CIRCLE TOOLKIT
Everyone is welcome, and everyone is heard.
Please read this to your group.
(These circles will be self-facilitated with clear instructions.
Introduction:
This toolkit invites communities everywhere to gather in circles—rooted in ancient and modern traditions of Council—to share stories, listen deeply, and discover what unites us. It’s a call to slow down, listen with the heart, and find common ground in a time of division. Together, we will explore our hopes, our values, and the future we dream of.
The primary intention of these circles is to come together to share what we want for our nation and then put our words and vision into a unified expression with an Open Letter to the nation composed through the contribution of all of the voices in the circles: a letter that states what we want for All of Us. We need to pray for what we want.
This letter aims to showcase the combined strength of all of us. The ideas everyone can agree on will stand out, while the rest will be saved for future discussion. Everyone will have the opportunity to be heard, and all voices will be recognized. In true democratic fashion, this letter reflects the majority opinion. It’s about listening to and acknowledging all voices. This is a democracy, and we will summarize the most essential points in this letter to the nation.
We will do this by creating safe, welcoming spaces where people from all walks of life can come together in circles to practice honest, respectful, listening, and open dialogue—building trust, connection, and shared purpose. Through this work, we lay the groundwork for a unified, resilient future.
Another crucial aspect of these circles is to experience and demonstrate what can be sensed and acted upon through these connections. Starting with local and online community circles—allowing them to develop naturally—we will broaden and accelerate this movement and the missions of already existing organizations by emphasizing the core values that underpin all our voices.
We stand in the core awareness that there is a life for all of us, a nation for all of us, and a movement for all of us which will culminate in circles in a central location and all over the country in A Day for All of US. We stand to protect this democracy
Circle Roles for Everyone: Listening and Speaking Agreements:
LISTENING:
- Listening from the heart is an active process; we honor the one speaking by choosing to focus on them in silence.
- As we begin, we take a breath and sit quietly, and then we experience that in giving our full attention to each other, we too will receive this as a gift.
SPEAKING:
- We are invited to speak from the heart when we are holding a “talking piece”. We will follow the time guidance for our speaking, ensuring equal participation for all.
- When we speak, we speak concisely and spontaneously from our own experience - trusting that our words will come to us when it is our turn.
- If we aren’t ready to speak right away, you will have another opportunity. Every Question has two rounds. If we choose not to speak at all, we use our time for silence and self-reflection.
The Listening Circle Process: (90 minutes)
Pre Circle Mingle (Optional)
To honor what we are all going through in our Nation, let us take 2 minutes (1 minute each) to speak and listen. Turn to one other participant as we ask this question in the context of how we are experiencing our nation today: (online, this will be done in breakout rooms)
What is breaking your heart?
The Circle Begins:
The words and phrases we share here today will be recorded and added to our website, eventually becoming a collective expression born from these reflections that speaks to our highest aspirations for ourselves and each other as a nation. This is our Open Letter to our Nation; a statement of what we want for all of us.
One person should act as the timekeeper; this is important to keep the circle meeting to 60-90 minutes.
Circle Questions:
- Share your name, one thing you're grateful for, and something you'd like the group to know. Reflect briefly. Each person has 30 seconds to speak once.
- What do you love about our country? After 1 minute of reflection, each participant speaks up to 1 minute. A second round is available.
- What aspirations do you have for our nation?
- From this point forward in this circle, allow yourself to dream of a country that works for ALL of US. When you are ready, share your vision or goal with the group. Each participant speaks for 1 min each. A second round is available.
Now access the form- via web or phone. Discuss as a group, and each person should fill out the form. Link here. Discuss with the group for 15 -20 minutes.
Decide if you want to post any results, words, poems, or videos on the Facebook page.
Then if you like, agree on the next time and day to meet.
