The Circle is a human space created by participating friends to addressed shared concerns. Anyone who participated in The Circle previously can call a meeting when needed. All are invited and participate freely and voluntarily. No one can be paid to be part of the Circle and no one have monetary transactions directly associated with the Circle. The participating members manage invitations and distinctions. The members of the Circle share words and work in hope to achieve common good for all humanity. No one controls The Circle, its work and its outcome. There is not voting or collective decision-making, rather there is a mutual invitation to consider all points of view and be open to new insights. Individual attentiveness, intelligence, reasonableness and responsibility are rekindled. The Circle has proven to be very effective in facilitating self-organizing transitions when new systems are emerging (genocide prevention in the Africa Great Lakes Region), when old systems are being transformed (the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution becoming the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution) and when internal conflicts are tearing teams apart (the Dynamical Systems Team).
Participants recognize five fundamental principles:
- We are all human first; differences among humans are a blessing and a riches that should be preserved and welcome, not made a reason for neglect and exclusion; greater differentiation is expected and the Circle doesn’t expect, enforce or engage with unanimity and homogenization
- We respect everyone
- We care for everyone, especially the poor, the needy, the more vulnerable
- Hospitality is sacred and is offered with no reservation or strings attached; everyone is welcome in the Circle and can leave it at any time
- Violence must be counter not with further violence but with attentive, intelligent, reasonable and responsible interaction; everyone is entitled to be listen to, to be welcome, to be cared for especially those who have been in violent conflict, both victims and perpetrators
The Circle is driven by the desire to offer enough space for people to elaborate complex thoughts without being interrupted and take advantage of each speaker’s inner workings through open communication.
The Circle is composed primarily of two moments. In the ‘Welcoming Circle’ each person present is invited to randomly choose a number that will identify her/him in the series of the speakers (cards are distributed to each and then read aloud to determine the speaking order). Each person can speak as much as s/he needs to and think that it is appropriate. There are no interruptions and no direct responses. One or more persons take notes.The second moment is the ‘Working Circle’ during which the same random assignment is followed to allow each person to focus on: “What needs to be done?”; “What would you like to see happening?”; “What would you see doing?.” However, before speaking each person is invited to write all ideas on a small piece of paper that is subsequently shared with all. When facing internal tensions, participants were invited to focus on ‘the best next move’.
In some cases a third moment was added in between the two and could be identified as the “Questioning Circle” During this time anyone who has specific questions regarding the theme presented is invited to speak and ask all relevant questions. They are written on a white board and should be answered by those who are in a position of responding during their turn. No one should lave The Circle without having all her/his questions at least addressed.
The internal logic of The Circle is that we all live in a flow, that life changes us continuously, and that gatherings of any types work best when people participate directly and take responsibility for what they say, for what they hear ad for what they identify as good to do. The public exchange and the written notes are important form of self and social-accountability.
A summation of the ‘Working Circle’ items is often offered at the end by a volunteer observer. The notes usually include the participating members of The Circle.
The first known Circle of Respect and Hope was created in the United States of America in November 2010 by a group of colleagues at George Mason University dedicated to the prevention of genocide. It was an attempt to envisage a ‘relational container’ able to sustain the dedicated effort required for many years of work in the Africa Great Lakes region where the first regional Committee for the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and all Forms of Discrimination was created. In the area where humans murdered more people in recent years than in any other region of the world, the hope that countries could move from being ‘genocide-prone’ to ‘genocide-free’ catalyzed the attention and energy of many. The idea of the Circle of Respect and Hope was generated by the need to recognize the emergence of a human system that did not exist in such a form, giving political relevance to the yearning of millions who have been under threat of violent clashes.
The Circle has proven to be very effective in facilitating self-organizing transitions when new systems are emerging (genocide prevention in the Africa Great Lakes Region), when old systems are being transformed (the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution becoming the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution) and when internal conflicts are tearing teams apart (the Dynamical Systems Team).
For example, the logic of the Great lakes Region Genocide Prevention System is village-based, participatory, open and connected.
1. Village-base
No genocide can be conceptualized and executed without touching the villages. At the same time, villages are the constitutive unit of social, economic and cultural life in the African Great Lakes Region. It has been calculated that there are thousands of villages in each country. While the Engaging Government on Genocie Prevention (EGGP) program strated at the level of the nation state, the Circle of Respect and Hope aims at engaging villages one by one in an integrated strategy of self-identification, self- recognition, and self-determination
2. Participatory
Genocide is the most extreme and violent for of exclusion so the prevention system must be faithfully participatory, creating occasions, processes and methods of participation that allow attending needs, interests and memories properly. Participation includes the neighbors and is structured in such a way to maximize information flow and stability of the network.
3. Open
Genocidal systems are closed. Movement is impeded and the violence is perpetrated against humans who cannot escape and those are considered threats to the genocidairs but are powerless in their response to the actual violence. The genocide prevention system cannot be but open and this includes the movement of people to neighbor villages, counties and nations.
4. Connected
Connectivity is the true secret of an effective genocide prevention system. Genocide can occur only in human system where the neglect, exclusion and disconnect are so extreme that humans are no longer considered as such but are objectified as disposable entities and dangerous realities. Connectivity includes the capacity to correctly appreciate the riches, identity and trajectory of others, fully respecting their differences. It also includes the possibility of links across national boundaries and across communities.
- The Circle was first used by the members of Genocide prevention program at S-CAR, Arlington, Virginia on November 24, 2010 (Dr. Andrea Bartoli, facilitator)
- Second successful use of the Circle was at the Town Hall meeting on February 8, 2011 with faculty, students and staff convened to discuss the transition of S-CAR towards becoming a School (Dr. Andrea Bartoli, facilitator)
- Third use of the Circle was at the DST meeting at Point of View (POV) on April 8, 2011 (Dr. Andrea Bartoli, facilitator)
- Fourth use of the Circle was in CONF 713 classes ( Spring 2011) under the guidance of Dr. Sandra Cheldelin