2019 year in review
The Circle Way Stories and Tips – a year in review 2019
Once again, we’ll close out 2019 providing “a year in review” of the monthly blogs and tips, to catch the rich diversity in how The Circle Way is re-igniting circle in our communities and organizations around the world.
January 2019 – Bringing The Circle Way Home into Family Rituals
Jan Adam (NL) shares a beautiful story of how he and his family used The Circle Way to create the ritual to say good-bye to house that had been their long-time home.
February 2019 - The Moose Hide Campaign
Paniguvluk, Stephanie Papik (Canada), one of our newest board members, shares her reflections as she makes preparation to again attend and witness The Moose Hide Campaign in Victoria BC, one of a network of global gatherings to end violence against all women and children worldwide.
March 2019 - The Need for Circle to Build Connections in Organizations – GRANT recipient
As a recipient of a grant from The Circle Way, organizational consultant Jonas David Hunter (USA) participated in a recent Advanced Circle Way practicum where he reflected on his practice of applying circle with his global teams and clients.
April 2019 – Is The Circle Way for Men? A Call for an Emerging Masculine
This month we’re delighted to have Tenneson Woolf (USA), a long-time teacher-practitioner of The Circle Way share his thoughts about men and The Circle Way. Below is a revision for our newsletter from his May 2016 blog, Human to Human.
May 2019 – Communities of Belonging: Compassion and Circle with the Formerly Incarcerated
“Travel Poet” Kristie McLean (USA) beautifully describes how her work with incarcerated men led to the creation of a communities of belonging both in, and out of the correctional complex. By applying components of The Circle Way into prison-based nonviolent communication workshops, and in the weekly community circles for the formerly incarcerated residents of Restorative Home, the men in grew in compassion towards themselves and each other.
June 2019 – The Circle’s Magic for Building Student Resiliency
In this month’s story, Michele Rusinko (USA) describes how the skilled application of The Circle Way in a month- long resiliency class for undergraduate students, brings kindness, connection and well-being.
July 2019 – “Let the Circle Be Unbroken” – Circle in African Dance
Here at the Circle Way website, we’re working to create a new page describing how circle as form and function have shown up over time and across cultures and traditions. As a flavour of what’s to come, Diane “Thembi” Jordan (USA) describes the influence of circle on African dance tradition.
August 2019 – Circle Divorce Ceremony
The Circle Way has powerful potential for helping us navigate life’s changes, challenges and celebrations. Below is the deeply personal story of how circle helped Marjeta Novak (Slovenia) mark and process her divorce with her husband and their community of friends.
September 2019 – Circle as Lived Experience – GRANT recipient
As a recipient of a grant from The Circle Way, Bobbie Goodman (USA) shares her experience of circle at “Self as Source of Story,” a twice-yearly writing retreat hosted by our founder Christina Baldwin at Aldermarsh on Whidbey Island, WA.
TIPS - Taking the Principals of The Circle Way Practice Out into the World
October 2019 – The Circle Way as Container for Transforming Public Education
This month's tale is written by Kerry Barnett (USA), trustee of Ridge and Valley Charter School (RVCS), a K-8 public school with the mission of ecological literacy and sustainability, “education for a hopeful sustainable future” (www.ridgeandvalley.org). Non-hierarchical circle-based collaboration was a foundational principle and is practiced throughout the school by children and adults. Ridge and Valley Charter School was among the organizations profiled our founders’ book, The Circle Way (2010).
November 2019 – The Circle Way to Authentic Leadership
This month we are pleased to present Kristen Lombard’s article, “The Circle Way to Authentic Leadership,” written for the professional journal, Nursing Management. Kristen describes how The Circle Way, as a leadership tool, helps develop learning communities that excel in creating innovative solutions to modern healthcare complexities, while encouraging relationship-based care and authentic leadership.
December 2019 – Innovative Young Indigenous Leaders Symposium: Supported and Framed by The Circle Way – GRANT recipient
The Circle Way provides grants for new initiatives and projects as a demonstration of our commitment to grow a diverse inter-generational community of circle practitioners, to promote racial, gender, ethnic, economic and environmental justice in our organizations and communities. Below is the story from one of this year’s recipients, the Innovative Young Indigenous Leaders Symposium, Canada.