Facilitators of an emerging Global Intercultural Circle group will want to be sensitive to the reality that each member of the new group will be in a different place on this journey of self discovery. For a few people, the process of identifying and sharing of themselves as global intercultural people may flow quite easily. For most, identifying oneself as a global intercultural person is a journey of self discovery that takes time to internalize as well as courage to share.
Sharing about this journey can be challenging as it may bring up memories from one’s personal past or uncover events in the longer arch of one’s family history that are disorienting or troubling. Being intentional when gathering people together about how we are creating with this “circle” a space for attentive listening can help ease everyone into this discovery process.
When gathering virtually, you can open your calls with a ritualistic casting of the circle space by inviting members to systematically share and intentionally pass from one voice to another in sync with their geographical location. For example, if there are members from the U.S. west coast, midwest and east coast on a phone call, the facilitator might invite those furthest northwest to share an opening check-in and then when they are finished to figuratively pass to the member in the southwest who would then share and pass along to the member in the midwest etc.
When holding a gathering in person, you can literally set the space as a circle with everyone able to see and hear each other. Setting the space can initially involve placing and lighting a candle as a focal point in the middle of the circle space. It might also involve each member bringing and setting a significant object in the middle of the circle space to remind everyone that we are setting our stories in this neutral sacred space, to be heard and held and not judged.
When creating a new group or when inviting a new member into an existing group, it is helpful to intentionally prepare the new member to be ready to orally share part of their intercultural journey with the full group during their first meeting together. One powerful activity that works well for introducing new members and moving relatively quickly into deep cross-group sharing is the “What’s In a Name” exercise. The facilitator invites each member to share their full name, the cultural origins or literal meaning of each part of their name and/or how their name is personally meaningful to them. Facilitator may wish to offer a model to initiate the sharing process and then invite others to share. The purpose of this activity is to offer a simple way to introduce oneself and inspire introspection about the cultural values reflected in one’s name.
Our names are personal. They are unique to each of us. They resonate with us. We have been literally called by them and into them. Our names are gifts given to us by parents and other family members. Names are symbolic of family relations, of connections and disconnects. Our names are intercultural. They point to the diverse origins, traditions, preferences of our families or origin and families of choice. They are meaningful to us on so many different levels. So, the simple act of asking people to share their names and how they are meaningful to them presents an opportunity for people to share in ways they may not typically share with strangers in relative ease. Talking about our names is a simple act. Listening to others share a meaningful story about their name is another simple act. Through the open telling and attentive listening a simple but powerful connection is formed.