It’s a big world, and there are a LOT of us.
By “us”, I mean Authentic and Circling communitarians. This has been a big year for the movement. Many of us have launched new websites and new programs; a number of new communities have started up in Europe and the US; there are now 4 companies (including mine) offering circling trainings and immersions. There’s even an online circling platform that just launched last week, built by my friends Chad Phillips and Jordan Allen.
On my end, I’ve been working to create more cross-connection between the communities that already exist, and support new ones in starting. To quote one of the graduates of my most recent training:
Authentic Communities, like the Love Juggernaut, are located worldwide, and they share common goals…Authentic Relaters are, therefore, not bound by any one place other than the planet earth, for they are dreaming of an entire world inspired by authentic communication. After my experience with the team in Texas, I’m beginning to believe that this may not be such a lofty goal, for I’ve witnessed and experienced personal transformation and awakenings to the magic of these games, and because of that I now know a new reality which propels me to cultivate a new authentic community in Boston. That reality is hope.
The ALFT has been one of my biggest stabs at spreading Authentic community. In the last few months, I’ve branched out into new ones.
In September, I began holding a monthly Community Leader Mastermind call for leaders across the world. Each call has had about 10 people tuning in from locations that range from California to Sweden, sharing insights about marketing, planning, community leadership, holding events over the internet, and introducing Authentic Relating to new groups. It’s been a great way for us to connect and contribute to each others’ success. We just moved to a platform called Zoom for the calls, which will allow us to have more than 10 members in the room.
Last week, I also spent a few days putting together a gift for the worldwide communities – a map that lists all of the groups out there, and links to their websites! Now, we’ve got a place to send people who ask “Is there Authentic Relating or Circling in my area?”
I also got contacted by a number of people in the last few weeks, who either wanted answers to questions about leading Authentic community, want to know how to start a community in their area, or wanted to thank me for creating the Authentic Relating Games Manual (which apparently is the main tool used by a number of groups now in creating their nights, even in places like London and Stockholm, which I didn’t know HAD communities!). So, I’m starting to think about how to create a course that expands on the ALFT and leadership trainings I’m planning – one specifically focused on helping new communities to start and grow. If you have any ideas of what this could look like, let me know!
Love,
Sara