Geoff's Friends

Geoff's Page

How did you learn about Art of Hosting (please add the date and place) and what attracted you to it?: In September 2015 I met a host at a training event where she was doing a harvest. I had a conversation with her about subjects like inclusion of people with disabilities and how to have conversations about important subjects with maximum creative outcomes and she described a little about the art of hosting. I resonated with what she described and a couple of months later when we were working in the same work place, we continued our conversations and she informed me of a training event around participatory leadership. I have enroled in this training event and am looking forward to learning more about the art of hosting.

Tell us about your experience with Art of Hosting as part of your life and work. What would you say your competence in it is? (new, starting practitioner, experienced practitioner, steward): I would like to explore the art of hosting more and will be beginning this in a couple of days when I participate in a participatory leadership training event. I have worked in human services for many years and have long valued quality conversations about substantial subjects. I believe that creative and mutually respectful conversation where both parties take care to listen thoroughly and actively, can open up enormous potential. conflict can be lessened or eliminated. understanding can be increased so that more options and ideas and insights become available. I have used these principles in supporting homeless young people and families with children with disability and many other human service contexts and personal relationships. I would like to learn more specific insights to this area of practice to better what I have to offer society and increase my ability to interact learn from others and give to others.

What is the primary field/topic/focus in your hosting work?: I would like to be a part of the movement of increasing the real participation and contribution of people with disability in broad and valued social roles. I would like to influence the broader community to accept and partner with people with disabilities towards the necessary goal of people with disability having true opportunity to participate fully in social, economic, political, cultural etc areas of life and be valued as contributors and value adders.

Would you like to share a web address?: http://https://www.facebook.com/bettervisionforlife/

Are there interests/passions that you'd like to share?: I am interested in how physicality, spirituality, psychology and society interact. I want to contribute to the world in a way that is creative and giving people who are often excluded from opportunity, a better chance of being included in valuable aspects of life. I live with low vision and want to find how I can contribute despite the limitations that others can put on me and through overcoming as best I can, the limitations that a vision disability brings and promoting the benefit that adversity or difference to the norm can bring.

At 11:34am on January 9, 2016, Nancy Bragard said…: Hello, Geoff, and welcome to the Art of Hosting community! Glad to see you here. You're answering to a deep call in a courageous way, I acknowledge you for that. Post a photo when you can so we can really "see" you here. Then join in with all the conversations. You'll find plenty of resources here, too, to help you deepen your practice. And the more you add to your profile, the more the community can learn from you and share with you. We hope you will find value in exchanging in this virtual community!

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