Okay, we are recording now for documentation and educational purposes. And thanks everyone for coming. That's the gang or defining empathy group here, take, we just closed down that project and are now working on the doing some visioning for the Retreat Center in Santa Barbara. And really appreciate everybody, you know, being here to kind of think about that and brainstorm, we've held a series of these, I think five of them so far with Santa Barbara Community. And now I want to sort of open it up at this Friday series with the empathy community here with the empathy communities. Ideas are for the center, and then open it up to like workshop leaders, and just kind of the general public, maybe after a month or two of having the empathy community take part I haven't really promoted it into the larger empathy community. And we'll do that in a couple of weeks, who's I think we have a couple of these already filled. So just for anyone watching this, I'm Edwin Rutsch, Director of the Center for building a culture of empathy. And my brother Charles, right, she purchased retreat center, or a property in Santa Barbara, that was previously a Catholic seminary for priests seminary, and had turned into a retreats not Yeah, sort of a Catholic retreat center that it was sold. And it was kind of used for different projects were trying to launch some things didn't really get launched there. So they put it up for auction. And he bought it for auction on auction kind of almost spur the moment. And he just called me up and said, Hey, I just bought a monastery. And do you want to manage it? So anyway, that's kind of the situation. So I wanted to start with, maybe we each introduce ourselves, before we go into the circle, I'll we'll introduce ourselves, and then I'll give a little bit more of a overview of the space, I wanted to show it on Google Earth. So we have sort of a context for it. And then we'll go into an empathy circle and just hear everyone's ideas for, you know, what, how we can build an empathy based retreat center at this location. So I'm pretty excited about this. So yeah, I'm Edwin Rutsch, Director of the Center for building a culture of empathy and been working for about 15 years, you know, on empathy, and how do we create a more empathic society just because I think that empathy is a core foundational value is just really what the world needs just create greater well being in the world. So I've been trying to promote that, you know, for the last 15 years. So, Kara, do you want to just introduce yourself, where you're located and why you're interested in this visioning circle? Hi,
I'm Kara Wilson. And I'm in the Pacific Northwest. State. And I love the empathy circles and want to be a part of them, because I find them incredibly beneficial for all forms of communication. I think that they've aligned beautifully. I'm an I'm an executive coach, and they align beautifully with what I do. And I think that these are skills that every person could use to just be better in the world.
Thanks. So Wendy.
Yes. Wendy, originally from the north of England in the late strip, Cumbria. And I've had the privilege to be involved with two organizations for the last nearly 50 years with one organization for nearly 50 years, which now has about 160, retreat centers, study groups, and such like worldwide. And then the last 50, Dean or so years, involved with a secular organization called Foundations for developing compassion and wisdom. So my interest has always been well for over 50 years very much on compassion and wisdom. And I've only been involved in empathy circles for a very short time. And like Cara says, I really appreciate this, the process, the simplicity and the benefits of empathy circles. Thank you.
Thanks, Wendy, Larry.
I'm literally in Florida. I'm a retired occupational therapist and simply put, I believe that empathy is the missing link to human beings living in peace. That's why I'm here.
Thanks, Colin.
Yes, I'm based in Berlin, Germany, originally from Ireland, and emotional intelligence practitioner and coach. I did my turning with, with Edwin political facilitation. Think, empathic listening and reflecting it's, I'm using it more and more in my coaching practice and daily life. And I'm really excited to be here and to be part of this visioning process. Let's see what happens today.
Thanks, DJ.
My name is DJ. I'm calling in from Florida. And I'm really glad that I met Edwin and the empathy circles. I think Jan is the one that brought me in. And I know Kathy Kidd, also from the peace Alliance. So I'm an activist and educator, I have my own 501 C three. Um, I'd like to see, the reason why I'm here is because I'd really like to see the empathy center, help with not only empathy, but specifically kind of maybe sort of reducing, if not eliminating this notion that people are constantly judging one another. You're just judgments are everywhere. And you know, if we can just kind of like, just be empathetic and let people be whoever they are. And even if you don't understand them, just accept whatever you think they are, you know, unless they're hurting somebody or committing a crime. But the judgments are just amazing. And I think overwhelming. So I think the apathy Center has the potential to change the world, and to bring us peace with the Earth and the animals. I saw a red breasted Hawk the day before yesterday, and he was talking to me. He said, oh, oh, I'm like, Well, where are you? Where are you? And then and then he flew. And I went and took a video of him. So just stay there for me, please. You know, and he just sat there. And it was so beautiful. And then he flew, and he danced, and I have him on video. And then a Native American spirituality, which I have studied. And when you see a hawk, that means there's a message from the spirits. So maybe this is my message to be here today with you.
Thanks, PJ. Jana.
I'm Jana, and I live in New York City right now. And I do acupuncture. And I love empathy circles. And Larry and I are doing an empathy circle combining the 16 guidelines from FTC W. With I don't know if you can hear me.
Yes, we hear you. It's just a bit of background noise there. Yeah.
And combining empathy circles with 16 guidelines is really fun. And I don't know. Interesting to see where the empathy circle goes, I have some ideas. I don't know if they fit or not. Right?
Well, that's what we want to kind of explore here. So all ideas are on the table, bring up anything I can share anything that you any ideas that you wish to the topic will be. What is your vision for developing an empathy based retreat center at the 1964 Los Pinos Road, Santa Barbara facility, or whatever is on your mind, we're going to have four minute turns. And before we do that, I'm going to give a little tour of the property just to give a little bit of a context. So you know, just in case you haven't seen it, so the
slide because I've seen it, but I want to see it again. Okay,
here's up to my so this is this is the thing, I'm not sharing the right thing.
I was amazed how big it works with their capacity for about 100 people.
Yeah, it's it's around that day, they had over 100. So so this is the center on Google Earth. So I thought I would just kind of give a you can see the area I highlighted the property in yellow, and it's 35 acres on top of quite a hill. So let's take a look 3d And you can see the buildings So it's kind of backs up to this National Forest. And hopefully everybody seeing this you can see it's there's 55,000 square feet of, of, of buildings, there's a gym and then these different buildings here the classrooms, you know how housing, and chapel and you can see the immediacy we can, you can see it looks out over Santa Barbara. So this is Santa Barbara it's about 10 minutes drive to downtown Santa Barbara. And you can see it's like right up on top of the hill here. And so you can go in so what was previously a seminary for, you know, priests to an end, you can just see the, you know, the different buildings and the chapel. And so it needs, it needs a lot of work a lot of renovation, like these buildings here on the right are dormitories that did houses something like 80, or more, you know, seminarians, you know, priests, and then the staff and the priests and the has the kitchen and just, you know, a lot of different facilities to it, different facilities needed for and, and in the back here is a gym. So it's like a full gym nauseum with two basketball courts. So yeah, so at all, this is the facilities that we're working with. And I'll stop the share. So it's just to give you a little bit of a sense of the space, that's Google Earth, you know, the 3d map that they they create. And the idea is, I'm working at creating a nonprofit. Now, the empathy center nonprofits, I've got all these books that I'm trying to just really kind of review. And I had also talked with DJ, she's gone through a lot of done, it has created nonprofits, so sort of got her feedback and support on that. So appreciate that. And then, so the idea is to make it empathy centered, retreat center, for educational purposes. So we really want to, you know, teach, educate about the importance of empathy. And that's sort of the overall goal right now. And we're just setting all that up. And so the idea is to just discuss, like, what is your ideas of what could be done there, it's, it's pretty much freewheeling free, you know, brainstorming here. And so we're gonna do four minute turns. And as someone can someone keep time is, I don't have a clock there looks like Larry, maybe you want to. Let's just open it up. I've done a lot of talking. So if someone else wants to start the, you know, sharing ideas, also put the link to the notes page. So if you take any notes, you know, would be helpful. So we have record of the notes, and we can kind of organize those. So who wants to be the first speaker and select your listener? Yeah, go Kara.
First, and I will talk to you the minister.
So I'm just gonna, like verbal dump all of the immediate thoughts that I had, so that they're out and then I can move forward with what we're doing here.
