Community Building Circle

Join J Miles and Leila Saadeh for an evening of community building, honest dialogue, and the opportunity to listen deeply to the voices of your neighbors.
On Friday, September 25, we will be facilitating our first community building circle at Living Water Community Center. This is an opportunity to fellowship and talk about ways in which we can participate in each other’s wellness. When we actually get to know each other and build relationships, we begin to have a deeper connection with one another and develop within ourselves a stronger sense of belonging. A strong community doesn’t come about simply out of desire, it requires work and commitment to create the kind of environment that allows people to feel safe and thrive. The wellness practitioners, healers, teachers, and space holders within any community play an important role in helping to guide its members to a place of wholeness. A community building circle brings individuals together, creates a framework for dialogue, and allows for ideas to organically emerge.
Community circles have been utilized by indigenous communities across the globe for as long as humans have been living together in groups. They are a way for everyone to come together to lend a voice to how problems should be solved, what decisions should be made, and when accountability is needed. There is no hierarchy; everyone is given permission to speak, and the circle keepers are there to simply guide dialogue along. Both J and Leila are graduates of Restorative Arlington’s Summer Intensive Circle Training, and are eager to share this purposeful gathering with everyone. Together we will connect with our breath, stretch our curiosity, and strengthen our community.