The Weekly Service
What does it take for genuine conversation to unfold in a group of strangers? What makes it possible for a collective to explore different perspectives with an open-mindset? How might a gathering place be created through sharing stories on a weekly basis? What culture(s) might grow from such a space?
These questions were at the heart of a social experiment that was called a The Weekly Service, a contemplative communal space that existed for 7 years in Melbourne from 2015.
As a co-director of The Weekly Service I hosted weekly Services, facilitated coaching and training of other hosts, and helped to design tools and infrastructures of belonging. As a collective we used collaborative design as a practice to empower participation and a sense of belonging.
Through this practice we were re-learning how to create a gathering place where the ‘whole’ of us is welcome. This gathering place is not simply a space to belong, rather it’s aims are three-fold: 1) to embrace whole humanness, 2) to negotiate together the ‘transitional times’ we find ourselves in, and 3) to collaboratively practice new ways of living and being together that are reciprocal and regenerative.
