I vividly recall the evening in July when a group of us gathered to explore the boundaries of the co-creator role and the possibilities it entails. I recall feeling liberated to find that we were free. Free to explore the possibilities and potential for creating a better world through the lens of group relations, spirituality, and social justice - all topics that are very close to my heart. That day, a seed was buried in my unconscious, a seed to play an active role and take a chance into the unknown with that inspiration I had received.
A month later I found myself by the waterfront in Hoboken (a place I called home for the past 2 years), overwhelmed with emotions and tears as I was packing up to leave my friends and my life in New York. At that moment during one of my low points, it hit me, what might others in my position be doing? How might they be dealing with job-search being international and in the pandemic? Do they have a support system that focussed on their growth and self-discovery like I did? The answer was probably not, and I knew in my heart I had to do something.
The dots connected and that marked the beginning of my co-creator journey with GRI. I had complete liberty to make it my own, design the experience, spread the word, and facilitate my own journey. All while having the holding support of Rene and Lauren (another co-creator who has become a very dear friend through GRI). We then got the support of so many people that spread the word and reached out to their networks on our behalf. It felt surreal.
My intent and purpose for doing this was simple - to provide a space for learning, and self-exploration for those that are International and in transitions. We got sign-ups from Canada, Lebanon, Chicago, and Boston. After our first session together, we discovered that each of them were in a different phase of their international journey and brought such different perspectives to the group. We had not intended for this, and from then on I found myself starting to pay close attention to where the energy and the group were taking me and I surrendered, for the sake of their learning and transformation. This was such a unique experience for me, and one I highly value. The group had many moments of reflections and joining and I learned so much from the process and them. We are already gearing up for the second group and many more to come, and I am humbled and filled with gratitude for having the space to do this with GRI.
A quote I read today sums this up beautifully - “ A true teacher does not teach, yet one may educate themselves by their side”, and that has been precisely my experience of being a co-creator and the space we created at Recharge and Reflect.
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