So Carrie, I hear you say you'd like to kind of, I think you said, verbalize all of the ideas that you've got, and get them all out on the table and then begin the conversation. Yeah. So
the first thing that came up for me was, so I've never run a nonprofit. I know DJs got the skill there. But I have a friend who I'm working with who is doing that. And she just discovered a hosting option. So instead of doing her own nonprofit right away, she's allowing another nonprofit to host the situation. And she's found that incredibly beneficial. So just a thought.
So, to present the first idea, you you've never done nonprofit yourself. And you have a friend who has a hosting service for nonprofits and you want to make that announcement. Let that be known. And I think you also mentioned that DJs is working with nonprofits as well.
She got the skill, and my friend doesn't offer hosting but for her nonprofit, she started with a host, like a parent company that did it. So she didn't have to file right away.
So you're clarifying your friend didn't start a nonprofit she did worked with someone who did hosting. So you can start your nonprofit by the way, under that kind of umbrella. Yes,
yes, yes, yes, yes. I also immediately looked at the property. And my first thought was natural wildlife reserve. So that, okay, this is a two fold thing, right. So they do a natural wildlife reserve. There's tons of grant money when you decide to do that, and they pay you for maintaining it as a natural reserve. Also, since it's all natural, it's very little maintenance, which means that you don't have to pay to upkeep the property.
Hmm, so a couple of ideas. Natural Wildlife Preserve, there's grant money available for protecting the, the preserving the land, the nature, and keeping it natural. So it's a win win.
Right now, next thought was cafes and cafes, which sounds confusing, but it makes sense. And here, I swear. So I think that obviously, we want rooms to do the empathy, circle cafes. But having a place that's actually a cafe, so that we have cafes, and our cafe would be really just fun. That was a thought.
So the idea of a cafe, and cafe is within the cafe. So we can have an actual cafe and have empathy circle cafes within the cafe.
Yeah. And then classes and courses. I had a thought that the dormitories as rent out standalones for classes or courses so that they could, so that they had classes and course space. That's the not part of the dormitories. But that way you could rent the entire dormitory for these events.
So you could use the dormitories to rent out space for people to come and take courses and classes in rooms that would provide the space for that. Yeah.
I think those that's practically my time and all of the thoughts that immediately came to my head when I saw the property. Thanks.
So DJ, will you be my listener?
Sure, I'd be glad to.
Thank you, DJ. Yeah, I'm, I have never, I've worked in nonprofits. But I've never, you know, like created one or do anything about the technicalities of it. Other than I've heard, you have to have a board of directors.
You've never started your own nonprofit that you've worked for a nonprofit. And you've heard that you have to have a board of directors and that there are like technicalities to it.
Yeah, exactly. So I'm hoping that you and others who have some experience, creating nonprofits, will be helping Edwin and everyone to create this nonprofit.
So you're hoping that people like myself who have experience with nonprofits will be helping Edwin with his process?
Yeah. I love all those ideas. Karen, Kara just shared. They're also great.
All of these ideas that Karen just shared, or I found great to
Yeah, and I'm hoping that a physical center, which would be a central location, kind of, well, maybe globally, would really help to spread empathy circles, from the center, through zoom, even
your thinking that with a physical location, that the idea of the empathy circles through the empathy center can be spread throughout the world, and that it could still be like via zoom, and just be at the location there or include the location there or something.
Yeah, and I think that kind of spreading or sharing empathy really is the, like Edwin says often the foundational step to creating an empathic society or culture or world
spreading, spreading the empathy circle practice is really the first step in building an empathetic world.
Thank you, JJ feel fully heard.
Okay. I'm Colin, will you be my listener? Yes.
So when I saw that 3d model of the property, I was really moved by its location.
So when you saw that 3d view on Google Earth, it really had an effect on you really moved by it.
Yes, I absolutely love Santa Barbara. I've spent some of the most glorious times of my life in Santa Barbara.
And you know, that part of the world, you you spent some time in Santa Barbara, and you've got lots of kind of words to say about it.
Yes. So, up in Los Angeles, it's really, you know, maybe I grew up an hour and 15 minutes away.
And so, where you grew up in LA, it's just not much more than an hour away.
And my best friend went to Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, which no longer exists.
Okay, so you also have connections to a friend of yours who went to Institute of Photography
at one time. And yeah, and that institute no longer exists. And my ex boyfriends went to UC Santa Barbara.
Okay, and so it is clarifying that photography Institute doesn't exist anymore. But one of your ex boyfriends went to UC Santa Barbara party school.
That's a party school. UCLA is not a party school. My ex boyfriend did end up going to grad school at UCLA. So you know, I think there's some justice there. But Santa Barbara is so gorgeous. It's just I mean, you can't really tell from from what we just saw, but trust me it is so beautiful. It's like an oasis on Earth.
Santa Barbara is in your words and always is like an oasis on Earth. It's really beautiful.
Who He is and so I think having an empathy center there can draw people from all over the world to come for that natural beauty I mean there's the beach there's markets there's lots of sorts of people looking for a better life and alternative life
Santa Barbara has lots of reasons to attract people to location otherwise lifestyle the boards the beaches and location as your boss
right and there's a culture of of people already there that I think it's going to be very open to having an empathy center
and and also you're talking about the people culture open culture that you also believe would be open to the empathy circle. Movement
Yes, I feel fully heard Thank you
Wendy, would it be my listener please um, I think we're very far removed from California in some ways, but it's been nice to hear from some of the northern part of the world. It's been great to hear from DJ as kind of making me more aware of what it is
living in Germany you feel far removed from California and you really appreciate DJs description it's brought it much that whole area has been brought much more alive for you
think, you know ultimately, I was looking at the the Google Earth view and from the YouTube video that I was struck by the location and by the hills and forest thing, an amazing asset for the team at at home.
So, having watched the video of the property that Edwin's brother made, and having seen the 3d image, you're really struck by the location, the forest and just the incredible asset that the location will be.
Yes, I have this vision in my head on an empathy circle, taking place around the campfire, I'm not sure if campfires are allowed in the park maybe at certain times of the year. It sounds like it can be a very powerful experience.
So because of the location, you have this vision of empathy circles taking place around a campfire, and you're not sure if that would be allowed, given the that the learners to the natural National Park, but maybe certain times of the year, you have this very, you haven't said the word Boy Scout, but it kind of, you know, an outdoor campfire empathy circle.
And you know, what about having an empathy Hi, I love hiking. And I think I believe in the trail that runs near the property. And it could be like a walk in chalk. So it could be in small groups, or people actually practice and empathic listening and reflecting as they walk on the hike. You can be an interesting experience.
there because there are trails, and you have the vision of an empathy hike, of walking and talking on empathetic listening, as you're working.
And also this notion that, well, empathy isn't just confined to human life, human to human it can be human to non human life. It could be a way of really, at the same type of relational empathy with more than human world around
the idea of the location has brought for you the vision of relational empathy, not not just with humans, but with nature, generally with all sentient beings locally, this vision of really connecting with nature with strong Thank you, Andy. Thank you, Colin. I don't know John or if you're available. Thank you, John. Yes. Colin, I made a note you know, trails, trails hikes, empathy in nature. The idea of focusing on what the property has to offer the gym, you know, empathy and sport.
Maybe someone else to do it.
Okay, sorry, John. Oh, did I speak too long? Or?
I'm gonna have to sit somebody up. Okay.
Thank you, John. Yeah. Edwin, would you be my listener? Sorry. Yeah.
So you were looking at the facilities, how to bring empathy into it. So you're resonating with that empathy walks, empathy and nature. And also, since there's a gym, it could be making the connection to empathy and sports?
Yeah. So it's using the unique nurse of the property and combining that with empathy circle, you know, the fact that it was a Catholic seminary, just so empathy and spirituality just using what's there as a stimulus.
So it's really about using the facilities as the stimulus for empathy. So empathy is sort of this foundation and building on on on the facilities there.
And certainly, the idea of children I mean, obviously, there's all sorts of safeguarding issues, etc. But empathy and you know, having school groups as a resident I don't know if they do that in the States, but certainly, you know, as a residential two or three nights away the whole class and taking part in empathy, circles, hiking, doing the sports, etc.
Yes, you're used to imagining children coming to the center, you know, with appropriate supervision. And that could be sort of a youth group type facilities that would come there for using different facilities.
