When we open ourselves to the world we start acknowledging the possibilities and abundance that surround us. Suddenly we are not alone anymore, we are not deprived and we can feel the support of walking together, hand by hand, heart by heart, head by head.
We are starting to see the groups in Greenock & Nottingham evolving and transforming through their group dynamics each day, becoming little by little a new being ready to emerge in this complex world.
And so it happened. On the last session in Nottingham while we were introducing each other, a spontaneous participant hugged another saying “I welcome you today”. We were all softened by the kindness and many of us stood and up and started hugging each other, welcoming each other into our space.
The Future Conversations programme continues to be inspired by many, either everyday participants or long-term activists, all bringing the collective wisdom through the process.
Up in Greenock, while “Honouring our pain”, people said they felt able to express their fears for the future whilst at the same time being supported and buoyed up by the others in their groups. We are stepping into the collective creation of a new emergent culture, so a poem by Looby Mcnamara about cultural emergence was shared. Below, just a fragment:
The Tulse Hill group in London started recently to gather and experience the joy of sharing feelings of fear and hope about the future ahead. They are a group of ESOL students that normally would focus on grammar, vocabulary and phrasal verbs; now they are learning English by exploring the topics that matter to them in life, bringing their passion to learn a new language with their life passions together. No wonder they are loving the session even more now.
And these are some of the actions that are emerging along the country:
● a garden in a concrete area in a church yard where nothing is going on
● a conversation with a church that is in decline to use their space for community actions
● a community growing and cooking project which welcomes everyone, no matter their capabilities, and finds a role to suit each member
● a project to help young people understand why destroying things, especially in parks and wild spaces, is harmful (this from a former “yout”)
● the group committing to helping one member with a personal difficulty
Some final words from Future Conversations participants about the sessions…
“ It was beautiful! “
“ It is who turns up and what they bring that make it..these sessions are at a different level to other community sessions that I have been part of….”
” I love it; I don’t want to ever miss it “
1 thought on “Small steps, big changes”