A Circle Group: Support for Portland Social Change Groups

A Circle Group:

We are a group of activists, organizers, counselors, social workers and facilitators with experience and skills in supporting healthy, grounded process in groups. Our experiences in combination with critical reflection over the past two years, have moved us to want to provide formal support to groups in our community. The members of A Circle Group have already organized and facilitated various workshops, retreats and events related to social change organizing in the Portland area.

Philosophy:

We are not "neutral" facilitators. Our agenda is fully transparent: We believe effective group action blossoms out of attention to the relationship and communication dynamics in a group. Appropriate attention to the social ecology of the group allows a politically effective environment to emerge in both the interactions among group members, and in the work the collective is designed to achieve. We seek to minimize polarization by supporting a balanced, nuanced and grounded group process that allows true, transformative solutions to arise. The attention to relationship and communication helps groups to avoid common patterns of fragmentation, burnout and stagnation.

Skills:

We are here to accompany your group through the challenges of addressing internal conflict, external blocks to collaboration with other groups, stuck history, power dynamics, boundary development, strategy confusion, and choosing future directions; we will also reinforce your groups' strengths and successes. We are available for:

• Facilitation including meetings, conversations, retreats, & visioning;
• Mediation with a focus on transformation of prior dynamics;
• Accountability processes to support change and growth;
• Consultation on difficult situations and decisions;
• Advice on patterns of organizational process for new and existing groups.

As a group, we are fluent in various political ideologies, frameworks and decision-making models. We have a special focus in supporting groups with non-hierarchical values. Bi-lingual facilitation is available.

Invitations:

If you believe your group may benefit from outside facilitation and support, please contact us for a consultation. Although our relationship with each group is unique, we start to establish relationships by gathering information and may proceed to meeting with point persons and conducting individual interviews. We will create a plan that addresses the needs of your group in finding solutions that are unique, dynamic and complex. Ongoing and open communication, confidentiality and termination at any time are important parts of our process.

We offer this work on a gift economy. We will let you know our hours worked and what we did, as well as a range of comparable rates of pay and ideas for in-kind contributions; you may choose any form of gift that feels appropriate.

Contact:

A Circle Group: acirclegroup@riseup.net

Bios:

Karen Hixson is a counselor, facilitator, consultant and activist in Portland, Oregon. She participates in many projects that address relationships and communication in groups and organizations. While many groups struggle with conflict and difficult conversations, Karen beings engaged and grounded facilitation to support deeper resolution of conflict.

Rebecca Hyman is a former professor of English and Women’s Studies; she is currently in training to become a trauma therapist She was engaged in a number of activist organizations in Atlanta, Georgia and worked on queer and anti-racist organizing in response to hurricane Katrina. She is interested in supporting Portland organizations that are devoted to deepening their race and class analysis.

Theodor Arnason is an academic and activist with experience in national Green Party policy work, national coordination of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, non-profit planning, and community psychology projects in Latin America. He is dedicated to fostering deep dialogue in all spheres of life and is fluent in Spanish. In Portland, he works with the Heart and Soul group of Transition PDX.

brush has been an activist and organizer in a wide range of radical social movements (labor, enviro, global, indigenous, food, legal, media, etc.), based in Portland since 1999. Over that time he's grown evermore aware that sustainable action depends on healthy group dynamics. For years he's focused on movement diplomacy, consensus facilitation, network and organizational design, conflict engagement, and accountability.

Hindi Iserhott Hindi is heavily involved with Recode, Northeast Portland Tool Library, Depave, Portland Preserve and The City Repair Project where she is currently serving as board president. She has experience in non violent communication, facilitation, active listening, leading classes and workshops, consensus and creating effective systems for grassroots groups.