Deep Listening Post Favorite
The Deep Listening Post is a place where people can come to be heard about what's important to them in a safe and respectful environment. Empathetic volunteers lend an ear so that people can share about what's happening in their lives and in their hearts.
The Deep Listening Street Team is a cadre of people inspired by the connective technology of Nonviolent Communication as elaborated by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg. The Team has deployed at farmers markets, festivals, and protests.
The appearances of the deployments are variable, depending on the location and needs of each situation. However, in the most common instances, at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, the Deep Listening Post consists of a canopy tent, a few chairs, and a sign. Additional items have included a hot water carafe, a bookshelf with books, and a table. When people approach the tent to ask what we are doing, we tell them about our mission, and often the conversation deepens. Over the years, volunteers have heard stories about people's lives, such as their financial insecurities, their political passions, their intimate relationships, and so on.
The Deep Listening Post is a metaphor and a small example we are setting forth to open a window to a world where people take time to understand one another, and people are innately valued. We believe that a deepening of our everyday conversations, would help us to connect with one another and to see each other's humanity, and thus meet the needs that we are struggling to meet through unsuccessful strategies such as overconsumption, war, and accounting fraud.