Yeah, I mean, any age, you know, at primary schools here they do residentials. So, you know, get them young, then,
yeah, get the kids young when they're still young with empathy for teaching empathy skills.
So I have all sorts of visions, as I'm sure you know, you've been hearing, I also have a certain amount of qualms.
Yeah, you've got all these vision ideas, but also some concerns and qualms about it.
Having been involved in you know, nonprofits for a long time, always, you know, on a voluntary level, so much time and energy goes into maintaining buildings into getting the staff, the cooks, the grounds, people, just so much energy into the kind of the, you know, the site, the situation, and it doesn't always leave the founders or the visionaries with the actual time to do what the mission is.
Yeah, so you've been involved with a lot of nonprofits, in a volunteer capacity, and from what you have observed, is just the, the maintenance, all the organizational stuff just eats up so much time that you kind of lose track of the of the mission. And so that's a concern.
And one of the things that I feel would be really important is to keep the hybrid nature. I mean, like Colin, because I, you know, there's no way I can imagine myself actually going, I've taken a vow not to fly anymore, having flown for so many, many, many years. So I just think it could become an excellent example of people in person there, and also people internationally. So this hybrid empathy circle.
So you're seeing the possibility of a hybrid empathy center where there's in person and maintains the online international quality, especially since you're not you don't want to do any more plane travel. And so I guess you're wanting a sense of inclusion for everyone.
Yeah, yeah. Yes. Greta. Greta Thornburg got to miss you. Okay, I feel fully.
You're inspired by Greta thumb, Sunberg not flying. I'll speak to Kara. Um, yeah, there's something here, it came up about youth groups, my brother's very much into the youth, you know, doing events there with the youth, the architect was on the board, she was in an empathy circle. And she's on the board of some youth based organizations there in Santa Barbara. So that was definitely, you know, part of, you know, in the mix there to bring, you know, young people to the center.
Here that youth is definitely a focus, actually, architect is on a board for youth. And so it's been part of the discussion for a while now.
Yeah, so what I'm saying is, we do have the mission, you know, need to really have We have a mission statement here from the Center for building a culture of empathy, but it's to promote empathy, a culture of empathy. And, and I think I'm hearing that it's like, all the different projects sort of fit in with that mission. You know, you can have youth you can have nature. You can have, you know, different workshops that can be online, like Wendy saying, I see that as going to be continuing, or maybe even expanding the online capacity. So, but it all kind of has that core foundation of the mission. So yeah,
so I heard you didn't say it, but I heard a little elation in your voice, that that all of the things that you are hearing is absolutely part of creating a culture of empathy, which is the big mission. And so that each of these little mini missions feel like they're really fitting in to that grand, overall arcing mission. You know,
what I really enjoy about this group is you know, we've all been working on the topic of empathy, defining empathy. So everyone is sort of tuned in to the value of empathy and finding those connections to different you know, projects and events because we want to have that central value of just basically people listening to each other constructive dialogue sent sort of inclusion. And, you know, spreading that, that, that message, and then tying all the different projects, you know, back into, into into that foundational message.
So I hear that that's one of the things you like about this group is that everyone here gets it. And everything is tying back into the, into what we have been doing.
And when these concerns someone else that we've been working with, had that same concern he had started, some schools had, you know, some very successful schools in Santa Barbara and overseas. And the same thing happened, where the facilities and everything just eats you up, and then there's the profit, you have to make, you know, be financially sustainable. So it kinda like shifts from the mission just to keep the whole thing going, and you kind of lose sort of the vision. So I've heard that concern from others, and they've gone through it and you know, kind of really worn to be careful about that.
You've heard Wendy's concern echoed from some people who've gone through this before. And I hear that that means that you have an awareness of it, and some support on how to maybe navigate that exact problem.
And also for the organization. Like you see it, like you know, a lot of people are doing there's a lot of articles now about empathy and leadership, empathy and organizations that this is also like a think tank or a prototype for how do we really create that in an organization, you know, from the ground up, because we're building this from the ground up, so we can embed all these empathy practices, you know, from the ground up.
So I hear that you recognize all of the drive out in the world on empathy and how we're seeing all these articles about it as an organization organizational need, and that you're excited that we're going to be able to do this as the foundations of the creation of an organization and really get some knowledge on how that impacts how things work. I feel
fully heard. Thank you.
Maybe I will talk to you maybe my listener I echo a lot of what what Edwin just said like, this group gets it
you're definitely in what Edwin just said, this group gets it.
Yeah, both the the how exciting it could be and all the things that could be done but also the concerns on on how we don't lose momentum, just because we've shifted direction.
So there's all these great things that can happen and we can see that but there's also some concerns about this shift. We don't want to lose momentum.
Yeah. One of the thing Larry was talking about zoom rooms and or zoom in the space and I immediately thought how cool would it be if we had a Zoom Room like a chimney TV so that you could do zooms from the location and be able to have windy like on site with us
really liked what Larry was saying about having a Zoom Room and when it would be great to have this giant TV for zooms and people like Wendy could be right there at the site. But
yeah
I immediately as they were talking about like empathy and nature empathy and sports empathy in life empathy on walks empathy in the gym. I saw an entire program developed right there in those thoughts like empathy in
your thinking, Yeah, this brainstorm that there can be like a program called empathy and so empathy and sports empathy and nature, empathy, and I forget the others.
Perfect, that's perfect. I I feel like this whole property is the physical representation of our diamond.
Like this whole property is the physical representation of of the diamond.
Yeah, all the different factions coming together into a beautiful space.
All the different facets coming together in a beautiful space.
Yeah, I'm just really excited to see what happens.
You really excited to see what happens. I feel fully heard.
I need your drink. I'm
Jana. Can you listen now or?
I'm not sure. Not sure.
We can go for two minutes and see how close Yeah, so I'm going to be kind of like Kira was a little earlier and just kind of put out some ideas that I'm having, just to put them out there in the in the air. So I'm just gonna kind of list them kind of quickly. The first one is about non residents, having resident trainers and resident trainees.
You first that is about a whole bunch of ideas that carry did and the one is about having resident trainees and resident trainers on the site.
Right, and I could expand a lot more on that, but I'm not going to I'm just gonna do the second one, I happen to live very close to the largest Hari Krishna community in America. So there are 7000 Hari Krishna is not too far from where I used to live in here in Florida in Alachua. And they are a great model for how to have a community that also supports the buildings, they have their own school. That's award winning charter school. They give free food out to the community. Almost every day. What you do is you come there and you just live.
So there's more you could say about your first idea of residents, that they you're going to share that you in Florida, you live near the largest Hari Krishna community with 7000 people with their beautiful example of how to have a model of community that uses the buildings as well. So they have a school there. It's an award winning school, and they give food to the community. And there's really a thriving connection to the community. And anybody can just come and live there.
You can live there for free. And so, you know, I'm not saying it should be a Hari Krishna community empathy center, because I definitely have my qualms about the Hari Krishna community. But this idea of you know, what Wendy was saying about, you know, this is a huge undertaking, there's a lot of building, there's a lot of land, it's a lot of acreage, a lot of value there. And in order to maintain it, just to maintain it is going to be tremendous. So if you had a volunteer network, where some people got free room and board, it's possible that you could have this sustaining kind of thing. Because there you have to hire some people, right, you have to pay some staff that you won't be able to afford to pay, you know, hundreds of people.
So you're also reflecting on what Wendy said about commitment to maintaining such a huge property and so many buildings and high maintenance costs. And so it would be helpful if there were a volunteer network and if maybe people could live there in exchange for their work and helping with the facility.
I feel fully heard Thank you, Jana.
