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FEB 12: Empathy Cafe: How might XR design Empathic Direct Actions?
short url: http://bit.ly/2HlcEpv
Meeting Outline (2 hrs. plus overtime)
Welcome
Short Participant Check-in
About Empathic Direct Action (EDA)
How to Empathy Circle
Empathy Circle Breakout Groups
Full Group: Summary and Report of Your Circle
Participant Contact List
*Edwin Rutsch, SF Bay Area, CA, USA, (XR Empathy Work Group)
*Karolina Kubiak, XR Poland, (XR Empathy Work Group)
*Bill Filler, SF Bay Area, CA, USA (XR Empathy Work Group)
*Marta Neto, XR Cork (Ireland) (XR Empathy Work Group)
Martin J. Reinholtz, Norway, XR Oslo, Regenerative Culture
Rev. Rowan Fairgrove, CA US, XR South Bay
Emma Mary, Coordinator of Regenerative Culture at Malvern XR
Ben Mann, Sheffield UK,
Tom Deacon, XR Calderdale, UK.
James Green, Syracuse NY US,
Jennifer, New York, XR NYC outreach
Mary Anne, Calgary XR,
Martin Golder, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Timothy Regan, Pacifica, CA, USA, Empathy Trainer
Eva Ellis, Toronto , Canada
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About Empathic Direct Action
Unlike Non-Violent Direct Action (NVDA) - Empathic Direct Action (EDA) is specifically designed for;
Offering listening to the public and fellow activists.
Offering constructive dialogue with the public
Offering Empathy Circles to the public and fellow activists.
Demanding that those in power (politicians, CEO, etc) take part in empathic dialogue around the issue of climate change, etc.
Overcoming polarization and supporting constructive dialogue and action between all people so they can constructively work together to address the climate crisis.
Spreading a regenerative and empathic way of being.
etc.
To begin with, this is a more abstract discussion to think about:
What is the feasibility of it?
What are the principles behind such an action?
What would an action look like?
How it might be implemented?
Who might take part?
Where could it be held?
etc.
Empathy Circle #1: FULL
See YouTube Generated Transcripts: This is a link to the raw YouTube generated transcripts. You can help clean up the transcripts.. When you watch the video, you can follow the transcripts and create full sentences, add punctuation, etc.
View Video On Facebook or On YouTube
Rowan: How to not ‘Other’ people.
Edwin: Enthusiasm about doing and designing empathy direct Acton
Timothy: Explore. How to do give choice in empathic direct action’
Trust empathy How to get support.
Martin: How can we make all actions empathic?
How to associate XR with empathy.
How to have more empathy in the group.
Empathy is generally not important in grass roots organization.
Ben:
Role in the XR. authority levels.
Rowan
Used to presenting - Empathy circles brings up fear..
How to incorporate empathy, Tents into XR South Bay direct Action?
Would CEOs (eg at Oily Wells, Oily Chase, or other banks) be willing take part.
Likes die ins.
Can we get the city workers to come out and talk to us.
Martin
Reviews each persons shares. Resonates with it.
Would like to try these actions. Invite the public.
Create a better XR listeners - take the ideas into action
Initiate dialogue with the public
Perhaps just try it, with a tent.. In front of government.
Something new. Not people just shouting
Ben
Authority levels get in the way in a hierarchical society.
About setting up a barricade and forcing communication.
Giving forewarning, if you will not communicate, this is what will happen.
What to do when one party doesn't listen.
Angry about society..
Finding it difficult to respect people like that.
Timothy
Being drawn to action
The Importance of support.
Empathy Circle #2: Facilitator: Karolina
https://youtu.be/vjG0y-cFeUI
See YouTube Generated Transcripts: This is a link to the raw YouTube generated transcripts. You can help clean up the transcripts.. When you watch the video, you can follow the transcripts and create full sentences, add punctuation, etc.
Empathy Circle #3: Facilitator: Marta
See YouTube Generated Transcripts: This is a link to the raw YouTube generated transcripts. You can help clean up the transcripts.. When you watch the video, you can follow the transcripts and create full sentences, add punctuation, etc.
We were present with disasters because of climate change that are being experienced presently and locally for some of us (floods in valleys in the UK, bushfires in Australia) - this causes so much destruction and it is hard to find time and spaces to process all the emotion and grief - in supporting others, sometimes physically helping them with practical things, not preaching about XR, we can be useful, but then might not get enough support ourselves. It can be sad to see people experiencing losses as a result of these climate disasters not linking it to climate change and rather focusing on blaming the politicians. Being respectful of the grieving and deep active listening can be very healing.
Incredulity at politicians (in general but also particularly in Australia) who continue to deny climate change and push us further into a scenario of collapse.
Difficulty within our local groups to get interest in empathy/regen practices - the ‘hardcore’ activists perceive it as a soft activity - even a simple introduction round can trigger comments like ‘we’re not here for therapy’ - and the sense of urgency makes it hard to lobby for these methods - paradigm shift.
Sometimes being exposed to activists raw emotions can cut through members of the public’s habitual intellectual discourse/ argumentativeness - breaking through with disarming vulnerability.
The skill of accompanying people with cancer or dying of illness seems useful/relevant to the climate movement - actually feeling the feelings and accepting what is can help move from powerlessness into power. Sharing personal stories and stepping back (as a facilitator) to facilitate the unfolding in people and groups.
Jared Diamond’s book (maybe “Collapse”? 2005) is still relevant - it is important to acknowledge that what we (current humans) are having to do is unprecedented - coming to grip with being the 1st generation of humans that sees the future living conditions being harder than the past - also being present with current and developing cases of PTSD is something that needs to be taken into account in all our planned actions.
Maybe the inner work is the work. All scales are important: individual, interpersonal, group, community, earth.
An EDA is walking into the brave space, it is bold beyond social conventions, there is a great potential but also a fear of the unknown - what will people bring up or bring with them, it could be unpredictable and intense - will we have enough support structures so it feels safer - they might not be there yet (ready to feel through our current predicament, might be in disconnect, not have the language). The importance of meeting people where they are at.
If we are already on a bridge in NVDA we might do a double row of empathic listening.
The value of hearing the population, including their complaints and perceptions, and building bridges of connection, so we become aware of more voices.
It is important to keep it as an invitation, to never coerce someone into a sharing situation.
We benefit so much from sharing across geographic regions - it is a form of diversity - it very much brings the suffering in some areas to the forefront and reality rather than abstract news - from doing a die-in with a make believe tombstone saying R.I.P. koala to actually speaking with someone in Australia that has witnessed the destruction.
Empathy Circle #4: Facilitator: Bill
See YouTube Generated Transcripts: This is a link to the raw YouTube generated transcripts. You can help clean up the transcripts.. When you watch the video, you can follow the transcripts and create full sentences, add punctuation, etc.
Sample Videos of Empathic Direct Action
Empathy Tent and Sidewalk Talk at Hands Around Lake Merritt, Oakland
View On Facebook or On YouTube
Trumphobia: what both sides fear | Documentary Trailer
See empathy tent mediations at the end.
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