Connecting Across COVID Contretemps

June 8, 2022 / No Comments

You are invited to co-create a space that welcomes all perspectives, experiences, and emotions about the contretemps created by our approach to COVID-19. Many topics, such as mask mandates, injection mandates, and business closures have become divisive and controversial. Relationships have strained, and some families and friendships have broken over disagreements about the various control measures implemented.

Now we have an opportunity to mend the rents in our communities so that we can grow stronger together. We can approach each other with love and have constructive discussions about these topics based on our shared values and needs.

Please join us for the first of a guided empathic listening and sharing event intended to dissolve the “Us vs. Them” narrative by humanizing “the other side” and providing a new framework for continuing dialogue. We look forward to hearing your story, and for you to embrace others’ as well. 

When: Tuesday June 14

Potluck 5-6:15 pm PDT

Discussion 6:15-830 pm PDT

Where: Emeryville Marina (outdoors)

To allow everyone to share their voice, we intend to keep this event small. Please RSVP/register. We also encourage you to bring a friend who may have different opinions on the topic.

You can find more details about the event and register on Eventbrite: openheartlistening.eventbrite.ca

What to bring:

• Friends who may have opposing views.
• Some snacks, water, extra layers, blankets or a chair may help ensure your comfort.
• If you plan to bring food to share, please add your info to this spreadsheet: https://bit.ly/Open-Heart-Potluck

This event is run by volunteers and free for anyone to participate. If you’d like to donate, it will help cover the cost of the venue and supplies. 

About the facilitators:

Jen believes in leading life with both our hearts and our minds. As a researcher by training with a PhD in biomedical engineering, she sees both the strengths and the flaws in the system, especially when it comes to communication of information that is essential to serving our people. Through this lens, she now finds fulfillment in facilitating empathy-driven conversations that motivate positive actions and create change as a community.

David is an immensely curious human being. With a background as an engineer in education and healthcare, he values informed well-being for all beings. He has lived in meditation centers, in ecological communities, and traveled the world teaching empathy. He is now creating World Love through managing a fund called Open Heart Capital that invests in healing, and facilitating retreats on healing in community.

Ajay also has an insatiable curiosity. He loves community, bringing people together for any and every reason possible, all towards everyone living their best life. His background is in tech, ecology and more recently psychology and personal growth and development work. He grew up in the Bay area and loves living in Oakland.

Miles is someone who is learning how to connect with more people from their community as they continue to learn how to connect with themselves. Knowing how to acknowledge, accept, and process their own emotions and pain through therapy has helped them along the way of rediscovering who they are becoming, and what kind of reality they are continuing to choose to co-create with their actions during these times. Miles is elated to share the honor of offering this space for the pursuit of continuing to come together, and to continue practicing to witness each other with compassion, acceptance, and unconditional love.

Aris is an open-minded individual who is always striving to grow, learn, and teach the various worldly topics they have passions for. They like to incorporate self-compassion, understanding, forgiveness, and gratitude into their daily practice. They find peace bringing about harmony to the collective through music and other forms of creative expression. They really appreciate open, heartfelt communication with every kind of individual which is why they feel participating in this event is very beneficial for the community to find togetherness during these times.