Wendy
So, yeah, my first thoughts were I don't know how relevant probably not relevant. But I've thought about extending empathy to the sea, Psych rates community survivor community, and I'm connected to a whole community of going to try and get the link today is not cooperating international peer respite. So Tyria has typed that into a search window. Link will come up. And so there are all these this funding for all these Sotiria houses, but I'm not sure that the empathic circle community wants to be involved in in I don't know more mental health and recovery kind of work. So I'm not sure that's a fit. I also worked in hospital psychiatry with an introduced acupuncture and herbal medicine to hospital psychiatry, so I have some experience there as well. So, I'd like to see, like natural treatment of or natural, I don't know what to say, maybe not treatment, natural recovery from mental distress. And so if an empathic community can embrace individuals who would like that, and also work with the peer community, that could be really uplifting for people. But I don't know if that's a fit or not. And then speaking about children,
just a second. Okay, sorry, just, I want to be able to reflect. Thank you. Thank you, Janet. So you would, your first thoughts are very much to do with the site rights the survivor community, and you're not sure if it's a fit or not, and you've shared a link with us or how we can get to a link. But your computer's playing up. And you're really, really interested in the whole mental health aspect and how that fits with the whole vision for an empty circle, empathy, culture and the Red Center. And you're personally very, very interested in natural ways of working with mental health issues in particular, you know, the whole mental distress and how natural remedies can be beneficial. And you're wondering how that can fit into the vision of the empathy center, and the whole kind of peer community. You're not sure if it's a good fit or not, and how people might be prepared in the empathy movement to be working with people with mental health issues. And then you're about to start talking about children at the center.
Yeah, you mentioned children and three semesters, I did an outdoor, facilitated group, with children on herbal medicine and health and healing. And I can share that as well. So I actually spent years as a guide for hikes. So it's interesting that
the first thought wasn't about the hiking potential in that area. But it has incredible potential for outdoor. Thanks. Yeah, so the California weather.
So what I hear you saying, Johnny, you have so many skills that an experience that you're sharing could be perhaps utilized with this empathy center in particular, you know, the, the, you've worked with, for three semesters with as an outdoor facilitator, with groups of youth and children, and introducing them to herbal medicines and natural medicines, and you've got a lot of experience of organizing, group hikes, etc.
Yeah, so I can see the difficulty to that. I mean, when I visited nfmt Center, and what people shared with me also was that it's not as ideal in terms of the human relation on saying, okay,
it's okay to want to finish your sentence.
There is not as ideal as it looks from the outside in terms of human relations.
Yeah, so you're sharing that, you know, you have all these visions, and you're also aware, having visited retreat centers, that it's not always as ideal as you know, people hoped it might be at the beginning, human relations living together working together. That can be some some challenges. Thank you. Thank you, Jana, and Colin, would you be my listener?
I will indeed.
Thank you calling. You know, I love the idea of the Zoom Room, but I much rather than a big TV, you know, I know all Quaker, you know, Society of Friends centers have been now since locked down. It's actually the camera that can move around the room. So it follows so you don't have to be so static and it doesn't. I can't remember what the equipment's called, but I'm sure you've all come across it but it's so good for having hybrid meetings because it beams that you see everybody in the room. have, you know you can be in a circle? And you can have a place for the people on? On zoom? So yeah. So technology, I think will need to be investigated and invested in, that's going to be really, really important. Good quality. Update. Very modern technology.
Okay, so what I'm hearing is that you really like the zoom, the Zoom Room idea. But your thing is the next level, you're talking about how the Quaker organization of this camera that can follow people around the room to give a more immersive experience, I think, for others who aren't there. So this would really work well in a hybrid model. And technology, yes, to investigate, to investigate it beforehand, and to investigate just as important.
Yeah, I'm really curious as to why the seminary didn't work. You know, what, I realized there's a lot less people involved in different aspects of Christianity these days. But it? I'm sure, you know, Edwin and Charles have researched it. But was there something specific about that location or that building or that area? You know, why did they need because it looks relatively new. I mean, it's not old, you know, the property. So like, why did they need to sell it?
So you have this question coming up for you, particularly as above? What? What's the story behind the seminary? Why did that come to a close? Is there anything there that any valuable information there that might be able to guide?
And I suppose one important concept that I would feel important to sort out early on is what kind of financial model? Will this be based on? Is it going to be a generosity model? If people pay what they think, or are they going to be set set? Prices? Is everybody you know, I heard somebody say, some people will need to be paid. I mean, I'm involved in a sine wave.
So you're getting down to the financial side of it, I was going to work? What's the financial model going to me? Is it going to be in my donations? Or is it going to be some kind of? Network.
So I'm involved with three groups in this country. One hat is a retreat center, and to our city centers, meditation centers, and the retreat center is based totally on a generosity model. Nobody gets paid to work there. Anybody who comes for a course, they give what, what they feel is appropriate. Financially, they are much better off than the two city centers where they have set prices, and they have paid staff.
Do talking about your experience with these three organizations? The Retreat Center does very well on a donation basis only? Or is the two meditation centers. They don't do so well. With this restriction.
Yes. So it's a big thing. You know, there is that saying, in nonprofits, you pay pay, we pay, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys? And, you know, no offense to monkeys, but it's that whole idea of having people who are capable of running the place and you know, and paying them sufficiently, or is it going to be all volunteers? I think so use
that analogy. If you've heard peanuts, you get monkeys. Thinking making the points that getting getting good quality stuff, you know, can be can be done maybe on a volunteer basis, or it can be done based on you know, I'm getting ready to compete people sufficiently.
Thank you, Colin. I feel fully heard. Thank you.
Okay. I will go back to sorry, I think Laurie, is that okay, maybe I'm gonna sir. Yes, come. Okay, I've got a ton of things in my head now, but I think maybe I'll start off with the idea of maybe having a digital idea of some people being arrested in their eyes was sitting with an idea that I had of maybe having an intentional community of nine parts in one wing you know, And
so Colin, I hear you sharing that you're considering a place where people could live in and create an intentional community within the center.
Right. And I guess I was thinking, that would just be taking a part of the building buildings that are there, that would still also be scope for foreign visitors to overnight. But you could have both.
I couldn't quite hear that emerge from my volume a little bit tricky.
So I wanted to make the points that you could have both you could have, you could have this residence as an international community. And you could have, you can still have enough rooms to allow people to stay overnight, people are visiting.
So you could have the combination of an intentional community, with people who live on site, creating the intentional community, as well as additional space for guests to come and stay temporarily. I think that's what
Yes, that's what I'm saying. Yes, and those people that are part of the intentional community they're going to be offering, I imagine that they're going to want to be active and involved in running, as well as practicing, being empathic, and perhaps, you know, giving workshops. So maybe the Chosen One goes halfway towards volunteering.
So the people within the intentional community would also probably be presenting workshops of different different areas related to intentional living, and I'm guessing like organic farming or meditation, I'm guessing those things
yes, and also empathy itself, you know, related to relate to empathic listening
as well as empathy teaching empathy circles.
The other stream of thought that I had is who are the people who are wants to come to the retreat center, one, one, target market could be professions where empathy is particularly important, like in the healthcare sector, or amongst the social workers or educators or community leaders, societies and membership organizations that represent but
then also to kind of reach out to organizations that health care professions professionals who might want to take classes in empathy could come there for those things.
Yes, any, any professionals where empathy is particularly valued, such as in the healthcare industry, almost social workers could be there could be a potential target market for, for etc.
So any organizations like social workers and health care workers, who would be interested in improving empathy within their organization and maybe even schools that if we could establish CPUs could come for classes and empathy chain something like that.
I think my time is nearly up. But um, it could also be extended my my original thought, when I thought when it came to a target market would be some kind of empathy program for me sitting in front of a digital conflict resolution skills. That's the first thing that came into my head only because I know that empathy is important for conflict resolution.
As well as reaching out to inner city communities where conflict resolution is very needed to present conflict resolution classes and courses and develop that as well.
And, of course, on my very last point, another target market could be the corporate sector. You know, empathy is really a really important skill for leadership and for team building. And those kinds of organizations with pay more and will subsidize the other the other workshops at the end Are the people who are attending wouldn't be thought actually capable of pay?
And the Tamra did go off. Colin. So this reflection, I heard that we could also reach out to the corporations that would be able to fund classes.
Right. So the corporations, they would actually come and have a retreat there themselves maybe week, over weekend, sorry, can be team building or could be leadership, but they'll be willing to pay well, and that money will subsidize other. And so I'm struggling to find the words here. Because they pay will subsidize, perhaps social workers in May may also wants to, they would, the fee that they pay will be the results.
