Current Affairs

Read the article published in The Urban Activist about a listening kiosk in Munich here: https://theurbanactivist.com/idea/a-listening-room-in-munich-for-a-restless-urban-society/  

On May 1, Center for Council stepped into independent 501c3 status as a nonprofit organization known as Beyond Us & Them. After ten years of fiscal sponsorship, Beyond Us & Them will lead the way in providing solution-focused scalable practices to combat the loneliness epidemic and to foster social connection. Our work disrupts …

Leaving Prison Behind: A Council Before I Go is an illustrated novella that weaves the words and stories of system-impacted folks into a powerful resource for those who are undertaking the perilous journey home. It is an outgrowth of Center for Council’s Council Reentry Program and tells the story of one man’s last …

A short film about the Practice of Council In Nature with Pip Bondy – https://www.ancienthealingways.co.uk Participant’s are invited to explore and discover the powers and teachings that acknowledge the interconnectedness of everything – as a ceremony we evoke and remember that we are whole – symbols, seasons, colours, animals and …

The Peace Officer Wellness, Empathy & Resilience (POWER) Training Program is an intensive and interactive three-month curriculum for police and correctional officers that utilizes mindfulness practices, compassion-based communication exercises, and training in wellness-related areas such as stress management and self-care. POWER offers a deep exploration of the science and experience …

December 14, 2021 Dear Council Carriers, As you may be aware, The Ojai Foundation (TOF) has established the Council & Social Equity Project (CSE), a small intergenerational working group of practitioners, trainers and allies, to facilitate reflection and evolution of the practice of council for increased accessibility and inclusivity. Though …

Any teaching, practice or way is as healthy and whole as the individuals and groups who carry it The learning must go on ! We, Jack and I,  stand in gratitude for being able to be part of, grow with and offer for @ 40 years in both different and …

A film about Pippa’s work and the Way of Council

This audiobook, Kaleidoscope: Finding My Way Around, which Gigi calls a “blurt,” was written by hand, on dream-inspired days over two years and then recorded with hardly an edit. It is a voice that comes out of the dreamtime and life of Gigi Coyle. Weaving past, present and future stories, …

Center for Council is excited to announce the release of Where Compassion Begins: Foundational Practices to Enhance Mindfulness, Attention and Listening from the Heart, by Executive Director Jared Seide. This book was made possible through resources provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) in a reallocation of …

June 20th at 12 noon PT Welcome to this new offering and thank you for your care and love of the waters …. We’re excited to share with you! The Walking Water: in conversation with … interview series is intended as a space to keep talking about and celebrating water, …

In this powerful interview, Sarah James of Clerestory Magazine explores with Jared the origin story of Center for Council, the importance of our work with compassion and why the practice of council is needed now more than ever. Read here

Better World Cameroon – a self-help project in northwest Cameroon – needs help rebuilding its learning center, which focuses on permaculture education, peacebuilding and food security. On January 12, 2021, soldiers raided and completely burned down the Bafut Ecovillage, located in the heart of Africa, which had won the 2015 …

Read the full original article on The Living Water’s site  [Excerpt] Dadirri our greatest gift to Australia, says Indigenous elder and 2021 Senior Australian of the Year Congratulations to Indigenous elder, artist and educator Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann AM for being named the 2021 Senior Australian of the Year. Apart from …

Hello, Friend and Relative! In case you may have wondered about experiencing a Bioneers conference, but haven’t before (due to cost, travel or timing), this is the year to experience its magic! Or, if you’ve not heard of Bioneers, but wonder what we’re about, here’s a description: We feature innovators …

We are all guilty of interrupting – but if we all just stopped and listened, argues Nancy Kline, we could radically change the way we live… Read the article in The Guardian

