2020-03-15 REC US

Restorative Empathy Circle (REC)

Addressing conflict between Extinction Rebellion (XR) America and XR US with Restorative Empathy Circles.

Short url: https://j.mp/39riy40

Overview

There is a conflict between XR America and XR US. Edwin Rutsch offered to facilitate a Restorative Empathy Circle to create a space where the participants would empathically dialogue with each other about the conflict and move toward mutual understanding and resolution.

Setting the Intention

To begin the process, the facilitator sets their intention of creating a restorative culture of empathy. A Restorative Empathy Circle has the intention of creating a regenerative culture of empathy. Which means to nurture mutual listening, understanding, care, trust, support and a constructive relationship going forward. For each person to be able to fully express themselves and feel heard and understood to their satisfaction. We use mutual empathic listening as the foundational way of nurturing this.

Pre Circles

The first step is for the facilitator to listen to each participant in the conflict for up to 60 minutes. This gives each person a chance to feel that they have been heard and understood by someone. This helps

1. model the empathic listening process

2. reduce some of the pain or charge of the conflict

3. build trust

4. give participants a way to describe the landscape of the conflict and perhaps see it more clearly

5. participants get an understanding of the process, what to expect and can decide if they wish to continue to the next step.

Empathy Circle

After each participant is heard, then they come together in an Empathy Circle to dialogue with each other.

Pre-Empathy Circles

(There is an open invitation to XR US leadership, etc. to take part in this Empathy Circle.)

Pre-Empathy Circle: Michelle Wehner from XR America View On Facebook or On YouTube The first Pre-Empathy Circle is with Michelle Wehner from XR America. When we initially met, we didn't plan to do a pre-circle, but after a bit, we shifted into it.