And the reflect this last reflection column, the the corporations would be able to help with the funding to maybe even help to subsidize other organizations like social workers or school teachers or something like that, who didn't have the funding, the corporations would be able to sponsor empathy trainings there.
That's true. Yes. I guess it's just, I'm just thinking of income flows, no more income coming from the corporate sector, less income coming from the social sector. So that the books can balance overall.
Right. And the time did come out. So we're trying to balance the financial area so that the corporate sector could help to fund those that are less able to pay something like that.
Okay, I feel Thank you.
Thank you, Colin.
Wendy, what's up my Listen, please. Yes. Yeah, I really like what color is sharing.
And you'd really like what Collins shed?
Yeah. And it makes me think, wow, how about, you know, a whole class around organic gardening and start organic gardens there and make the food grow the food that's used on site.
So you're inspired by the idea of organic gardening and growing food that is needed in used on site actually, then.
Yeah, and classes and nutrition and the awareness of the value of the foods that we consume. If it's if it's really truly healthy food,
you'd like the idea of classes on healthy nutrition and, and also on the organic gardening and, and the importance of eating healthy food.
And invite neighborhood schools to bring kids in to learn about nutrition and organic gardening and take that back to their schools to share.
So you'd like the idea of inviting local schools to come and learn about organic gardening and taking that back to their schools to share.
And the idea of teaching things like yoga and meditation could be done, there are some good size rooms that would facilitate that. Or outdoors if the weather's nice.
So you like the idea of having horses run? They're on yoga and such like an outdoors if the weather's suitable, and there are certainly space there to run yoga and body movement type courses.
Yeah, and maybe a little like a little what we call Vita course. You know, a course where you could move around the perimeter at a walking pace or a slow jogging pace or a hiking pace, whatever suits your physical needs for exercise.
Yeah, so you you have this vision of people walking around the perimeter and jogging or exercising vital, you know, just this vital kind of movement.
And if we really have a big screen TV, maybe we could get together for a movie night for movies that you know, really lift up empathy.
And, you know, if there's a big television Should you like the idea of movie nights work with them showing films with a theme of empathy?
And we could have, because sort of organic popcorn
movie night with organic popcorn
Thank you, Wendy, I feel fully heard.
Oh, thank you, Larry. Gosh, who see, Cara to be my listener before you pop up? Thank you. Yeah. So where to start? It's going to be really, really important to focus. You know, one of the centers, I was involved in the ages, they they also, you know, had a beautiful organic garden, grow their own food, etc. And meanwhile, their stress levels of people trying to do all that and provide enough of the actual vision. Yeah, yeah, some people burnt out.
So I hear that you love the stuff that you were hearing. And it brings up a human concern for you that if we don't stay focused, we want to have the momentum to be able to accomplish?
Yeah, I think you previously have mentioned the idea of losing momentum. And it really depends how many people are going to be involved. And how many volunteers how many new people that handling lead pay, you know, the idea of resident trainers, trainers, so it's all great. And it just, it just will need a lot of management.
So if you have some concerns that there's going to be a need to focus on quantity, I need to focus on quality, and how to balance them both. And that's going to take skill.
Yeah, I love the way you summarize. That's great. You don't just you Yeah, I can tell you a really good coach.
I like the way I summarize.
So I also love your image, actually care of the physical representation, the center being the physical representation of the diamond. Yeah, that is, is that if there's going to be a logo, I know empathy circles already has a logo, but there's a logo for the center that that diamond needs to be in there, the idea of
the empathy circle being the physical representation of our diamond resonated with you, and you would love to see that in a logo.
Yeah. So
yeah, I really appreciate that there's going to be a larger series of this vision, you know, visioning. And then I'm interested to know what happens, you know, what happens, then how is that all? How are all of those ideas collated? And how is it to I'm, I'm a very practical person, you know, I need me sort of, I don't know, very, a real strategic plan that is doable in the first week in the first month in the first year for the next five years. So yeah, a strategic plan that has timescales
that you love everything you're hearing and you love the ideas of these things. And we're going to have more of these conversations to really kind of build up a bowl full of ideas, but your practical and would like to know how we're going to turn that bowl full of potatoes into mashed potatoes.
I feel fully Thank you very much
mentioned mashed potatoes, but now
now you're hungry. Sorry.
I have a really great ImageNet thanks, car.
I just kept seeing your hands pushing it down and like that's what I do when I'm Isn't it funny how we hear things? Okay, sorry, focus, bring it back to the circle. When you haven't talked recently, would you be my listener? Listening, I know you're doing so many notes. Thank you. I tried to go in and update it as well.
So you're just know that I'm working on notes and you're also contributing to that as you can.
And as I went back through the notes while watching that you were doing that I came up with more ideas. So I'm just going to that's just dropping ideas, I guess.
So you're looking at the notes, the ideas, you're just stimulating more ideas and share those.
I have never done nonprofit stuff outside of like Girl Scouts. So I don't have any experience there. But I do a lot of for profit stuff. And looking back over the notes, having an RV site on site would be like having a cash cow on site.
So you don't do haven't really worked with nonprofits, but you've worked with for profit, and just seeing that, like an RV site would really be a way to generate income cash cap,
gamble, that it's what the industry calls them, because that's you set them up, and then you just take people's money from that point. And to Wendy's point, we're really going to need money to you know, and to Collins point. And I think everybody at some point, you said that, that we really even as a nonprofit funding still is important.
Yeah. So you're seeing the practicality of it that even a nonprofit needs an income. So you're sort of thinking about that income aspect now that people have mentioned that as well.
And then when Colin was talking about the corporate people coming in and doing stuff, which then led Larry talking about the schools coming in and doing stuff, I love both of those. And I thought, if we turn one or two of the dorms into standalone rentals.
Yeah, so you're you're kind of just hearing different options, you're thinking perhaps one of the dorms could be standalone rental units, and that's for income generation.
know, when I host like a webinar or an in person series, it's not women or an in person mastermind. You have to like, navigate where you're doing your space, how you're bringing all the stuff into that space, but also where you're going to how's everybody else? And if we could offer them one spot to do all of that?
Yeah, yeah. So if you do these mastermind, workshops, you know, having a space where people can bring everything to that space, that that would be here, like really excited about that option. Just see the potential for it.
Help us out very quickly.
That last part, I said,
I could help us book that out very quick.
Yeah. So that's something you can really put together quickly. Yeah.
And that so I guess that's kind of going back to where Wendy was going is what is the practical things that need to happen on this space? And where it's, I guess this builds in the question section? Where can we find or post a list for that? So that as people are like, Oh, hey, I got skills in that department, they can, our community can come support our community.
Yeah, so you're looking for like a space where people have ideas and have skills and just to see all the tasks that need to be done and kind of connect those that, you know, is there a space for that? Because a lot of skills and talent here?
Yeah. And and as the person who's spearheading this, you can very quickly burn out. And we, what I'm hearing from everyone is that we don't want that we want the momentum that you have created in this amazing culture driven entity, to just keep pushing forward. And so we want to make sure that there's a space where we can be like, I'll take that off your plate.
Yeah, you just get topic of burnout game and you want to be sure that I don't burn out on all this. And so having a sort of a process for people to step in and take pieces of the work so there's not a I don't burn out for example. Yeah,
I feel fully heard. Okay,
I'll speak to DJ
Yeah, so
yeah, there you go. So I wanted to give a context to the space so the space was bought by my brother, he has an LLC, so he purchased the property for seven and a half million dollars. So just Yeah.
You're just trying to give some context for the space your brother purchases under his LLC for seven and a half million dollars,
and he's willing to put in another couple of million, you know, for the, you know, for the renovations and all that so, the property belongs to his LLC. And what we're looking at is creating a an empathy center nonprofit, which would rent or lease the property from his LLC.
So your brother's willing to put it like another million and a half or so into you know, renovations and getting it ready. And he's going to keep it in his name, and the 501 C three that you're creating called deck empathy center, we'll be leasing the property from the LLC.
Yeah, so it does need to, you know, generate an income in order to cut. He said he just wants to break even basically. So he's kind of excited just about a retreat center, but he doesn't really want it to be a Profit Loss, you know, but you know, kind of keep at least Yeah, breakeven on it.
