Practical Tools for Compassionate Action

Our day will begin at 11.00 am with an inspirational talk by internationally renowned teacher  Robert Gonzales followed by an afternoon of Compassionate Action Taster workshops including:

• Improve Your Communication and Empathy Skills – a lively experiential session working with the basic principles of NVC. With Kulajalini
• Empathy Staircase: The way to an open heart? – a practical session exploring 5 steps to more empathic connection: listening in silence, summarizing what we've heard, sensing what's important, guessing feelings, guessing needs. With Peter Kinsey
• Stayin' Alive – a meditation session with movement and music to practice bringing awareness to thoughts, sensations, and feelings while in the midst of life – noticing what we like and don't like and tracking the source of our aliveness as it changes moment by moment. With Cath Burke
• Choosing Joy and Gratitude – An invitation to nourish life by simply choosing joy and gratitude. Some practical reminders how to attend to these qualities including some movement. With Sue Johnstone
• Praise and Rewards: An Effective Way to De-motivate Children? – how might we appreciate children’s efforts without strings attached? Imagine, play, question, dream and explore the world of praise and rewards. With Penny Vine
• Bridging the Empathy Gap in Healthcare  – partly experiential, partly informative, we will explore how NVC was used in a high-stress hospital emergency room in the USA. With Jason Stewart
• Deepen the Roots: NVC and Divine Love -Using examples from the Christian tradition we will explore how NVC and spirituality can enhance and enrich each other, impact how we live our lives, and change how we affect the world. With Therese Bentley

About Robert Gonzales:  Robert began teaching  Nonviolent Communication (NVC) almost 25 years ago. “NVC is an effective process for dramatically shifting from the common mindsets of judgment, blame, and criticism that are at the root of suffering, towards authentic honesty and empathic connection with self and others.  All my life, I have yearned for practical ways to integrate the depth and richness of spirituality with the realities of daily life and relationships. As a psychotherapist and teacher, I worked to develop and offer effective pathways to the most enriching and authentic experiences of life.  I see compassionate communication both as a process that helps us connect more authentically with ourselves and others, and as a spiritual practice and a way of living” (RG).

Cost   a sliding scale (you choose) of between £20-£35 to include lunch

any questions/comments/requests –  Please do contact gayano on gayano@giraffesocialenterprises.org.uk or by phone at: +44 1558 650747