The awakening begins with listening.
When one listens to young people, they feel heard.
When a young woman feels heard, she can hear herself.
When she hears herself, she accesses her inner wisdom.
When she accesses her inner wisdom, she accepts her authentic self.
When a young man accepts his authentic self, he develops compassion.
When he develops compassion, he can be present for others.
When he is present for others, he can connect authentically.
When young people connect authentically, they become caring and responsible.
When they become caring and responsible, they feel inspired.
When they feel inspired, they feel empowered.
When they feel empowered, they take action.
When they take action, they can change the world.

THE TEEN TALKING CIRCLE FACILITATOR'S TRAINING

" It is no exaggeration to say that my time at the TTC workshop changed the course of my life.
It helped me to get back to my center and begin living life with my eyes open. "  
--Keith Berglund, Co-Director, Aspen Youth Center

The Teen Talking Circle Facilitator's Training will give you a chance to experience what it feels like to be part of a strong, healthy circle, and to learn the art and practice of facilitation. You will learn the basic skills of Compassionate Listening, an enlightened gift of listening, and communication tools that have been successful in fostering greater intimacy and connection with teens in our circles. By having this experience, you will be better prepared to run your own circle.

In the training we will discuss the fundamentals of creating a successful circle -- one that young people will want to be part of -- as well as how to prepare to become a facilitator, and how to start and lead circles. We will share the pit-falls and the highlighs of 20 years of leading circles and best practices. As you revisit your own teen years in the training, you will experience a renewed connection to your own teen self, which is healing in itself.  Remembering what it felt ike to be a teen is the best way to understand from the what teens are going through, how to be with them, and how to help them feel safe enough to open up about their lives and the issues and choices they face. This kind of listening and mentoring is what young people are wanting and needing from those of us who have chosen to be adults!

"We have learned so much about facilitating healthy and significant dialogue among and with teens from the work of Teen Talking Circles
that it has become ingrained in our structure. Students now insist on there being time each week for "circle,"
both for girls and boys." Andy Smallman, Director, Puget Sound Community School, Seattle

In this experiential training you’ll learn how we create "safe space," or "safer than usual space." You'll learn how to “hold space,” lead “check-ins,” manage conflicts through “heart to hearts,” and teach others the basics of speaking and listening from the heart. You'll experience what it feels like when a facilitator both successfully uses their intuition and insights, and unsuccessfully steps on someone's toes, and how to frame our "mistakes" as gifts to promote closer relationships, rather than broken relationships. 

The TTC Facilitator's Training Circle itself is itself a transformative and healing experience for adult participants. As each person in the training circle takes full responsibility for his or her thoughts, feelings, assessments, judgments, and experience, a positive resonant field is co-created. Out of this vibrational field trust, truth, connection and clarity can flow  and a deep sense of self-knowing emerges. 

“Far more important than what you are listening to is the act of listening itself, the space of conscious presence that arises as you listen. That space is a unifying field of awareness in which you meet the other person without the separate barriers created by conceptual thinking. And now the other person is no longer “other.” In that space, you are joined together as one awareness,
 one consciousness.” Eckhart Tolle, Power of Now

Teen Talking Circles was birthed from the Daughters Sisters Project, which started in 1993 with a 10-week girl's group that evolved into a two-year weekly circle, and included several day-long GenderTalks with teen guys, and a Guy's Talking Circle. TTC has produced three highly valued books, dozens of inspiring blog interviews with world leaders and consciousness shapers, and years of workshops, trainings, retreats and circles around the world. TTC  is recognized worldwide as a pioneer in the field of teen talking circles and a paradigm shifter. We foster the paradigm of power-with, instead of power-over --  of partnership instead of domination -- of sharing and honering each person's contribution to the whole, instead of competition. 

Linda Wolf, co-founder and director of Daughters Sisters Project and founder/executive director of Teen Talking Circles will be the lead trainer for this training. Guest facilitator's include Christine Castigliano, recent past facilitator of the Bainbridge Island Girl's Talking Circle and the Indianola Middle School Girl's Group.  Guest speakers include facilitator's and past participants of teen circles.

"We support and appreciate the many leaders who give their time and love to teens
through the Teen Talking Circle Project"  --Deva Premal & Miten 

Your payment covers 3 delicious, organic, locally grown, homemade wholesome meals per day. Please purchase our handbook if you do not already own one, for an additional $60. The training takes place at our home on Bainbridge Island, in Washington State.

The above fees do not cover lodging. We recommend participants find their own lodging on Bainbridge Island with friends, or at local bed & breakfasts or hotels. We have a small sleeping cabin on our property we occasionally rent, with a bathroom in the main house. In some special circumstances we may be able to help you lodge close by with friendly neighbors who will be glad to offer you a bed at no charge.

Please note, there are no refunds for this training due to the scholarship cost to attend -- every person signing up makes a huge difference. We suggest purchasing trip insurance to protect your investment.

Linda Wolf is an artist both in her work as a photographer as well as in her role as a pioneer of the modern talking circle. TTC grew out of the Daughters Sisters Project which was born in 1993 as part of research for the book Daughters of the Moon, Sisters of the Sun, a book for teen girls, which was inspired by her daughters. She is also the co-author of Global Uprising: Stories from a New Generation of Activists, a book about youth activism world wide.Linda is also a certified facilitator of Compassionate Listening. For more information about Linda Wolf, see her bio: Linda Wolf

Our TTC Faciltator Handbook and other books are available at the following URL: http://ttcpbooks.eventbrite.com

Teen Talking Circles is a 501C-3 nonprofit organization. For more info, email us at info@teentalkingcircles.org or phone 206.842.3000. We are deeply grateful to the ancestors of many indigenous cultures and women's sacred traditions for their parts in the birthing of circles as a healing process. Compassionate Listening is a service mark of the Compassionate Listening Project.  compassionatelistening.org