Swim: stroke after stroke

Check in: aloha ke akua

For the check-in on our final day, Jane introduced us to the lyrics of aloha ke akua, a song by Nahko and Medicine for the People. Danielle shared the deeper meaning of the song title from Hawaiian language - loosely  the breath of life and the love of God.

Listen on Soundcloud

Watch on YouTube (along with a stunning film clip)​

8 Breaths of Design

The 8 Breaths of Design is a way to consider any large scale project or change initiative. Mel stepped through the 8 breaths, and also shared another useful participatory design tool: the Chaordic Stepping Stones. 

Designing for Wiser Action

Nuu-chah-nulth tribal wisdom - remember the practice of APHEI:
​​It is kind to ask for help
A person who cannot ask for help cannot be trusted
​Designing for Wiser Action is a great way to move participatory and collaborative projects forward in a good way. Six participants asked for help with their projects, with others offering their wisdom in the process.
​Here are some reflections of the hosts:

Anni: Create a sustainable cricketing community
  • What I'm grateful for: Joy of sitting at a table full of passion
  • Next wise steps: Find some mates, create a team. Work on invitation

Laurie: Create a sustainable organisation that serves the people we support well
  • What I'm grateful for: knowledge, insight, understanding, tolerance
  • Next steps: take time to reflect, make sure next steps are wise

Swi: Develop a Doodle for Self-Care group for people in care professions
  • What I'm grateful for: Resourcefulness and openness of the group
  • Next wise steps: Not to be afraid to ask for help, some more structure: 1-2 hours per week on business plan

Kristie: How do we maintain the magic to support the health of one of our participants?
  • What I'm grateful for: a wonderful idea, for everyone’s input and support for Linda
  • Next wise steps: Take this idea back with me, and share it

Ron: How do we implement our tenancy participant and engagement project?
  • What I'm grateful for: The way the team around me engaged and participated - the collective wisdom
  • Next wise steps: Determine core team and refine calling question

Monique: Design and facilitation process with services that is highly participatory for people with lived experience of mental illness
  • What I'm grateful for: clarity from conversation, ideas and challenges raised
  • Next wise steps: take the new plan and integrate into old plan

"It was such a gift to be a team member"

Two Loops and a talk about  Teal

Jane introduced us to, and invited us to walk through a theory of systems change known as the Two Loops  (Berkana Institute).
​We also learned about Teal organisations, inspired by Fredric Laloux's book Reinventing Organisations, as an alternative model of organising businesses, companies and teams.

Check out: What will you take back with you, to your life and work?

Ending our time together, Jane shared a spoken word meta-harvest (visit the harvest page to read and listen).
We heard about ways to connect with other Art of Hosting practitioners in Australia and around the world.
Susie hosted the closing check out circle, with the question: What will you take back with you, to your life and work?
  • Replace anxiety with curiosity
  • I am OK with chaos now
  • Work in the garden; plant seeds and harvest my learning
  • Can I get a GP or solicitor to sit on the floor in circle
  • Can’t wait to try a few things
  • Beauty that stillness in conversation can present
  • Open dialogue
  • More than physical travel. Asking questions every day
  • Strength to stand on the threshold and go on with authority.
  • Blossom. What blossoms from death
  • Gratefulness
  • Why are we anywhere but on the chaordic path
  • Circle practice; one voice at a time
  • Hope for joy and change - big and small
  • Sense of peace and sense of purpose
  • A little bit of all of you
  • Solidarity in diversity and authority to carry on
  • Round tables, not square to work
  • 4 fold practice - find my voice
  • Old ideas into new and beyond
  • Insight and joy
  • Reboot old and corrupt programs - a time for reprocessing
  • Commitment to work out my purpose and where my heart is.
  • Be still. Another step to leadership
  • A new way of thinking and being
  • Amidst the jumble - World Cafe and the Gladstone Girls
  • Commitment to continue - happiness. The Gympie girls have grown
  • Bravery of being - love and gratefulness to all
  • Absolute realisation of all my best self needs to be. A commitment to be kind to me
  • Bravely to lay ourselves bare and open
  • This IS my work
  • My life is my work. My work is my life
  • Better to do it together
  • Confusion. I need to do another 3 days
  • Meeting wonderful people
  • Staying still as done me good
  • Ok to stay still and reflect and not worry about time
  • Ask myself each day - ‘What will it take to be my best self?’
  • Participatory process should start at the beginning of the beginning
  • Just cry. Be still
  • Taking back World Cafe​  
  • A sense of peace when I sat in circle
  • Four-fold practice
  • Old patterns re-emerged
  • Seen, learnt, felt insight
  • Circle - talk one at a time
  • Renewed sense of purpose
  • New confidence in solidarity
  • Differences but still connect
  • This has authority; it’s worth taking into other places
  • Stories - in a safe place
  • Triads  
  • Trying it out back at work
  • Aloha
  • Whatever happens next, I’ve spent my whole life coming to this point
  • Best self - not about being right or perfect
  • Be kinder to myself
  • A time in my life of blossoming
  • Gympie girls have grown
  • Gratitude for powerful learning
  • Best I can be at the time and that’s ok
  • Work on my veggie patch - nourish for great harvest
  • Commitment to keep growing and going