The O+O Civic Imagination Lab
Experience Deep Connections and Uplifting Community
This Trailer (2mins) shows the depth of connection that you are invited to experience within small groups to help grow trust and build virtual communities.
INVITATION
Most of us feel deeply concerned about the pressing global issues of our time, not least the climate emergency.
Many of us have found podcasts, platforms and documentaries that address those issues through expert-led commentary and analysis.
And yet, many of us feel isolated in our care and are longing for meaningful social connections and a desire for (more) collective action.
You are invited to be part of our ‘Civic Imagination Lab’ to develop deep connections, international links and ‘emotionally sustainable activism’. We do this through the art forms of story and dialogue, which we are growing into virtual communities for COP28. During three intentional and safe sessions, you will experience empathic dialogue, intercultural communication and storytelling activities that will model how to connect deeply and engage actively within virtual, international communities during these difficult times. We will connect around inspiring media content, drawn from the Outrage & Optimism (O+O) podcast, TED Climate Countdown, and National Geographic.
You would be part of this creative first stage of our three-year programme which is being developed in close partnership with the Cisco Green Team, Outrage & Optimism, Purdue University and UNESCO-Education for Sustainable Development.
PARTICIPANTS
We are inviting participants to this pilot who
- feel passionate about growing virtual communities around media platforms they deeply care about (e.g. O+O, TED)
- are interested in systems-change that starts with trust building and caring dialogue.
We will be welcoming people from the O+O community, the Cisco Green Team, and our close community of professionals working in this space.
DIALOGUE PROCESS
We facilitate the online sessions in intimate and diverse small groups (4-12 participants) in order to experience the depth, vulnerability, and courage necessary to nurture empathic dialogues across differences.
The intended outcomes for our participants are:
- An experience of meaningful peer interactions around shared (and pressing) topics of interest
- An open space for brief yet uplifting inspirations with other professionals despite time constraints of busy lives
- An opportunity to cultivate and ‘practice’ our personal Life Skills – including trust building, intercultural dialogue, empathy, and deep listening
PRACTICALITIES – Date & Time & Commitment
- Place: The workshop is facilitated on WebEx – we provide a link for all participants at no cost
- Time: 11:30am-1PM EST (New York time), Three interactive sessions (90 min each)
- Next Date: Jan 12, 16, and 20, 2023 (additional dates will be announced by late January)
- Preparations: Completion of short multimedia preparations around the resources of Outrage&Optimism and TED Climate Countdown
- Commitment: Attendance to the first two sessions is critical to group bonding
- Cost: With gratitude to our partners, we offer this pilot free of charge.
Please click on the button below to register for this program.
