I attended a two-day symposium, hosted by the Wang Center for Global and Community Engaged Education at Pacific Lutheran University. I was present at every presentation and workshop offered during "The Matter of Loneliness: Building Connections for Collective Well-Being." I'm glad I did because I learned a lot and ended exhausted, but with a full head and full heart.
The first day was focused on theory and the second day was focused on implementation. (Or "inside" and "outside" as PLU thought of the days.)
I left with a bunch of "takeaways" for my workplace and will be reaching out to various people and organizations to put learning into practice.
There were two fascinating workshops I experienced. The first was a Purpose Planning Workshop led by a facilitator from the Blue Zones Project. My top "gift," discovered during a "calling card" exercise was "Exploring the Way." I take it to be a lifelong search for meaning, tied to spiritual and religious practices, and bolstered by my gifts of creating art, writing, and organizing. The second was being present during a Braver Angels community debate between college students that explored whether or not everyone is entitled to a universal basic income. The structure of the debate allowed for constructive conversation without division. It turns out that most people gathered are in favor of some kind of universal basic income, whether on the right or the left, conservative or liberal; the difference comes in the details, such as who would fund such a program.
Both days had a great selection of speakers and thinkers. My favorites were:
I left with a bunch of "takeaways" for my workplace and will be reaching out to various people and organizations to put learning into practice.
There were two fascinating workshops I experienced. The first was a Purpose Planning Workshop led by a facilitator from the Blue Zones Project. My top "gift," discovered during a "calling card" exercise was "Exploring the Way." I take it to be a lifelong search for meaning, tied to spiritual and religious practices, and bolstered by my gifts of creating art, writing, and organizing. The second was being present during a Braver Angels community debate between college students that explored whether or not everyone is entitled to a universal basic income. The structure of the debate allowed for constructive conversation without division. It turns out that most people gathered are in favor of some kind of universal basic income, whether on the right or the left, conservative or liberal; the difference comes in the details, such as who would fund such a program.
Both days had a great selection of speakers and thinkers. My favorites were:
- Julia Watts Belser, Professor of Jewish Studies and Disability Studies Core Faculty, Georgetown University, with "Wild Kinship: Disability Wisdom, Interdependence, and the Elemental World."
- Jenny Odell, writer and artist, with "How to Do Nothing."
- Carolyn Finney, storyteller and cultural geographer, with "Our Story: Blackness, Belonging & Dreaming the Family Tree."
- Mike Weiking, founder and CEO, The Happiness Project in Copenhagen, with "The Science of Happiness."
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