Introducing 7 Cups Exploration Garden
It has been three years since we started the Sharing Circle and I appreciate you all for making it an empowering session where everyone shares and supports each other. We received a lot of feedback and we did multiple iterations to strengthen and improve the session. We have seen how the Sharing Circle has helped many to connect with others, share their thoughts and feelings, and find support in challenging times. A huge shout-out to all members, listeners, hosts, and leaders for their compassionate efforts and support.
One area of the feedback has been that we allow questions to be asked during the share. Given the unique structure of the Sharing Circle, it was difficult to integrate that feedback into the session. But, we value our members’ feedback and are determined to provide a better support experience for them.
We are introducing a new group chat initiative - Exploration Garden Session. We recognize that this session will help sharers to further explore their feelings and experiences with the help of questions. It will also foster deeper connections among participants of the session.
The most important characteristic of the Exploration Garden is the purpose behind it. We will encourage participants to support questions and reflections to support sharers more. Members shared that asking questions during share may help them better understand themselves, and get better clarity in their thoughts and feelings. These chats are dedicated to the giving and receiving of support and exploration in a turn-based setting where each participant has the chance to share and explore their thoughts and emotions.
But it won’t be a substitute for Sharing Circle. Both Sharing Circle and Exploration Garden have their unique vision and structure to support our members. They both will be complementary to each other.
Who can participate?
Only members can enter the queue. Listeners are encouraged to join and support shares. Your presence and support will encourage and empower them.
Please note that access to the Exploration Garden chat is currently being trialed so will not be available to all users. We will scale up access with time and encourage everyone who gets to try this new chat to send us feedback.
When will these sessions happen?
These sessions will happen every day in Exploration Garden Group Chat from 12.00 pm- 11.00 pm
How can I get involved?
We will be looking for help to facilitate Exploration Garden Sessions. If you are interested in hosting them, you can reach out to @SoulfullyAButterfly or @ASilentObserver for more information.
Please keep in mind that this is new, so it's likely that it will evolve as we experience and learn from all of you. We look forward to having you. Come and explore with us!!
@ASilentObserver
Great idea. Questions are so helpful when exploring an issue and really create a more comfortable atmosphere. Just messaged!
@ASilentObserver @SoulfullyAButterfly
I have many questions...
Amazing post
Hi, Pat here. Pat the Cat. I got the dubious honour of being the first victim/participant/Sharer, in the grand opening of the Exploration Garden.
Here are my thoughts.
1. I personally don't like being questioned. Of course, my childhood being interrogated about who I was, what I was doing and whether I had a right to exist didn't help. When Obs asked a simple question during my share, because I trust and like and respect Obs as a person, I answered. But, in general, the aspect of being questioned made me feel rattled. Also, Obs' question, while well intentioned, didn't move me towards a new connection. I knew I had a headache from concussion and it was affecting my thinking. I didn't really need someone to question me to realize that. Because of my relationship, already established, with Obs, I was able to accept the question, but in general I think I will stay far away from a questioning atmosphere.
2. Something about Exploration Garden, much as I like the individual words, "Exploration" and "Garden," strikes me as gimmicky. I remember we had another group called "Healthy Habits," which was also well-intentioned as a positive space where people could report their steps towards creating healthy habits in their lives. Strikes me as that sort of thing. Like, on the lines of "We gotta do Something! Hey, what about a room with different rules, 3 minutes longer per share, and Questions!" Ayesha! Will you be in charge of this?
3. I wrote a letter to Glenn and Obs after starting Crisis Work, with serious concerns about safety on the group chats. I didn't publish the letter in the forum because I was curious how changes would be made, whether changes that are technically possible would be made, and whether safety would be more prominent on the group chats. I compared the relative safety of the crisis lines, where there are living breathing people available at all times to deal with a thorny chat (not AI) and where a call for help is as simple as pressing a button, etc. I did get to chat with Obs and Glen about this and then --- poof, no follow up. And yes, the chat rooms seem "safer" as subjective as my perceptions are. But that does not diminish the stress on paid community moderators to monitor up to 7-9 rooms (depending if they are also monitoring teen rooms) and the subsequent pressure for unpaid volunteers without any training in psychology (mostly) being in charge of the rooms. This issue has not been addressed. The Exploration Garden, in my view, will not necessarily bring in "new people" to guide and host the chats, but in fact will stress the volunteers that are already putting forward heroic efforts.
