Listening Circles offer safe place for important discussion

Posted October 2020

By Narden Ishak

Staff Reporter

Students were invited to participate in Listening Circles, beginning Sept. 25, to address their challenges and concerns as young people in the world, city, and school community in a confidential, constructive, risk taking, safe place to have their voices heard, to ask questions, to be understood, and to voice an opinion.

Listening Circles are a voluntary opportunity for students who want to connect with other students or staff members about issues they care about. These virtual meetings consist of groups with approximately 15 students who discuss current issues. The circles are student guided. However, there is a trained facilitator of one staff member per circle. This is done to make sure the groups are constructive and feel safe to all members while maintaining the focus on student voices.

“This should not feel like a classroom, but much more like a normal discussion among friends and colleagues,” said campus social worker and Listening Circles organizer Caty Buckley. “We are wanting the adults in the room to act as guides."

There will be different topics to discuss, with a different trained facilitator for each topic. Listening Circle topics include Race Discussions (REAP, NAYA, SEI and Bernard Rahming from The Literacy Lab), Conquering COVID with therapists Kathrine Senders and Boonie Berg, and Sexual Assault: Rebuilding Hope Center for Sexual Assault.

Listening Circles are held each Friday between 12-2 p.m., and last approximately one hour. The circles will take place in cycles of eight weeks, so if students missed the sign up for the first cycle, they can always sign up for the next one. Committing to attending the listening circles isn’t a requirement, but it’s preferred so the same students in each group can take their time getting to know and trust each other, which will hopefully help members have the chance to talk openly among students they know. Students in each group can talk with their facilitator or staff member to make recommendations that can benefit the school. If students have any questions, they can contact Buckley or SUN Coordinator Nicole Senders.

“If we want change, we have to work for it,” said Buckley. “The kids who showed up and the kids who put themselves on the line to be vulnerable, to talk about hard things, kudos to them, because that's the hard work that we are asking them to do.”