NICO-Call of Compassion NW’s Leader of InterSpiritual Efforts

We envision a world at peace where people of various religious backgrounds and spiritual traditions in the Northwest recognize in each other similar principles of universal compassion and unconditional love. By our actions we cultivate an inter-spiritual, community-wide environment of compassion that is grounded in concern for others, practical action, and contemplative wisdom. We sponsor several community events during the year that are open to the community and we welcome everyone who shares our vision and values. Here are some ways that you can participate with us:

ANNUAL INTERSPIRITUAL COMMUNITY SUMMIT

This event was inspired by the aftermath of 9/11 and has been grounded in the reality that all religions and spiritual traditions are rooted in the universal principle of empathy and kindness. It affirms the wisdom that we are all one, and brings together lay leaders, ministers, pastors, rabbis, imams, interested individuals for fellowship, dialogue, inspiration and collective commitment to social justice.

Why Consider?

Diversity is the strength of our country and this annual event provides a helpful and hopeful context for celebrating our shared values, providing a forum for authentic dialogue on topical issues and inspiring personal and collective commitments to promote social, economic and environmental justice. You will find it a transformative experience being with over 100 people who are open to sharing stories and creating/strengthening personal relationships that will enrich the whole year.

How To Participate?

Contact us to join our directory for invitations and to learn how you can volunteer in planning, organizing and carrying out the next summit.

What Will I Do?

You will learn new information on the theme of the summit, share your stories in interactive small group dialogues, be inspired by the new connections you make and leave with new hope and purpose.

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INTERFAITH SEDER

The Jewish Festival of Passover celebrates the ancient journey from Egypt, a place of enslavement, toward Sinai, a place of freedom and Revelation. Passover is also a very important event for Christians, as they celebrate the day as Holy (Maundy) Thursday, the Passover, Last Supper of Jesus, the Commemoration of the journey from Law into Love. For people of other religions (or no religion) it is an opportunity to share the experience of moving from slavery into freedom. It is a common theme for all of us at some time in our life, a reason to rejoice with and to share with others.

Why Consider?

The Seder meal is an event that nobody should miss. Join us as we together create an Interfaith Passover Seder, celebrating our own symbolic journey from places of personal stuckness to sacred spaces of individual and communal freedom. Learn how this annual Jewish pilgrimage can deepen the Holy Week experience for Christians, the spiritual journey of Muslims, and enrich the lives of all people.

How To Participate?

Join our mailing list and register to attend the seder when you receive the invitation.

What Will I Do?

You will participate in a ritual of the Jewish Passover Seder and enjoy a special meal with friends, old and new.

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INTERSPIRITUAL CELEBRATION OF GRATITUDE FOR THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is a holiday that everybody in our country should enjoy and celebrate. Ours is a nation that includes people from all over the world with different nationalities, ethnicities, social statuses and beliefs. It is a day in which all of us are grateful that we live in a country founded on the highest principles of equal rights and equal opportunities. Some of us are still working through this process that is ongoing, but our goal is the same. So let us be thankful as we strive for the high ground. All religious and non-religious people are invited as we celebrate this day with prayers by as many religious leaders as we can gather with many voices and many languages to join in one motto: let us give thanks!

Why Consider?

You, your family and friends will enjoy this family-friendly event and experience the joy and gratitude that is expressed in song, movement and spoken word. This annual celebration of connections, community and compassion will warm your heart and deepen your gratitude for your many blessings.

How To Participate?

Join our mailing list and register to attend this celebration when you receive the invitation. Volunteer to help organize and promote this special event

What Will I Do?

You will experience the creative gifts and talents of up to 10 different religious and spiritual traditions in a two hour celebration and participate in a special reception with friends, old and new.

YOUR IDEAS ARE WELCOME

Would you like to help organize other interfaith events and activities, such as visitations to places of worship, educational workshops, living room dialogues or service projects? Let us know, we would love to work with you.

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1 The word is used not to challenge the fact that there is only one race: the human race. However, the term has been used in the traditional meaning of different colors and features.

The Othello Park International Music & Arts Festival 2016

Call of Compassion NW sponsored several booths and performances at this year’s 10th annual International Music and Arts Festival at Othello Park on Sunday August 14th, 2016 between 12p and 6pm and enjoyed food, fun and festivities that reflected the community’s diverse cultures.  Download the 2016 Prospectus for more about who we are and why we love the International Music and Arts Festival! We gathered in a grassy meadow under big, old trees in a world of ethnic variety with music, dancing, food, art activities, booths and a petting zoo including a camel!

Othello Park features strolling walkways, a permanent stage gracefully designed to suit its pastoral landscape, and a zip line. Hundreds sat, relaxed and enjoyed the park’s beauty and the show.

They also visited the array of tents and booths and Rainier Valley’s colorful diversity of businesses and organizations. One large tent on the green sheltered the Festival’s traditional “Art Creation Station” to engage those young in age and young at heart, in a variety of hands-on visual art activities led by local artists. Our contributions included booths for community art, original art and community conversations; residents from the nearby Othello Village homeless encampment participated with us. Also, our partner, Mother Africa, brought performances by a Congolese women’s group and an African youth group.

