Connecting and working across divides: Art of Hosting Fredericton 2019
The work of connecting and working across divides — a weighty subject, and one worth tackling. This was the theme of the Art of Hosting training held between January 30th and February 1st, 2019 in Fredericton, New Brunswick and was chosen in light of today’s divisive issues, spanning from the individual to the transnational. In the local context, New Brunswick recently elected a minority government supported by a populist party that has used bilingualism as a wedge to divide opinion on the issue. This has naturally created more fissures in the landscape of a province that is officially bilingual and where 32% of the population is francophone. This situation in a small Canadian province is not dissimilar to what is happening elsewhere in Canada, North America and worldwide, where politicians are using tactics that polarize rather than unite to get elected. Often the divisive issues chosen are not necessarily relevant to the issues that matter. For example, in New Brunswick’s case, the need for workers and immigration were largely left out of the election discourse.
It was more than a lofty ambition for this event to tackle the oppositions that exist in this province. Yet, there was a part of me that imagined we could really manifest a breakthrough, something different. I am a newcomer to the province and functionally unilingual — I understand more French than I can speak. I’ve attended dozens of events over the course of living here, with simultaneous translation through a headset being the norm. For this gathering we hosted a bilingual event as well but with a participatory twist. With a nudge from Samantha Slade, one of the guest facilitators, we invited the participants to play a role and do whisper translation. In practice this meant all participants self-identified their need or their offer for translation services in real time. The effect of this was a very enjoyable and expansive experience. The onus for understanding language was placed on the participants and required reaching out and making a real connection with someone you were not necessarily familiar with. By the end of the three days it became natural and you could see the whispers happening throughout the room while both English and French were spoken.
A strength of Art of Hosting is that there is flexibility going into the training. Workshops are not planned until all the facilitators are in the same room the day before the event. This allows the design to be responsive to the needs of the participants, the theme and the capacity of the facilitators. And that is not where the emergent qualities end, the participants themselves are intimately involved in the creation of the event. On the first morning the schedule is opened up to allow anyone to sign up and host/support the teaches. This immediately flips the energy of the event. A philosophy that runs deep in Art of Hosting is the balance of what you need and what you can offer. Making sure that you ask for what you need but also offering support and stepping up to fill those needs from the group. The offerings that came through this process really build the experience and the community that will continue on past the three days that this unique group of people were together in the same room.
In order to prepare for an event that attempts to get to the heart of the divides we all hold, the facilitators began with prompting conversations amongst ourselves about what divides we personally hold. The question we chose was one conceived by Toke Moeller, a co-founder of The Art of Hosting practice; What makes you tremble? It is a question that requires the respondent to delve deep and be honest with themselves, and trust the person with whom they’re sharing. It was from these open conversations that the hosting team could plan how the workshop might unfold and understand some of the emotions and intensity that come along with such a subject.
To prepare the group, a set of principles for working across divides was created and presented on the first day. The principles are as follows:
- Ask for what you need and offer what you can.
- Be kind to one another when trying things out.
- Listen and observe with kindness.
- Practice trust.
- Listen to your body and heart. They know.
The group that attended the training in Fredericton consisted of people working across sectors but was largely from government and non-profit. Putting people together and asking them powerful questions such as; What divides exist in you? What are your reflection practices? allowed them to connect and understand each other on a different level than would likely be experienced in a training session. One very powerful tool that Chris Corrigan, another guest facilitator, provided and demonstrated is called ‘The Work’. It is a tool created by social innovator, Byron Katie, that can transform your perspective in opinionated situations you may find yourself. Working with another participant the entire group paired off and took time to identify how we could take another angle on a deeply felt opinion on an interpersonal issue. Coming together and dissecting our viewpoints felt like something we should all do on a more regular basis.
The 3 days were packed — many new connections, and many new tools for bridging divides. Chris Corrigan, early on in the planning, came up with the quotable line: “Differences are real; divisiveness is a choice.” (You can read more in Chris’ Article found here). What I take that to mean is that differences are what make us who we are, and that is an important and beautiful fact of life. It’s being proud and aware of our differences that allow us to stand out and make an impact on the world around us. It is when we separate and divide from each other that communication and understanding break down. Take for example the multiculturalism that exists in Canada. We are stronger as a nation because different belief systems are encouraged and supported.
With this in mind, a question for our readers: How do you leverage your own differences into strengths?