So your, your brother would really like to break even so it does matter about bringing in money, because he does not want to have a Profit Loss.
Yeah, and it needs a lot of work, there was, you know, serious renovations, I think it's more like two or three to 3 million renovations needed, the previous owners had already put in 3 million just renovating one wing. So there is, you know, kind of serious, you know, money involved, so that it does need to kind of maintain. So I appreciate everybody talking about the practicality I see we have a lot of practical people, ears, there's that aspect.
You're appreciating the practicality of everyone here contributing these ideas to make money and sustain it, because it's a really large investment. There's going to be another maybe two or 3 million, the previous owners put in two to 3 million just in one building. And things very expensive and costly.
Yeah, especially in Santa Barbara. It's pretty pricey location. So that's sort of the, you know, but within that context, you know, I like to like the idea is like, yeah, corporate knows organizations that can pay and we have CPUs, continuing education units for anybody overseas, you know that we have different terms for it, which is you hold on, you know, teachers, health care workers, psychologists, a lot of the helping professions have to have ongoing training. So it can you know, that can corporate workshops, those type of training, CPUs can definitely be sort of an income generating.
Go ahead. I'm sorry.
That was it. Yeah, they just generated, you know, can generate income. So
yeah, generating income through CPUs, which are, you know, education units that healthy helping professions can can benefit from so like the nurses, the health care workers, educators, people who would want or need courses in empathy, building and also reaching out to the European community and education there. And, of course, the corporate, corporate sort of clients, I guess you could call them Yeah, generate money.
And I love all the nature stuff because I'm like envisioning kind of like, Italian style, terrorist gardens, you know, along the hills, there is all kinds of just like a big park nearby, as well as a trail rattlesnake Canyon trayful. There's a lot of rattlesnakes out there, supposedly. So yeah, there's a lot of nature potential. I'm kind of excited about that.
So I might have forgotten about the first part because I got so into the second part, which is about the nature and, and that you see these Italian terrorist kills there. And there's rattlesnake trail in the park nearby and or rattlesnakes. And you see a lot of this nature. And before that, I think you mentioned something about the corporations. I kind of forgot
that. Yeah, that was that was, I think you've gotten that before. So I feel fully heard. That's my time to.
Okay. Yeah, this is a really a nice exercise in envisioning. So let's see, Larry. Yeah, so this is a nice exercise in envisioning, Larry
says, this is a nice exercise in auditioning.
Because I'm really starting to get this picture now. I started to get this visual. With the nature being very primary. Such a beautiful place.
So it's really helpful to have this vision of the place and the the, the view that we saw earlier on the Google the scenery, the the nature is really helping to envision this and begin to envision activities on these beautiful grounds.
Yes, and I absolutely agree that the helping professions need empathy courses and, like almost even an empathy college, if you will.
And you absolutely agree that the helping professions, the doctors, the nurses, the helping professions, all of the helping professions really need courses and empathy.
Maybe even an empathy college, at the center.
Maybe even something like an empathy college at the center.
This can be virtual, you know, a lot of it could be virtual.
And some of this could be virtual online courses.
Yeah, so my
instinct
is going in a couple of different directions. One is sort of, to caution, these strategy building to not just replicate what's already out there in terms of retreats.
To think a couple of different strategies. One would be not to just simply replicate what's already available.
Right. So I'm not really going along with the yoga and the meditation and just making it another kind of retreat.
So you're not necessarily going along with just making it another retreat for yoga, or I forget the other one.
Yeah, and there's so many of those. And so where I'm going, is a little bit, I think off on a tangent right now, for some reason. I'm kind of on this track with Black History Month and Tyree, not Nichols? And you know, his murder. And you know, that's kind of where my head's at right now. So, so I'm looking at the conflict in America right now.
So you're going on another tangent related to? I think it sounds like addressing the conflict that is rampant in America now.
Right, which is systemic racism.
For example, systemic racism.
Right. And and police brutality
and police brutality.
And I used to work for the police. Of course, here locally,
I used to work for the police locally.
Yeah, the local police, but I did work for the army as well.
And the army as well. All right, so
um, I kind of have some ideas about the mind of the military, mind and the paramilitary.
So, you know, the mind of the military and the pellet paramilitary?
I don't know their mind, I have a little bit of an idea about it.
You don't know their mind, but you have a little bit of an idea about it.
Yeah, very little. But something. And you know, that's, in my opinion. That's where we need the empathy in those sectors of society that are so far from it.
And that's where we really need empathy in those sectors of our society that are so far from empathy.
Right, I feel fully heard. Thank you, Larry.
Thank you, TJ. Cara, would you be my listener?
I would love to meet you.
Yeah, I totally agree with DJ that. We're seeing such an unfolding of violence in our own country. There's a huge need for empathy.
So I hear that you what, what did you think resonated and that you're seeing that the world needs empathy? Yeah.
The police and the military and the unfortunate number of suicides that are happening with veterans who come back to try to become civilians again.
To hear your thoughts are going to the military and the police and people trying to come back to civilian life.
Now we'd have a huge need in this country, for some organization that's going to provide empathy training.
I hear you recognize that we need that the world needs a place where this is trained. This empathy is trained. Yeah.
I think empathy is the missing link to humans being able to get along and live peacefully together.
I hear you think of empathy as the missing link that allows humans to human together.
Thank you, Kara, I feel fully heard
will talk to you. Maybe? I don't know why I have to sing. It just feels right.
Okay. Yeah,
I think that that's that what DJ and Larry were hitting on is exactly why this project is such an important and pivotal project.
you're disagreeing with both the teacher and sorry. But the importance of this project climatologists?
Yeah, I don't think anybody here needs convincing. I think we've all experienced the transformational nature of empathy in our world.
And amongst us here in the empathy circle movement, we we've already experienced this. So we're, we're convinced already.
Yeah. And, and we have been promoting a culture of empathy. And now we have a place that we could maybe do that.
So we can now bring this culture of empathy. And we have a physical location for
bringing it to life. Oh, I liked it that, yes, I that that is what this property feels like. It feels like the culmination of everything that the empathy culture movement has been pushing for, is, is being birthed.
So it's all coming together. It's all coming together that you know, all of the work that the culture movement has, has done over the last 18 years is now getting in your words.
What do you think it's incredible.
I don't know if I have any more thoughts than that. I think all of these ideas are genius. I think making them happen, of course, will be where the messy metal is. But when we come out on, you know, two years from now, when we sit down to one of these what next visioning circles for the property. That's gonna be an exciting place to be.
So putting all of these ideas into practice, the challenge, but you're already looking forward to two years ago, two years ahead. And we have the next listening circle. And yeah, it sounds it sounds like you're anticipating that,
yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna start speaking that into existence. Because I'd want to work Edwin and Larry and Lou and everybody worked really, really hard to, to get it to this place where there was a, it started as an idea of a culture of empathy. And now it is a place for a culture of empathy. And so I'm excited to speak into existence that there is more coming for this community.
So you're really looking ahead and seeing how empathy to the movements can can develop power that you're really you're really looking ahead already for years ahead,
what we are going to learn not necessarily easily but we will learn it is how empathy does apply to developing an organization and and at some point, maybe Wendy will run the one in England or you know, we've got somebody Colin can run though the one well, wherever you happen to be traveling at that time.
Yeah, so this is gonna be a learning process for empathy. It's applied to running an organization and sounds like that's really interesting to you and maybe some members in the the circle movement right now can step up and begin to grow further.
I feel fully heard Thank you.
I will speak to data or that okay.
V Ray, you should go ahead.
Alright. I might change tack even though, what are we talking about a super important I still have a few ideas I'd like to share,
you're gonna switch topics a little bit, even though you like everything that everyone's saying, you still have a few things you want to share.
Yes, um, so we, you know, nearly all of us here were part of this defining empathy project and the basis for that was empathic, aware, aware of being, we've seen that empathic way of being. And so that is getting me to think about the empathy center could really could have guidelines, or being empathic, or empathic, and depending on, you know, the sweat of being on this topic.
And you reflecting back on the earlier group of defining empathy, and how this is related to this idea of an empathetic way of being, and you'd like to really see our discussion, or our strategy to sort of include, you know, how can the empathy center integrate this empathetic way of being? And I think it's embodiment, as well as maybe it's envisioning?