As some of the founding members and a council in service to the Ways of Council network,A people supporting, offering, and bearing witness to council and circle ways in many places and cultures,As people committed to ensuring all voices be heard and all life be respected,As part of this prayer and …

from The Correspondent by Zoe Smith, June 3rd 2020 […] As Sitrin’s definition of horizontalism explains, the core unit of decision making within these movements is the assembly where consensus is sought on all decisions and participation is open to all. “People spent a lot of time in assemblies, sitting …

in the latest issue of The Sun Magazine: >> Read the article here    

an article by Cynthia Bourgeault published in Spring 2020 Issue of Parabola >> Read the full text here

One Billion Rising is a mass movement to demand an end to violence against women and girls. Every February 14, countless groups around the world rise in dance and celebration. In 2020, women of Tamera (an international community and peace research center) joined with the inmates from the Odemira women’s …

Unaddressed childhood trauma changes how we respond to the world and when triggered, we make choices that sometimes have devastating consequences including domestic violence, addiction, murder and prison. I, too, would have been incarcerated had I not had the privilege and support system I lucked into. Let’s shift the paradigm …

In ancient Greek, a ‘corona’ was a circular ornament often made from interwoven leaves and flowers. Might this corona-virus be a loud reminder shouting into the old grid world that the Circle time is nigh? We look forward to hearing from you! Dear Community, With the current state of the …

– Posted on Tamera.org Since 2012, countless groups have been rising every February 14 in dance and celebration to demand an end to violence against women and girls. Tamera participated for the 7th time this year, in joint action with inmates of the Odemira prison establishment. Janka Striffler – dancer, …

— Originally posted on ServiceSpace Dec. 2018 As part of our Community Anchors mobious and dynamic process we have engaged in different conversations during last months! Labour of Love Values, Holding Space, Nurturing Ripples, Laddering Journeys, Engagement Spectrum… All of it and so much more! Few weeks ago we had the joy …

Throughout 2018 the Israeli organization Together Beyond Words conducted 12 events in which a Playback Theater group of Arab and Jewish actresses performed in front of an audience on topics related to various international and national events. They addressed issues such as “Civil Rights Day,” “Unity among Residents in Israel,” …

September 20th Community Zoom Council About 17 of us took up this topic after offering an internal ‘climate’ report and shared in the joy and grief of facing this reality. Jack provided us with a poignant theme: “We join together in council with the intention to speak to the past …

Originally posted on Harvard Business Review BY Guy Itzchakov & Avraham N. (Avi) Kluger Giving performance feedback is one of the most common ways managers help their subordinates learn and improve. Yet, research revealed that feedback could actually hurt performance: More than 20 years ago, one of us (Kluger) analyzed …

By Gigi Coyle and Jack Zimmerman, Spring 2018 The English word or term “council” itself has a wide variety of meanings and applications today. The dictionary’s definition is an assembly of people summoned or convened to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county …

With Talking Stick in Hand, Moderate Senators Broke the Shutdown By NICHOLAS FANDOS JAN. 22, 2018 WASHINGTON — The ground rules were simple: Senators wishing to voice their opinion needed to wait their turn and could speak only once they had grabbed hold of a Masai tribal talking stick. As …

James Seligman, the documentation responsible for films on school-based councils since 1986, and our dear friend passed away peacefully at his home on Dec. 21, 2017.  He had been recently diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and decided to live his final days in this form with his wife Kathleen …

Dear Friends and Supporters of The Ojai Foundation, Less than 48 hours ago, the evening sky promised another beautiful night of clear skies, a magnificent moon, and the delicate flickering of stars that cannot help but remind us of all the blessings of our world. And as we all know, …

Dear friend of The Ojai Foundation, The Ojai Foundation (TOF) Board of Directors is delighted to announce new leadership and a new leadership structure at TOF. Last spring, Adam Rumack and Miriam Tassone announced that their tenure as co-executive directors of The Ojai Foundation was coming to a close. Both stayed …

Circles and spirals are everywhere, in the ground we walk, the air we breathe, in the ice crystals of every glacier, in the river eddies and the ocean waves, in the waters inside and out of our very own bodies, our blood, and in the fire that burns slowly into …