Goals and Outcomes of "Deep Change" 1. Enable peer-to-peer learning among the leadership of social change organizations committed to transformational practice. • Illuminate lessons, successes, challenges and models • Increased cross-pollination of strategies • Take the work of the field to the next level 2. Harness the wisdom, weave the threads of this emerging field and deepen the shared movement identity • Increased awareness of growing movement and forms anchoring the work • Continue making knowledge accessible more broadly to spark a national culture shift 3. Expand the network of practitioners and deepen relationships • More peer support among practitioners • Greater understanding of the strengths in the network 4. Educate, inspire and cultivate new donors • Catalyze new funding for the work. Context Over the past five years, a series of conversations and meetings have taken place about the integration of spiritual and reflective practices into the work for social transformation. This work has been reaching more and more into organizing and activist circles. In June 2005, 50 practitioners came together for a gathering at the Garrison Institute – “Spiritual Activism: Claiming the Poetry and Ideology of a Liberation Spirituality.” Initial principles and strategies were codified and many collaborative efforts were sparked by this very diverse gathering. Highlights from that event are just below and the full report can be downloaded at the bottom of the page. In May 2006, funders and practitioners began meeting to develop a collaborative fund for spiritual activism and social transformation. In 2007, this became the Seasons Fund for Social Transformation. The Seasons Fund invests in opportunities to couple the expansive power of personal transformation with the public work of repairing societal ills. It is a collaborative effort led by several private foundations, springs from a shared belief that cultivating a rich inner life is both a worthy end in itself and an overlooked pathway to heightening the impact, effectiveness, and sustainability of social change initiatives. (FROM STONE CIRCLES) Highlights from “Spiritual Activism: Claiming the Poetry and Ideology of a Liberation Spirituality,” Garrison Institute, June 2005 LESSONS FOR OUR COMMON WORK: 1. Find language that works 2. Engage dynamics of oppression up front 3. Uncover common principles (see below) 4. Acknowledge dynamic tensions Healthy process and vibrant outcome Building a movement or a container for movement 5. Name strategies that work (see below) COMMON PRINCIPLES: The anchors and truths that structure the work we are doing in the world Interconnectivity, interdependence Practice Anti-oppression Movement-building Embodiment Present moment Love Unity and difference Healing and self care Accountability STRATEGIES THAT WORK: Integrating spiritual principles into organizing work Training Circles and healing work Tradition-based and practice-based teaching/organizing Prophetic voice and visioning Organization and network building NEXT STEPS: Develop collective theory of change Share map of strategies for practical, daily application Organizer funders and funding Harvest historical lessons Design with more nonverbal and contemplative space Aim towards synthesis Gatherings That Have Helped Develop the Field This emerging field of transformational practice is decentralized but it is not disconnected. Over the past few years various groups and organizations have been instrumental in realizing a number of gatherings that have begun to forge a stronger network and more vast possibilities for its work. Their success lies in how they have: (1) Opened up and framed conversations, around spiritual activism and many related threads of dialogue; (2) Explored numerous frameworks and ideas, consistently expanding a collective understanding of the nature and importance of the work; and (3) Developed important and lasting relationships among leaders and participants in the field. We feel strongly that the first Seasons Gathering needed to be designed for leaders of “frontline” social change organizations that are working consciously to incorporate reflective and transformational practices into their work. • In December of 2002, six individuals organized, “Spirit and Social Change,” a gathering for leaders engaged in bringing spiritual and transformative practice to progressive social change movements. This gathering, convened in Santa Cruz, CA, provided a unique opportunity for heart-centered relationship building, laid the groundwork for ongoing support, and sparked a series of working groups. • Just two months later, the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society hosted “Inviting the World to Transform” in Essex, MA. This gathering focused on people bringing contemplative practice into social justice work and provided a forum for some presentations on specifics. • In May of 2003 stone circles convened a gathering on spiritual activism for twenty young people at the Rigmor Retreat Center in North Carolina. Participants wrestled with questions, dynamic tensions, and core principles of the work; were introduced to network theory; and began charting possible directions for the emerging field. • In September 2003, the Vallecitos Mountain Refuge hosted a contemplative retreat, “Spiritual and Contemplative Awareness and Social Change.” The retreat offered a contemplative environment and a facilitated dialogue each morning to explore particular questions. • In April 2004, six organizations created “Standing Together: A gathering for people bringing transformational and spiritual practice to social change,” held at the Omega Institute. IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION YOU WOULD LIKE ADDED TO THIS SITE, PLEASE EMAIL Claudia@stonecircles.org • See "Understanding the Work" for more background info. |