A group of community members including principals, clergy, First Selectman, Rudy Marconi, and Ridgefield High School students gathered at the Lounsbury House last week for a “World Cafe harvesting session", a necessary step toward our Town’s mission of being deemed a "City of Compassion".
A national movement anchored by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Charter of Compassion was born in 2008 when Karen Armstrong won the TED Prize and made a wish: for help creating, launching and propagating a Charter for Compassion. Here at home, our mission is to encourage and promote programs and initiatives that foster and maintain a culture of compassionate success in Ridgefield.
While the more than forty attendees, many of whom were just meeting for the first time, sat at tables with pads and markers, Deborah Rundlett, Pastor at Ridgebury Congregational Church told attendees that we need to begin thinking of compassion, not just as a core value, but as a practice. “Over 400 cities across the globe have signed on to this Charter. You are our early adopters and we really want to thank you,” she said.
First Selectman Rudy Marconi cited words from Chris Kukk, a professor of Political Science at WCSU who penned "The Compassionate Achiever”. “Chris says that there are successful companies in the world who have lead with compassion. I think we need to re-train ourselves and think about how we can breed success through a kinder and more respectful society - that’s why we’re here tonight.”
Brainstorming and discussion ensued when attendees broke into small groups and were posed with three questions:
- What does compassion look like in Ridgefield?
- If Ridgefield was more compassionate, what would be different?
- What will we do to increase compassion in Ridgefield?
Spending fifteen minutes discussing each question, individuals moved from group to group, giving them an opportunity to meet and learn from all who were present.
After about forty-five minutes, the lively chatter came to a stop and attendees were given their final task of the evening. “You are the bridges, go out into the community and talk about it,” Rundlett.
Here’s when The World Cafe rolls out into Ridgefield’s cafes and coffee shops where Compassionate Ridgefield “early adopters” will now gather with friends, co-worker, fellow community members asking them those same three questions:
- What does compassion look like in Ridgefield?
- If Ridgefield was more compassionate, what would be different?
- What will we do to increase compassion in Ridgefield?
Stay tuned for details and town events that will help Ridgefield to reach the ultimate goal of being a City of Compassion.
Read more about what it means to be a City of Compassion here.