Art of Hosting gathering
26 May 2013
“How might we build & strengthen NasterPeace to be relevant & effective in Uganda?” Before we create peace in the world, we need peace from within. The purpose of this Art of Hosting gathering is to enable MasterPeacers to be in tune with what Peace truly means to them. As such, hosting a gathering about inner peace may be a good start.
Check-in: When was the last time you felt most at peace?
Café Etiquette •
FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS
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LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND
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CONTRIBUTE YOUR THINKING
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SPEAK YOUR MIND & HEART
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LINK & CONNECT IDEAS
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LISTEN TOGETHER FOR THEMES, INSIGHTS & DEEPER QUESTIONS
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PLAY, DOODLE, DRAW & HAVE FUN
A lot of the answers given centred on spending time & having fun with loved ones or a sense of achievement like completing exams and university. Participants are invited to observe these moments in trying to create Peace for others.
World Café. The World Café was next. This is a method for creating a living network of collaborative dialogue around questions that matter in real life situations. It is a provocative metaphor as we create our lives, our organizations and our communities, we are, in effect, moving among ‘table conversations’ at the World Café. (from the World Café Resource Guide www.theworldcafe.com).
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CO-CREATE: The best conversations arise when we listen to what‘s in the middle, what’s arising out of the centre of our collaboration. “All conversations are opportunities for us to connect a little deeper with one another.” In this World Café session, we explored: 1) Where is Uganda at currently and where you hope to see it? 2) What is needed to enable that to happen? 3) What are some concrete ideas that MasterPeace can do? Each round of question is about 20 minutes each. One person stays at the table as a host and the other members move to other tables as ambassadors of ideas & insights. Participants drew & doodled and participated and there was a whole-group harvest after.
Systems Game. Next, we moved to the garden area. Participants were asked to mentally choose 2 other people in the group without telling them who they are. The rule of the game is they need to keep equal distance to the 2 people they’ve chosen. In the debriefing, participants observed that they only pay attention to who they’re following but not who’s following them; the impact their actions have on others. 2
After that, each participant was given post-its to write down ‘What they are committing to from today in creating Peace?’. They then stepped in the middle of the circle to announce to the group and ask for their support. For those who support the commitment, they take a step towards the announcer to show their support. The nearer they stand, the more supportive they are.
Check-out: What do you feel most deeply connected to from today? Participants felt most deeply connected to different parts of the gathering. Some liked the World Café in how they can maximise from the sharing of different ideas that flow between the individuals and groups. Others liked the Systems Game in how powerful it is to know their impact on others while the rest liked the part of feeling supported by others. Keep up the energy & commitment MasterPeace Uganda!