3. My impression of entering a different room and then there being different rules for each room is interesting. For example, in the Positivity Corner, I noticed that Members and Listeners are comfortable being who they are. Listeners and Members banter together in a relaxed way. The roles are more rigid in Sharing Circle, where only Members can share, and the dichotomy between the enforcers and the Members or Participants (or Victims? --- follow the narratives and you will see that there are largely victim narratives rather than triumph narratives, with notable exceptions) --- but that's another topic. I'm getting a tiny bit off topic here. Third room, Member Community Room, has its own rules too, and we hear reports of people being bullied there. (I personally stay away from that room.) Member Support Room can be supportive, if and only if the right people are there. Same with General Support. Now we will also have Exploration Garden for many hours of the day, again mostly will be un-facilitated and un-monitored unless some Volunteer Hero or Heroine steps up to save the day, because certainly most of the comfortable people don't really want to deal with someone who may have edgey or difficult feelings to discuss.
4. Which brings me to my last point. If we really truly want to explore, or have a garden, why not make this a Topical room. Eg., Exploration Garden: Exploring Sexuality and its impact on our mental health, or another example, Exploration Garden: Exploring War and its effects on our psychology, Exporation Garden: Exploring Social Justice and what we can do, finally Exploration Garden: Exploring the topic of Global Warming. To me, if this space is facilitated, this could make for some riveting explorations and discussions. Unfacilitated, it will fall to anarchy and yet another space to go to where Members have their true discussions with each other. As in, "Let's go to Exploration Garden, there are zero people there now and we can sort things there."
Kindly, and with love for the Community,
Patience
@ASilentObserver Wow, I loved the garden. Reminds me of studio Ghibli films. ❤️
Hi, Patience here.
I wanted to add, because upon re-reading my response, it seems I am critical of Sharing Circles, but in fact this is not the case. I have been advocating for support for the Sharing Circles through my letter to Glenn and Obs, and I fully support the idea of Sharing Circles. It's such a simple idea really, passing the talking stick from one person to the next. The therapeutic part is the type of feedback or support that is delivered. I've seen hundreds of people "turn the corner" during their shares, or after receiving support from anonymous people, "turn the corner towards hope." It's inspiring. Sharing Circles are still my favorite place on 7 cups and I'm really glad there is the rule, no questions during a share. Let the person themselves construct their narrative. See how support changes the victim narrative to a triumph or recovery narrative. I've seen it hundreds of times. And, thankfully, the group has a Leader, Lou73, who believes as passionately about the possibilities and promise of the Sharing Circles, and has build a wonderful Facilitation Team, that is super supportive of each other as well as helpful towards Newbies entering 7 cups for the first time. It's where my heart is. And I don't mean by saying anything here to detract from the value of other groups.
Addendum complete,
Love and Courage, Patience
@PatienceImpatiens
Thank you so much for your kind words Pat, I'm so grateful to have your support and dedication, along with all our other hosts who form such a wonderful Sharing Circle team 🤗💙
@Lou73 Hey, Lou, You know I'm a fan of Sharing Circles mostly because of the ancient origins from our Indigenous Peoples, who ran Councils by passing a talking stick around the circle so each member of the community could have a voice in what decisions are ultimately made. It's often the silent ones among us that has the most to say that is of value.
Having a space like the Sharing Circle available so that people can "find their voice" and start to "tell their story their way" is a missing part of our society. With the barrage of technology and the rush to judgement in our society, contemplation of another person's words is a forgotten skill. In my mind, questioning is of dubious value.
I honestly feel that people demonstrate the answers to all the questions anyone could possibly have through their actions, and that people who observe will learn all they need to know about a particular phenomena. I have noticed that people who ask questions quickly often have not sat and read, or "listened" as the parlance is here at 7 cups tho it's a text based chat. They would understand the answer if they read carefully or if they tried to understand.
Also, many of our participants are not English first users, and may have different ways of expressing ourselves. We may stumble, we may fail at times in our expression. We also have participants who may be in severely stressful situations and so our expressions may be those of anguish. Why do we have to question anguish. We also have participants who are compromised in some way. Thinking skills may be altered. Disassociation may just "happen" in the middle of a sentence. These are real people and I think each one should be treated with care.
Care and compassion, I thought these were community values. Thank you for allowing me this space to express myself.
Kindly, with Love and Courage,
Tas
hi! I was in the chat room one day but now I can’t find it, why? ☹️ I really like to join
@ASilentObserver
When is this uk
@ASilentObserver
Great idea guys i hope it works out.
Thanks!
