“What are some of the things that have surprised you while sheltering in place?”

The Vermont Folklife Center believes that a pathway through anxiety, fear and uncertainty lies in the act of listening as much as it does in the act of telling one’s story. Listening in Place offers this Virtual Story Circle as a space for Vermonters to gather and share stories of their experiences while sheltering in place. We invite you to share with us.

Story Circles are a powerful medium because they bring people together to bear witness to the experience of others. We have adapted our Story Circles to a virtual model that can be hosted through a video conferencing platform that allows us to interact from our homes. In five minutes or less will you share a story about your experience? In good company, we will listen to and share different aspects of our shared experience of this historic moment.

In this session we will explore "What are some of the things that have surprised you while sheltering in place?" For more information about what a story might sound like, visit our webpage for examples. There is no need to prepare, just bring a willingness to share your thoughts and listen in return.

How a virtual story circle works:

1. We will email you a link to join an online video conference using the WebEx platform. You don’t need to download anything.

2. VFC staff will provide a brief introduction and overview of the story circle process

3. Everyone in the circle will introduce themselves (circles are limited to 10 participants)

4. Everyone will have time to share a story or response related to the prompt. There’s no wrong way to do this; share whatever is true for you.

5. As a group, we listen respectfully to everyone’s story, offering no cross-talk or advice, only active and compassionate listening.

6. At the end, we take time to discuss and process what we heard as a group.

Let’s circle up! Register below: