We started this year with Restorative Resolutions (RR) going strong by hosting multiple in-person Circle Keeper trainings, as well as multiple virtual Circle Keeper trainings. This was a joy to do because we got connected to many new community members and were able to reconnect with folx we haven’t seen in a while. Throughout the first quarter of the year, the Circle Keeper Network (CKN) was activated and held Circles like Black Queens Connect and Brothers Holding Space. We also held Circles on topics like education, unlocking our “inner G”, and general community building for the engagement workers. This year the CKN collaborated with Father And Sons Together (FAST) for their summertime Barbershop Talk event, held Circles at RR’s 3 “Dia De Las Vidas” events, and deployed Circle Keepers to a number of community gatherings throughout the city. We began to reorganize after learning that the funding from King County would sunset in August, and for the remainder of the year moved more insular. We held space for ourselves to process the grief and transitions that affected many of our Circle Keepers in a very real way (this year we lost a number of young people who we were close to and attended our Circles/events)…

The reality is that it is HARD to be a Circle Keeper. Holding people’s emotions, leading people through conflicts, guiding people through grief…what could make someone think that is easily done?! It’s not! This year was a case study in what the Astrological planet of “Chiron” represents – the wounded healer. So we give big kudos to the folx who were a part of the CKN and RR this year, because they opened up their hearts and held spaces even while they were navigating their own pain and traumas. 

As for now, RBAC is recalibrating our Circle operations and determining our path forward. There are a plethora of trained or aspiring Circle Keepers in our community…maybe we can count on you to show up in a nu way in 2024? 

We are so grateful for any and everyone who attended a training, circle, or event throughout this year. We don’t just do this for our own healing, we do it for our collective healing.

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