Yes, yes, I think it's important to get right to the have guidelines for how I'll, the organization and all those who, who are part of it, physical location, that they that they're aware of what it means to be empathic and abundance, but really embodied in everything that was done on the side,
thinking about these guidelines, that came from defining empathy, and how they can be integrated into anyone who's involved in the empathy center, whether it be in the creation of it the envisioning of it, or the visiting of the physical location.
Yes, I'm just thinking, you know, if there was any kind of dispute or tension that very easily arise, that they know, the guidelines will already be there, that people will be aware that there's a process that can be followed. And that we're all striving to be empathic as much as possible at all times, and we're really trying to limit
right, so we're, we're all striving to be more empathetic, empathetic, in our in our being and in our interactions and problems are going to crop up, you know, conflicts are going to happen, the misunderstandings that occur at the empathy circle or within the hybrid, anybody related to the empathy circle could have some kind of conflict. And so, therefore, you need these guidelines. So people already are aware that there are guidelines, and that this will help the embodiment and spread of a culture and reduce conflict.
Yeah, it could be some kind of debriefing on visitors coming to the site, it could be, you know, some forms that they need to reach through and agree to, it could be done ahead of time when they arrive there, just to have something in place to really truly walk the talk, you know, and everything that is done, to be happy.
You're envisioning is totally encompassing kind of empathetic living or way of beings. So like when people arrive or they first start their, their, you know, interactions with empathy center, whether it be virtual or on the ground, that there would be like this debriefing and people will learn how to do it, and they would be able to be prepared for for this kind of process happening.
Right. Is the final point yes, that they would agree to certain standards or with with Bing, I guess it's not a thing that needs to be training in order to to be able to sign off on them, but just to be aware Have the employees understands what
we're all striving for.
So I think I heard that, I think you said something like, it's something that they would agree to, in the beginning. And this is what the Senator would stand for, you know, is that, you know, this is the way things are here. And if you're going to come here, you have to agree to it.
Something like that, yes, I feel fully heard.
You want to stop, now I'm gonna keep going in the circle, or,
um, I guess we could open it up. We have like about 20 minutes. So we could open up to just sort of open brainstorming any sort of, and also, I've had the link in there, you know, at any point, do feel, you know, like, you can go in and edit any of that, that's our document, or I've been taking a lot of notes. And the stuff in red is stuff that I wanted to address, you know, sort of things I had thoughts on, that do kind of add anything, cleaned it up. And we just, let's kind of open it to just any kind of free style, semi empathic listening, what, there's the empathic listening, which is sort of a strict reflection, the other is, you know, we have a discussion, and he sort of periodically reflect back what you're hearing, as well as if you feel like you're not being heard, you can ask for reflection too. So it's sort of a looser type of empathic listening. And so maybe I'll just get the ball rolling this last 20 minutes is, I do want to keep these circles going these empathy circles, these visioning circles, because I do see it as sort of the foundation of the organization, right, I call on you're talking about conflict resolution? Well, the empathy circle is the conflict resolution process that, you know, if a conflict comes up, you know, we can call for an empathy circle. And, you know, most of the time, just a simple empathy circle, you can sort of work through the issues, you know, with this process is people listening to each other. And then you can sort of scale it up to a restorative empathy circle, which is, you know, adding more practices to it. And it does take time it is, you know, it takes a lot to have these dialogues. But I do see, this is sort of really the core of what we're doing here, and to kind of grow, you know, from this, this core here, and I love that term, you know, speak the empathy movement into existence, you know, that is it, you know, as ideas get generated, like, you know, the crazier the Wilder ideas, they they create jumping off points to think about other ideas. So everything's open any sort of ideas, because it's all, you know, helpful for the creativity to take place. And I do see it that the ideas will sort of germinate here, we'll see which ones have energy, what people want to work on, is to see if those can form into practical sort of projects to or steps. So. Yeah, so that that's, I just kind of opened it up. Everybody wants to jump in just any thoughts?
I'd like to share that. What comes to mind is that the land needs acknowledgement that the place has acknowledgments in how the indigenous peoples were connected to that land. And also, you know, I don't know, no, Catholics, centers, maybe they had a cemetery there. I don't know what they had there. But the land needs to be acknowledged in some way. And so I was thinking of the secretary equivalent of a stupid, or the secular equivalent of blessings. And what comes to mind is the Peace Corps that you can plan for people attending all over the planet. And it would be nice to invite a Peace Corps to bring a peace approach to the empathy center.
I didn't want to just speak to what DJ you're saying about policing and those issues. In the last empathy circle I did with the Santa Barbara Community. I did actually put in, I did speak to the, the, the beating and that was in Memphis. And I put a picture in of that to the Santa Barbara Community that were interested. And I said, this is an example of why we need to be teaching mutual empathy and those skills And I will put a link to our cop talk event where we actually did the, you know, we had Cleese and community. So I thought that was just like, yeah, I really didn't want to address that. Because I thought that was really important. And you're about to say something, Kara? I thought,
Oh, yeah. And then I really liked the different ways of handling the staffing that I saw in the notes as like a, I think, a hybrid of all of them. So I think that there will definitely be a portion of it, that is gift exchange sort of stuff. I think that you will have to have people who are paid on site who are like core humans, and then volunteer right up in that mix all up inside there. I think that a hotbed of those as well and pathetically handy. So that was my thoughts. Okay, you guys are just amazing. You're brilliant human beings. I am so excited for all of this to keep happening. And I will see you in a little while.
Okay, car?
Yes, sir. You know, really,
I just have a quick question. University credits, do you presumably have that system? I love the idea. Some you mentioned about a cot, you know, an empathy college, but presumably, initially before that, to run a courses that people can then put towards their degree, I assume you have that same system?
Yeah, we do have that. I mean, I'll just speak to that, you know, getting college credits is quite, quite a effort. But it does make me think that there's the Pacific Institute, I think, if you know that it's a big psychology training center. In Santa Barbara, they have two campuses, and actually, in the Santa Barbara circle, someone who's a professor there, and head of a department is not going to be in one of our circles. So we're kind of developing a connection there, as well, as I've heard that the person who started the place is sort of tracking our development here, he's a friend of someone that we're working with. So there could be I could imagine, you know, a connection where maybe you can take workshops here, you know, training here, and it would be kind of connected with the university there, you know, private school. So there's all kinds of possibilities. And I didn't want to you did ask, like, why did the seminary not work? And why did they sell it? I think they just didn't have enough priests, people are not interested in being priests anymore. And like they used to, so I think it was just they didn't have the, the interest anymore. So they were sort of like, forced to sell it. Some organizations bought, it didn't want to turn into a treatment center, like, you know, alcohol addiction treatment center, somehow that fell through there were different projects, people had a lot of different projects, they just keep kept falling through falling apart. And then they finally just had to sell it because they couldn't get anything to work. And so that's in that's been about six, seven years of, actually, the place hasn't been used for that long. And yeah, let's just give context.
Just a quick thing about things like university credits, that's a whole area that you know, can be delegated. You know, and I know you know this already, but delegation is going to be key, there's no way you can do all that needs to be done. So chunks like that. Could be very easily, hopefully passed to someone else.
