Guiding questions to identify systemic trauma
What if a major source of the “stuckedness” of our systems — the resistance, blockages, defensiveness, denial and distrust so many of us experience and are stymied by — is unresolved, unintegrated trauma that remains in the system?
Glimpses of hope and possibility
Despite daunting realities, we often experience these glimpses of hope and possibility. Let us grasp firmly onto those moments of profound and authentic connection. In these instances, our blessings become a compelling reminder to honor those stories where those who once denied each other’s humanity, find each other in their journey and transform the way in which they engage with each other. They transform the dynamics of the power they hold.
What’s the hang up with the sacred?
Mainstream social problem solving must recapture humanity’s use of sacred practice to access deeper wisdom and inspire transformative action.
What does radical collaboration really mean?
The answer is clear: we need to collaborate. No single organization can “solve” any of the SDGs on its own, nor make meaningful progress towards achieving them without the right relationships and partnerships in place
A conversation with Tara Roberts & Nicolas van Hemelryck, CCL Systems Storytellers
we’ve been discussing how I/We authors (authors telling stories of lived experience) can change the trajectory of which stories matter and which stories get told.
We invited CoP members Tara Roberts and Nicolas van Hemelryck to contribute their experiences as documentary storytellers in our 2nd Community of Practice session. In this blog post, we’ll let them tell their own stories of authorship - and explore what lessons and techniques their experiences might have for systems storytelling.
Introducing the Systems Storytelling Initiative
When we form collectives, our objective is usually the same. We have an intense desire to situate ourselves in the context of the bigger picture. We want to know how we came to be associated with the group. And we want to know if we belong. The way we figure out the answers to these pressing questions is to do something that is uniquely human: we tell stories.
Transformation - Knowledge and Experience
My experience in Chimichagua pushed me to let go of preconceived ideas of what ought to work and how, and instead to presence and honor the wisdom of the lived experience… I experienced a transformation in my heart by learning that love must exist alongside any “practical” solutions to social problems… My soul transformed because it encountered a different world where the song is mightier than the machete.
Surrendering to Complexity
I am a Latina, LatinX, Hispanic and sometimes White. I am Colombian and American. I am strong and I am deeply fragile. I am an athlete and a bookworm. I am a Feminist and a romantic. I am happy and often melancholic. I am this just for today…