Contact us for more information and to learn how you can join us to celebrate community building gatherings through the creative arts.  contact@callofcompassion.org

Artists make banners, and other large objects to support environmental compassion.

LoveYou Emanate – beginning with compassion for yourself, you prepare yourself to build community and promote justice. 
Melody Turner

Join artists who are working in neighborhoods throughout Seattle to take art into compassionate action. Contact us for information and to volunteer.

Love Wins Love is providing the inspiration for this important initiative. It is an art collective that believes that housing is a human right. They host art-making events to build community and tap into the creativity and wisdom of our neighbors, both unhoused and housed.  The following initiatives are active and volunteers and collaborators are especially welcome.


UNITY FLAGS

This project brings people together in community gatherings, such as farmers’ markets, cultural fairs, etc., to make batik flags that are strung together and presented to tent encampments and shelters to beautify their environment.

Why Consider?    

To help raise community awareness of the homelessness crisis in our community, to engage with neighbors creating art and engaging in transformative conversations, and to contribute to the goal of creating 4,505 flags, one for each of the people counted as unsheltered in King County during the one night count in January, 2016.

How To Participate?    

Contact us to request the Love Wins Love schedule of community events and register as a volunteer at a time and location that is convenient for you.

What Will I Do?        

Show up in work clothes, paint Unity Flags like those in the photo, and plan to spend about 2-3 hours with some great people who share your interest in community service and social justice. All Materials(i.e. batik flags, paint and brushes) are provided.

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VISITING WITH THE HOMELESS
This project is coordinated with the leaders and residents in both public and self-organized homeless encampments.  It affirms their hospitality as neighbors and provides the opportunity to connect as fellow human beings.

Why Consider?    

Most of us feel uncomfortable when we encounter homeless people and our fear of the unknown can keep us from seeing them as neighbors with feelings like our own. This is a safe and easy way to challenge the discomfort and be welcomed by the stranger

How To Participate?    

Contact us to answer your questions and schedule an individual or group meeting, usually in the late afternoon, at an encampment in King County near you.

What Will I Do?        

Join a group of people who will receive a tour of the camp, sit with members of the camp to share personal stories and let the spirit of the occasion determine next steps, if any. There are no expectations, other than honoring resident hospitality, and many have found the experience transforming.

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CREATING A TRANSITIONAL VILLAGE
This is an emergent project that is motivated by the commitment that as a Compassionate City, Seattle’s response to our most vulnerable citizens should be compassionate. We recognize that it is up to each of us to help resolve our homeless crisis and in fact it provides the incentive for us to live out a purposeful compassion. Together with our leaders we must demonstrate that we are the people with the skills, commitment and political will to support the adoption and implementation of sustainable solutions. These solutions will focus on the homeless as partners and work with them to acknowledge their assets, understand their needs, and together stabilize their lives to ensure that they all are able to receive the support they need to move forward in their lives with safety, stability, and dignity.

Why Consider?    

We can decide what kind of society we want and work together to create it. We cannot leave it up to our city and county leaders and service providers to solve this problem on their own. Call of Compassion NW believes that together we can create stable, safe, human-scale places that are cost effective, where people who are unhoused can transition to more sustainable living situations. To do that, we need to tap into the talent, time and treasure with a community-driven response. Dream big, and create the political will to transform homelessness in accordance with our values as a compassionate city.

How To Participate?    

First, contact us for information on our “Transitional Village/Urban KOA” vision. Join our ListServ of people interested in working with and learning from people who are impacted by homelessness for ongoing suggestions and opportunities for action. Volunteer your skills, insights and passions to support compassionate responses to our crisis.

What Will I Do?        

Work with us and our partners to show up in the community on the issues that call you; risk stepping into uncomfortable experiences to earn the trust of those whose life experiences may be very different from your own; engage in ways that seem most relevant for you; and be open to discovering how to apply your gifts to best support what you learn. It is truly up to us all, and Love Wins Love inspires and challenges us all to contribute in ways small or large to make homelessness rare, brief and onetime together.

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This goal is designed to serve three core guiding principles: 1. Honest authentic conversation – all participants are willing to accept risk by committing to honesty, integrity and candor; 2. Personal responsibility – each participant takes personal responsibility for the challenges of race and racial division within our communities. Instead of pointing at others as the problems, we recognize our own participation in a system of access for some and exclusion of others. We take responsibility for being a part of ending that and creating communities of inclusion; and 3. Acts of reconciliation – most often these acts of reconciliation are public events around the acknowledgement of history. It is intended to serve anyone who wants to engage with others and dialogue on the most pressings issues of our nation. It is dedicated to the growing network of people of all faiths and backgrounds who are working for reconciliation, justice and healing, starting with change in their own lives and leading to sustainable changes in the lives of our families, neighbors, communities and the world.

