There is power in being heard.
And there is power in listening.
Every person carries their own experience of the moments that shape a community. When we make space to share those experiences — and truly listen to one another — we may find a new perspective, a shared point of connection, or simply the reminder that none of us experienced these moments alone. Story Circles create that space. In small groups, participants are invited to share their experiences, listen without judgment, and discover the stories that exist beneath the surface of the people and communities we know.
What is a Story Circle?
Gather - A small group comes together in a welcoming, intentional space.
Share - Participants have an opportunity to tell a story or experience in their own words.
Listen - Everyone is invited to listen with curiosity, presence and compassion.
Connect - Through listening, we may begin to see one another — and our community — differently.
How community members are responding to listening groups:
"I've never told anyone what I shared today."
"I've known this person for 15 years and never knew how this affected their life. I didn't know that part of their story."
“I forgot what that time felt like for me and my family.”
“I’m glad we talked about this tonight because we haven’t talked about it for a long time. It doesn’t seem like people want to talk about it. We hardly talked about it at school after everything happened, but we all knew what happened.”
“For kids my age (in high school), many of us haven’t talked about November….even though it’s been already a year, it was good for us to talk about. It was hard to talk and listen to the stories. And we got to know each other differently and learned how we each experienced the tragedies and that has created a new bond between us.”
Where this work began
In August 2019 Thousand Oaks Remembers trained over 20 facilitators from across the community with the skills to go out into various groups and facilitate an experience where stories from November 2018 could be shared, honored, and heard. Already groups are beginning to gather for these listening experiences in homes, offices, libraries, churches, community centers, and more. It is the intent of the project to provide this space for as many groups as possible.