assemblies manual begins with and to be fair does include quite a bit by way of contrast),
(Might not a lot of traditional representatives/councillors sincerely believe they're already doing 'community democracy?) but also
*the wider ecosystem of attempts to improve democracy: see for example resources from involve &
the list that @Edwin Rutsch mentions
For example would Appreciative Inquiry be considered part of Community Democracy?

So I guess what I'm asking is can you perhaps say for you what are the essential elements or characteristics of a process that makes it part of community democracy? Thanks.

You may already know of this/may have already been mentioned, but just wanted to also add Participedia

Hi Josie, great to be trying to do something. The arrangement I have always wanted to try is when a facilitator has a group of chairs in a circle where only those interested in the subject under discussion sit. Others can gather around and listen but only those with seats contribute. If someone does not want to contribute then they can vacate their chair and someone else can move in and thereby contribute to the discussion. It means that at any gathering there can be several discussions going on that are focused while general chit chat goes on around.

I have always thought food is a good way of attracting people to meetings, and if tables have a menu of topics it can help people approach subjects they usually avoid!

Good luck and I will watch with interest

Regards Chris

Hi Chris, the name I use for what you decribe is a Fishbowl. 7/8 people sit in a circle. Everyone else sits around them, also in circles. The people in the inner circle start a discussion. After a while, anyone from the audience who wants to join the discussion comes forward and the moderator asks one of the inner circle to give up their seat and retire to the audience. The discussion carries on and the participants continue to evolve. This combines large numbers with some of the depth of a small group conversation. The distinction between speakers and audience is undermined, but not erased.

all my best

Perry

Hi Josie,

More years ago than I care to think about, I edited a book called 'Participation Works, 21 methods of community participation for the 21st century'. You can get it at https://neweconomics.org/1998/06/participation-works I don't think it has dated too much.

I also attach notes about a couple of approaches that I use.

best of luck with this

Perry

Can I just say that you lot are marvelous! Thank you so much to everyone who has already taken the time to share here. This has given me lots to work with, and also reassured me as I had already listed most of these practices. It's at least a sign that I may be on the right track!
Please keep it coming!

Hi Josie, Phil Green above asked about Appreciative Inquiry... I also want to mention Asset-Based Community Development, which is a very useful framework from which to do community organizing...