It should be no surprise that Compassion Circles have started to take shape in Canada – after all, this is where they all began.
Acting in her role as National Coordinator for the Connectors in Canada, Colette Descent had already identified the real need for sustenance and support amongst her volunteers. Rather than driving them into action, Colette instead organized “circles” where they could connect, share, reflect, and be seen, heard, and valued.
It is from these shoots that the idea of Compassion Circles began to grow.
What are Compassion Circles?
Using some of the concepts developed by Prof Tania Singer in her “dyads” program and inspired by Colette’s initiative, the GCC team started to develop the framework for Compassion Circles.
Now several months into their development, more and more people are coming forward to be Circles hosts.
At a Circle, participants usually (although we do emphasise that hosts can take a Circle in the direction that will work best for them and their members) learn a little about compassion, share some time reflecting on their own emotions and wellbeing, experience empathic listening by others, and maybe take away a little challenge to help them cultivate their compassion outside the Circle.
The motivation for establishing them is two-fold.
Firstly, we know that practicing compassion with others can often be more powerful than doing it alone. That is partly because we all can feel more motivated and supported with others there and partly because sharing with others (and being shared with) works to increase our positive perception of the world.
Secondly, at a time when loneliness and isolation is on the rise, Compassion Circles are a powerful space of connection and bridge-building.
Canada’s Circles
And so it was with the training under her belt that Colette started to expand her original, informal notion of a circle into full-on Compassion Circles. And the results are really bearing fruit.
By the end of the year, Colette will have four Circles running:
- The Bowmanville Older Adult Group: a Circle for six older members of the community.
- The St Joseph’s Church Circle: brand new this Autumn
- The Canadian Connector Circle: the original circle which has grown into a Compassion Circle
- A new Circle to start at Colette’s home in December with members of her neighborhood.
This is fantastic work and the fact that these Circles have already taken off when the GCC has only just started to put the framework out into the world is testament to the huge needs they can help to meet.
Colette’s own reflections
We asked Colette to tell us about her experinece of running these Circles. This is what she shared:
“The Circles have proven very successful in terms of how the participants engaged with the materials presented. The well-crafted GCC format and mindful sharing opportunities have provided warm support, connection and recognition to all the participants. As well, it has given them fresh new compassion skills to cultivate and incorporate into their daily lives.
“The clear structure and straightforward format has easily guided me as facilitator of the meetings – it consists of a soft-landing practice, Circle opening, topic introductions, guided exercises, discussion and reflection. This design best helps the participants access their innate compassion, to feel valued by others, and to grow and expand their circle of care to their wider community circle.
“A few participants have emailed me, including the following:
Thank you so much for all you have done and created. You have made us all better people & I thank you.
-S.M
You have given me peace and kindness at every turn! Thank you for everything you have done for all of us.
– M.S
“Others have commented that the trust and safety that these Circles offer make these spaces warm, welcoming and nourishing, and fully honour everyone’s journey with tender compassion and genuine care.
“I am a true believer that Compassion Circles are an essential part in helping make our neighbourhoods, cities and countries kinder and more compassionate places to live and thrive.”
Anyone interested in training to host a Compassion Circle, head here.