Yeah, CPUs are very doable. I think so yeah. TJ
Yes. So kind of, you know, adjacent to what Wendy is saying, and what you're saying and Edwin, and I think what Kara was saying, if you can connect to the higher education systems, you can get interns that will work for free for for credit in their courses. So you can get UC Santa Barbara to involve with that. They have community credits, where people, you know, students get credit for being at a nonprofit. You can also get work experience, which is where the federal government pays the wages or at least part of the wages of like, maybe like a, you know, clerical person, you know, you know, kind of maybe entry level positions that you could get on the Work Experience roster for your 501 C three. Being in Santa Barbara. There's There's a lot of community stuff there, that's going to be really excited to have you. And so there's all kinds of exchanges that could go on, you know, prior to making it a more official kind of, I actually do see growing into being in college, I do think there needs to be an empathy college. And that's really where the future is. And I do, I do think that, you know, having certificates and licenses, and branching out into all fields, is something that that has to be done. And in my opinion, it's just my opinion, it's the priority over schoolchildren, you know, once you bring school children on board, it's just a big madness, you know, the regulations, the liabilities, the insurance, you have to have so much with your fire drills, you have to have all kinds of protections, you have to have bus parking, you have to have handicap access everywhere, which you're going to have to have anyway. But just the whole idea that when children arrive on your center campus, you have to have it regulated every single minute of every single day that they're there. Because you can have kids running off into the woods and getting bitten by a rattlesnake and dying, because that will close your center down forever. So, you know, I've worked with bad kids, bad teenagers and outdoor education is one way that you can facilitate, you know, conflict resolution, anger, you know, decreasing and all of that for them, especially with the opposite position on Defiant Disorder, that that, again, you have those same liabilities, if they're under 18. You know, there's so many more liabilities under 18. So that that's just my suggestion, when you're first starting out, you know, maybe not go for the complicated, maybe go for this simple, and maybe just partner with existing colleges and universities and online extension services and get all kinds of interactions that way.
I just had a thought on your the empathy chance that you had, Edwin, that idea. Like, now, you're not gonna have a base and the center. And it could be somewhere that, you know, it could be used for outreach in the community, that sort of people coming to the center of the community at Santa Barbara, or maybe further afield to Los Angeles. And, you know, the empathy that could be could be trained on site, and then the template translatable to Southern California, whatever.
Yes, and I don't really, I don't have any experience with the commercial side with nonprofits or anything like that. But I think you're probably going to need corporates at some point to be able to, I don't know subsidized some of the other visitors that you have. And I think empathy is really important, important skills and leadership. So I think yeah, going down that route, is also important. Even if it's not maybe your target market.
Yes, great about the tent in terms of publicity, that's the most publicity we've had is like with the MPC tents getting out in public, I had even thought of like, you know, if there's like a shooting or something, you know, that you go, we set up the empathy tent in that space, and we offer listening to the community. If there's any kind of conflicts, community conflicts, we have an empathy tent that goes out there because that's definitely what had been one of the most impactful we even got like on Fox and Friends of usually, for me, it was Fox media that they talked to, it was in derogatory terms. They didn't understand what we were doing. But it really got the word out there about it. So yeah, that empathy pant could be a real home for that.
I love this idea that Colin and Edwin you're talking about, I can really see that happening where people come to the center virtually or in person and learn how to set that tent tent up, how to operate it and stuff like that. And that can be something that anybody all over the world could do in their community, right?
Yeah, we can be doing like an empathy tour bus, right? We have the bay empathy tick, and we go out to different communities and offer listening you know, we just set it up. And there's a sidewalk talk that does something similar so they create local chapters, and then they just local chapters. to go and just offer street level listening. So it could be the empathy tent, you know, it pops up locally and it could be chapters, and you offer that street level, listening to the community and just say we're here to listen, people come and just get hurt is so the first step.
What do you think of that idea? I think that's such a fabulous idea. What do you think?
That's a great idea. Two things come to mind. I spoken to Shana about doing an in person empathy circle, and she suggested Union Square. But actually 911 might be a better, you know, are our twin towers here, whatever it's called. Now, the World Trade Center and memorial might be a place for that. The other thing is, someone recently mentioned, I don't want to say it on video unless she wants to choose the medical setting out in an RV, and traveling. So that could be something she's an empathy circle person.
Yeah, with with the tent, it's like, if I just empathy, the first step is just listening to people, like, you know, it's easy, you just, they have a row of chairs, you know, you have someone that kind of greets people and say, Oh, we're here to listen, come and sit down. So it's sort of the first step in that whole process of of sort of outreach. And then once people have been, you know, listened to though, you can practice becoming, you know, a mutual listening, and then also start introducing the empathy circle. And I've done a lot of that, where I would just by myself go in downtown Berkeley, I'd set up the empathy tent, that's just me, I'm here to listen. And you know, all kinds of people who just come by sit down or remember, somebody just walked out of buildings, it's I just lost my job, I just got fired. I need someone to talk to or you know, it's just like, or a homeless person. Like I've been, you know, haven't talked to anybody for a week. And so they just want to kind of be heard. So, yeah. Colin,
reminds me of those. Those people who offer hugs, and on the street, and it's like a hug, isn't it? If you really heard, so. Yeah. I'm getting an understanding now as well.
Yeah, so maybe a chapter model, right. So we have a center, and then there's chapters and then you can come come together to so it's that physical, we were doing a lot online has been with COVID. You know, it's been really good. But having that physicality, it kind of takes it to a different level.
You can have can't kits that people can buy or get donated to their group. You could have a whole network of 501 C threes that do it. I mean, I'll do it with my 501 C three here in Gainesville. You know, I mean, I would, I never thought that I would, but I never really thought about it. You know, if you train me how to do it, if the empathy center trains me and I'm like a certified tent person, I guess you'd call it, chat train.
And then we can travel all around the country with these vans, right. And we ended up at the at the Capitol. And instead of you know, storming the Capitol, we set up empathy tents outside, we said, we want to have empathy circles with Democrats and Republicans, and we're not leaving until you talk to each other. So, yeah, well, okay, well, we're almost at the time. So maybe we just have a closing comments, you know, how is this circle for you, and it's To be continued. So I'm really excited feels so good to be with this group, you know, people who we've been working together for quite a while on the defining empathy. So I feel a real connection with everyone. And also just kind of bringing all that empathic connection and ideas and so forth to this project is, it's very, I don't know, it's just feels really great. Just yeah. So windy. Do you want to kind of
Oh, Likewise, likewise, like and, and seriously, if there's anything you know, certainly, I can't speak for anyone else. I can only speak for myself but there's anything that you feel you can delegate, you know, please do do that. Very happy to be of any service that I can and I just love all, you know, the clarity of visioning this process has been Yeah, it's great. Love it. Thank you.
DJ.
Yeah, I'm so glad I came. I feel really good. I feel very, very excited. And very at peace, very high. For, you know, this is something that nobody has ever done before. Nobody's even imagined it before bringing empathy where it's needed when you said that thing about if there's a shooting or something, there's an empathy tent. Oh my gosh, my heart almost stopped. Just think of what a difference that will make for the people there.
I love it. Love Yeah, thanks, Phil careful about that. So Colin
something just came up in my head and I don't know if I'm taking words from Kira, maybe I am. But um, we're draining it into existence, we're dreaming this entry into existence. And it's a great, I feel I'm privileged to be artists, you know, I'm coming up with this vision. And it's all over the players who just, we just how it should be at the beginning, you know, we have all of these ideas, getting clarity and wanting direction, that's going to be the hard part. And then just back to the importance of, well, what is the rest of the few times you know, of? Well being you know, an empathy, empathy, being able to support a person's well being, you know, I if you don't have an empathy, but if you need another empathy body, I can be that empathy buddy, you know, the speaker, they think that you're gonna have a lot on your plate. And so you might, somebody wanting to just checking up as well. And having that support is important.
Thanks, Larry.
And loving this envisioning the center. The the views from the Google Maps was beautiful is inspiring, envisioning this large organic gardens that provides healthy nutrition for everyone who is a resident or a visitor, creating a kitchen that's providing healthy food for everyone. And that it's a grassroots effort, starting with healthy nutrition, and healthy empathy for everyone there.
Thanks, Larry. Jana.
Yeah, you can see it as a physical piece of prayer
and sending out light to the universe. It's not that that's what it becomes.
Okay, thanks. So the circles are going to go on every Friday, you have to see the schedule, if there's a space, you're going to have it maybe I thought seven actually worked for participants. So maybe I had it for six. So maybe I'll add a seven to the list. So you won't be able to come to everyone because we want to kind of open it up. And but do check the schedule and get on the schedule. And I'll send an email out about that because this is sort of the first group you know, on the empathy visioning. And then you know, we're kind of getting started and they're gonna open it up to the rest of the community and schedule and then over time will kind of open up like workshop leaders and so forth. But this is the seed you know, you're we're all here creating the kind of the seeds of this center. So thanks for that. Then we'll do be continued. I'll send out an email with any updates and the recording and all that kind of stuff and the schedule so bye for now. Thanks, everyone.
