Compassionate Action Network Convenes Planning Session

On February 17^th 2011 at Antioch University about 30 people gathered on behalf of compassion in Seattle to formulate this year’s framing question for the Compassionate Action Month of April 2011.

A movement that began with the Dalai Lama’s visit to Seattle in April of 2008, compassion has become the organizing principle for several groups in town who otherwise might be seen as having disparate agendas.  Members of the convening circle included business leaders, representatives from the native community, world renowned meditation teachers, local community organizers, concerned citizens, students, and teachers who each asserted by their presence and participation the need for compassion in informing both the private choices of citizens and public policy.

Find more photos like this on Compassionate Action Network

Facilitating the meeting were Christine Joann Callo and Mohammed Raei, two students at Antioch University studying at the Center for Creative Change.  After brief introductions and an overview of the evening’s agenda the facilitators turned to Jon Ramer, a co-founder of the Compassionate Action Network, to inform those in the room about the activities of Compassionate Action Network (CAN) and its affiliates for the past year. 

And what a year!  CAN has engaged the City of Seattle in signing Karen Armstrong’s charter for Compassion, launched a major initiative to study happiness in the greater Seattle area with an eye to influencing policy, and has been granted $85,000 from The Fetzer Institute to help fund the activities of the newly created International Institute for Compassionate Cities.  

Outcomes of the convening circle included the following questions:

*What would it take to (how can we) unleash compassion in our neighborhoods and streets?

*What would compassionate action look like in Seattle? 
What is currently being realized? 
What could be? 



*What are we capable of? 



*What does a compassionate city look like in the daily lives of people? 



*What healing can we do now to love and empower the next generation to feel comfortable, safe and protected to speak from the heart?

These questions will be winnowed down to just one by a committee charged with planning a larger Seattle-wide community gathering scheduled for April.  At this gathering, participants will be asked to create and commit to further compassionate action for year 2011.  All interested individuals are invited to become part of the movement by joining the planning committee and attending April’s gathering.    Here is a word map that gives you a feel for what was spoken (prepared by Christine Callo):