Update on Happiness Community Conversations

Happiness Community Conversations Lead to Happiness Actions

 

 

Happiness Community Conversation at Murphy-Wilmot Library, October 18, 2013, Pat Griesel, Community Renaissance facilitator, Anita Fonte assisting.  Photo taken by Mark Grushka.

 

At the four hosting branches of the Pima County Public Library, small groups are meeting at the ninety minute Happiness Community Conversations.  At these conversations, they discuss the UA Happiness Lectures topics and dig deeper into how to transform the ideas from the happiness lectures into personal and community happiness actions.  Some participants have attended the downtown lectures but most have not.  Participants come for each of the five sessions or for the one or two topics that interest him/her.  Offering the conversations at the familiar library branches during the daytime hours creates a choice for participants who may not be able or willing to drive at night.

Each conversation is unique because of who attends and the selection of interactive activities provided by the facilitators from Community Renaissance.  For example, one activity is to define key terms of the lecture topic by writing a few words on a multi-colored sticky note which is put on a larger display board.  Next, these comments are collected by the facilitator.  Another activity a conversation on Compassion involved “bearing witness” to the suffering of another by contemplating a photo of suffering, focusing one’s breath on the photo’s image, and sending feelings of compassion to the image.  One participant remarked that she observed herself changing her reaction to photo as her breathing relaxed. 

Each conversation includes a “take away” happiness tool that encourages participants to consider making a commitment to complete for a week.  In one group this involves picking three cards from a happiness deck of cards and selecting one she or he will do the next week.  Returnees from the first session to the second session shared that they experienced a happier week by sticking to their happiness action and even going beyond that initial commitment by applying another action they heard someone else in the group offer to do. 

At the beginning of 2014, Community Renaissance will produce a summary of the groups’ activity responses and the responses from an 11 question Happiness survey that each participant completes at the first Happiness Community Conversation she or he attends.  This survey asks the same questions as developed in the 2013 World Happiness Report.  Also, the 2014 report will include results from the “snap surveys” that started in June, 2013 as part of the Talk UP^ Tucson events.  This survey has participants rate the 4 Pillars of Gross National Happiness and is cited in the Talk UP^ Tucson… book by Anita C. Fonte.  A free read-only copy of the book is available upon request to Anita.  

Community Renaissance facilitators are volunteering their time for the conversations and Talk UP^ events, including materials preparation, cost, and follow-up as part of Community Renaissance’s pro bono program, The Partnership for Equity and Civic Engagement, or PĒCE.  For more information contact Anita C. Fonte at acfonte@aol.com and www.community-renaissance.com. 

 

 

Happiness Community Conversation in August

Happiness Community Conversation at TMM Family Services, Inc., 8.22.13

Last week, my husband (the photographer), and I were fortunate to share an evening hour with ten women in a Talk UP^ Tucson… happiness community conversation.   I tried a couple of new prompts for this conversation.  At a nicely arranged table grouping with refreshments provided by TMM and a staff person to help occupy some of the women's young children, another staff person joined the group and we talked.  www.tmmfs.org .

I handed out large index cards and a colored marker to each participant, letting them know they would be keeping this card for themselves.  First, I asked them to respond to the prompt "Recently I was having a bad day because..." .  I gave them the example of my day starting off badly with my lingering cold and cough.  Their responses, shared verbally by choice after taking five minutes to write varied from "my car door handle fell off" to "my best friend passed away."  Several of the responses drew a supportive "God Bless You", or “I am sorry", and I shared, when appropriate, my feelings for their unhappy experiences.

Next, I asked them (on the same card), to write a response to this prompt "But I managed to find a few happy moments in it anyway, like..." .  I shared that, in spite of my cold, I was able to laugh at a funny YouTube video with two dogs dancing.  Responses to the second prompt, again shared verbally by choice, included:  "my boys hug me" or "to pray" or "the paramedics who helped me were cute."  Again, we talked a bit more deeply about their responses and the possibility that even a very bad day can have a few happy moments.  All of their verbal responses to both prompts I wrote down on a large paper pad framed on an easel.

Because the program director had shared with me that the concept of "community" might be new to some of the participants, for the third prompt, I showed on my large paper pad the equation:
            
             Community = 1 + 1 + 1

 I talked about how a community is made of up of me and at least two others--family members, friends, work colleagues or church companions.  I also shared the quote that “a wise person knows ‘enough’ is abundance."  (I could not recall the source).

 Then, I passed out colored medium-sized post-its and asked them to describe an experience where being in a community was "enough."  I gave them my example of recently being with a group of other writers.

This time I collected their responses (if they were willing to share, and all did) and read them aloud before sticking them to the large paper pad.  Responses included: "Faith Singing", "looking at the beautiful children being cared for by TMM...", and "I enjoy my job."

As we wrapped up the hour, I asked them, if they were willing, to share one thing they were taking away with them from the conversation.  The staff person said she now has the idea of starting a program newsletter; a participant offered to host a Bible study group "now that I see I am not alone", and another said she actually was taking away "four new things" and listed them in sequence.

I am always amazed at what I take away from these community conversations:  new ideas, hope, strength, and yes, more happiness.

 

Important Story on Poverty in Tucson: How do we build a more prosperous community for all?

The Arizona Daily Star is doing a terrific job this week, with their in-depth investigation on poverty in Tucson:  http://azstarnet.com/news/local/losing-ground-tucson-kids-pay-poverty-s-high-price/article_b79c3c72-bd69-5898-8876-d60bf8045746.html  .

I hope that, after this series has been completed, Community Renaissance can collaborate with others in taking some "next steps" in answering the question I pose in the title of this post:  How do we building a more prosperous community for all?" 

I don't doubt that the majority of us in the Tucson region want more prosperity for ourselves, our families and our neighbors.  I really do believe that most people want a better life for everyone, not just themselves.  And the stories in the Star are showing how complex issues of poverty are for individuals and families.  So there's no easy answer.  But, like any problem, if the pieces can be taken in small steps, progress can be made.

When I first came to Tucson in 1971, recently graduated from college in the midwest, I felt at home here because I thought "ah, there are a lot of people like me here, struggling to survive."  Tucson has the same, if not worse, reality 42 years later.  Yes, choices were made and are still being made and some of the factors (such as our proximity to Phoenix where large external capital investments are often featured in the news) are beyond our control, but I think each of us can do take one more step to help solve this problem.

I have made several community commitments:  to assist my neighborhood and HOA as an active member, to weekly volunteer in a TUSD location, to volunteer for the public library and, when possible, to offer Community Renaissance's pro bono program, PECE, to assist with forward-leaning community conversations. 

These are my commitments and I am willing to take one step more.  What about you? (This is a picture from flickr.com and their "commons"--it's the scene of Huck and Tom fixing up their community by painting a weathered fence.")