Learning on the Job II: Visioning with Linda Stout & Spirit in Action

On November 9, UUSC's Economic Justice Program staff attend three trainings at the 2007 “Nonprofit Workout,” a biennial conference whose theme this year was “The Ways We Lead: Creating Adaptive, Inclusive Organizations.”

One of those workshops was called “Circles of Change,” led by Linda Stout and Pamela Freeman. If you aren't already familiar with Linda's work, she is a nationally known activist, speaker and author, founder of the Piedmont Peace Project, and leader of a movement-building organization called Spirit in Action.

If you were one of the 400 UUs who attended Linda's workshop at Portland's General Assembly this year, you know what I'm talking about!

Spirit in Action addresses three key themes that Linda heard consistently from activists working for social change across many issues and many constituencies. She writes:

• "We must create a vision of what we are trying to build. People will not join us if all they see us talk about is what we are against, not what we are for.
• "We need to learn new ways to communicate and connect with each other. We often re-create the competitive and distrustful environments that we are trying to work against. Racism, classism, and other oppressions affect how we work together, and we often look at each other with the most critical eye, rather than paying attention to each other’s best gifts.
• "The third thing folks talked about was what I call 'spirit' or heart connection – a connection to something greater than ourselves, a connection to each other, to the earth, to the ancestors, and to our deepest self. Many activists talked of being drawn to social justice work from deeply held heart-values or spiritual beliefs. Yet there is little time for paying attention to spirit in our political work, and many people feel this, especially when they need something to sustain them through difficult times. People also felt this lack kept us from connecting with each other as deeply as we should."

I was really excited to meet Linda in person, having read and given away dozens of copies of her groundbreaking book “Bridging the Class Divide” over the past decade. This little green book tells the story of the Piedmont Peace Project and emphasizes the importance of deliberately cultivating class awareness for creating democratic, inclusive, and sustainable grassroots movements.

The “Circles” workshop taught skills for working collectively in diverse groups, a process for collective visioning, how to encourage interactive learning, and ways to foster trust and openness as the basis for powerful ideas and collaboration.

The techniques were helpful and refreshing, including a practice of gathering group agreements before engaging in debate, and leading a team in a visioning process that encourages big bold “outside of the box” thinking.

These were tools I could immediately apply in our focus groups, in staff meetings, in union discussions – and tools I could share with partners to assist them in cultivating the innate creativity, freedom, generosity, and leadership of people in their communities.

One of the many jewels I brought back was a reflection by Margaret Wheatley. I recently used it to open a brainstorming session in a partner focus group, and I share it here:

Turning to One Another

There is no power greater than a community discovering what
it cares about. Ask “what’s possible?” Not, “what’s wrong?”

Keep asking.

Notice what you care about.

Assume that many others share your dreams.

Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.

Talk to people you know.

Talk to people you don’t know.

Talk to people you never talk to.

Be intrigued by the differences you hear.

Expect to be surprised.

Treasure curiosity more than certainty.

Invite in everyone who cares to work on what’s possible.

Acknowledge that everyone is an expert about something.

Know that creative solutions come from new connections.

Remember, you don’t fear people whose story you know.

Real listening always brings people closer together.

Trust that meaningful conversation can change your world.

Rely on human goodness. Stay together.

Trust that.