- Community Healing Space -
ACROSS THE DIVIDE
Across the Divide
An open group forum for reconciliation & healing conversations on social-political issues
Facilitated by John Kinyon
This is held about once a month, submit form below to get notified.
Join for crucial conversations and questions about justice, power, equality, empathy, and universal love:
- How can we all belong without "othering" one another?
- How do we honor each other’s rights, securities, and freedoms?
- How do we care for each other as human beings?
- How do we come back to a place of empathy and understanding?
- How do we treat each other when we disagree?
- How do we meet our needs in ways that aren’t at the expense of others?
Being able to effectively communicate about and heal our individual and collective divides is key to maintaining, strengthening, and evolving democracy.
Even in times of division, we can empathically listen and authentically express in a way that creates understanding and connection. This is an opportunity for healing collective and generational pain and trauma at the core of the social-ecological conflicts, polarization, and suffering.
War and division, whether verbal, physical, or cultural, is ultimately about hurt — how we hurt and harm one another.
As we go through life, sometimes we are the "Receiver" of hurt and pain, and sometimes we are the "Actor," who acts in a way that leads to another or others experiencing hurt. In many situations, both sides feel they are the Receiver, and the other is the Actor.
Power is an important aspect of this kind of conflict, the individual power we have to act and impact others, and power that is cultural and systemic, how hurt and harm happens on collective and generational levels.
The Across the Divide forum is a collective healing space to talk about these issues with empathy, compassion, and connection to our shared humanity. It is also a space to talk about Intense differences and strong emotions on polarizing topics and issues.
The conversation process is based in Reconciliation and Healing model and a goal of creating empathic listening, authentic sharing, understanding, and compassionately connecting to our shared humanity.
The intention behind Across the Divide is to foster a space that allows for the emergence of new creative possibilities. These conversations can be difficult when we have very different realities about what's going on. When we learn how to have these conversations, we create more of the world we know is possible. A world with less violence, more connection, and collaboration — where we work together to face challenges.
All are invited to participate, and you are also welcome to just listen and witnessing without speaking if you choose. Please invite anyone in your community who you think might be interested.
You are welcome to attend this event for free, and receiving financial support helps John to continue to offer this work to the world. If it's your first time attending, you can give later if you wish, after you've had the experience. I welcome a one time payment or a monthly amount via Paypal. $25 per event is suggested.
Submit form to be notified for each Across the Divide