Elders & The Art Of Community
Event description
"The true measure of a community's success is not the size of its membership, but the depth of its relationships and the strength of its shared purpose." - Charles H. Vogl
Around sixteen months ago I felt the call to found a Community of Elders.
This was a new and unchartered path for me. I'd never founded a community before.
For some time I'd began to notice a longing for 'community' in both myself and others, a place where I longed to be with people who shared the same values.
This is more common when we get to midlife. Before this we are attached to our families and neighbourhoods and school communities, (if you have children) and of course, the workplace.
A few years ago I joined an informal on-line (professional) community.
As the community began to deepen its bonds, the leaders became increasingly irritated with members as they hadn't (consciously) set it up with this intention. To them this was a group with a shared interest. So this little spark of a community and the group, slowly faded away... The irony, which wasn't lost on me, was that this group / community had come together to learn together about systemic teams.
This experience is a reminder of how people deeply long (often unconsciously) for community and will always seek it out. It was no coincidence that this happened shortly after the pandemic, where people had clearly become isolated.
Eldership is all about 'Community'.
To be of service to our community is one of the key functions of an Elder.
But what does that look like? And where do we start?
In this workshop we will:
- Clarify the difference between a group, a team and a community.
- Discuss how to belong in community and how the 'inner rings' of community can often make it a painful experience.
- Explore how to build a mature community.
Workshop Structure:
- Build the container through a reading and music (which is one of our community 'rituals')
- An introduction / presentation about the subject
- Open discussion with the community about the themes and insights
- Close
This is a participatory workshop so we keep our cameras on. There's no pressure to participate though, your presence is enough! 😃
"A community is not a product that can be manufactured, but a relationship that must be cultivated." Charles H. Vogl