COMMUNITY DIALOGUES ON RACE AND POVERTY

These are quarterly dialogues to help build Beloved Community by promoting inclusive relationships of trust among diverse members of our larger community and inspiring collaborative action to correct existing oppressive racial, social, economic and environmental injustices.

Why Consider?

Because you want to join others of all faiths, races and cultures who are working for peace and justice and know that lasting change will not occur without engaging the perspectives of others. This approach calls us to a new concept of partnership and responsibility where we listen carefully and respectfully to each other, define the problems clearly and search for solutions that focus on what is right, not who is right. You share an openness to change in your life that will in order to achieve sustainable changes in the lives of our families, neighbors, communities and the common good.

How To Participate?

Join our mailing list and register to attend the Community Dialogue when you receive the invitation.  Promote the event with your friends and networks. Volunteer to serve as a group facilitator.  

What Will I Do?

You will participate in a facilitated discussion with about 8-10 others who are present to tackle the most urgent needs of the community, with a lens of racial equity and personal responsibility, and a commitment to justice.

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NEIGHBORHOOD DIALOGUES ON RACE AND POVERTY

These are a series of six dialogue sessions conducted in neighborhoods and consisting of 12 members who are balanced between white people and people of color and agree to participate in the full session. The series focuses on race, poverty and oppression. Each session is facilitated and is designed to guide the conversations through distinct phases: breaking the ice; sharing stories; discussing impacts; developing trust; having courageous conversations; and, making personal and collective commitments regarding specific future actions.

Why Consider?

Because you are impacted by the issues of racism and poverty in our community and are ready to assume personal responsibility for ending racial division and creating communities of inclusion. You recognize that solutions require empathy for the perspectives of other people and that they can only arise when trusting relationships exist among those who engage through honest authentic conversation. This series offers a rare opportunity to achieve that level of trust with others who are also willing to risk committing to honesty, integrity and candor.

How To Participate?

Join our mailing list and register to attend a Neighborhood Dialogue series when you receive the invitation.  Promote the opportunity with your friends and networks. Volunteer to serve as a group facilitator.  

What Will I Do?

You will participate in a series of six facilitated discussions with about 12 others who are also motivated to engage in these deep and sometimes uncomfortable conversations. You will be surprised by the insights you receive, new intentions you make and special friends to share them with.

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Millennials NW provides peer support services to youth and families struggling with behavioral health challenges, trauma, physical disabilities and addiction. What makes this program unique is that services are delivered by youth who have been there, are in recovery, and are committed to serving those who are still there. They have been certified by Washington State as Youth Peer Counselors. they have 10 years working in psychiatric wards helping youth prepare to re-enter society, and now they lead workshops for youth in the community without ample personal safety nets, and for public school students at risk of dropping out. The needs are great and there are many ways you can participate with them.


YOU ARE NOT ALONE COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

This workshop features a compelling presentation on the signs and prevalence of Mental Illness, Trauma, Suicide & Addiction. It utilizes the power of storytelling to help participants gain a deeper understanding of the issues before they engage in a healing conversation on recovery lead by certified peer support counselors.

Why Consider?

Are you facing challenges with a child or young adult who is acting out in ways that appear to be disruptive and/or unhealthy? If so, you will find this workshop to be insightful, realistic and helpful in guiding you to positive next steps.

How To Participate?

Attend the next You Are Not Alone workshop in your area, ideally with the child or young adult in question. Contact us for the date and schedule for the next session in your neighborhood.

What Will I Do?

You will learn about the underlying issues, share stories with others encountering similar stresses and connect with community resources that will help you decide what next steps would be most appropriate in your situation.

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SCHOOL-BASED YOUTH PEER SUPPORT INITIATIVES

This initiative works within public schools to serve students at risk of dropping out, by:

• Developing compassion, acceptance and understanding of unique differences and lived experiences through mental health awareness, anti-bullying and stigma education.
• Acquiring resources, coping skills and service referrals helpful for individuals struggling with school/work engagement & behavioral health challenges.
• Connecting with professional peer counselors who have been where they are and who can provide support and mentorship as youth and their families navigate the road to recovery.
• Engaging in Positive Youth Development activities that boost self-confidence, life skills, leadership, physical health, social-emotional intelligence and healthy peer relationships.

This school-based program gives students direct access to community based peer support. Peer support programs are essential because they are often the one constant that students experience as they move between the other points on the continuum of care.

Why Consider?

To help your student remain and thrive in school. This initiative is especially effective with students exhibiting behavior described as disruptive that is putting them in jeopardy of dropping out or being expelled from school. Our Youth Peer Counselors can be the missing link when faculty and administration are losing patience and unable to resolve the problems.

How To Participate?

Contact us if your school is not currently utilizing our services. We will conduct a free phone interview to determine how we might be able to work with your school to supplement their efforts on your student’s behalf.

What Will I Do?

If we agree that we can help, you will request a joint meeting with your school’s representative to present our proposal and seek to design a mutually acceptable plan of action for your student. There will be no charge for the initial meeting.

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