It has been an unprecedented and extraordinary year in every way. And yet, these words don’t even begin to come close to describing what we have all experienced, personally and collectively. Transformational. Volatile. Unpredictable. Full of unexpected challenges, potentials, and gifts. A year of loss, change, grief. A year of innovation in the face of never before experienced global and national conditions and a confluence of multiple storms. Class XXXIX has stepped into the first ever on-line version of the Fellows Program, in the midst of an election year, pandemic, and social and political upheaval–and have done so with courage, authenticity and grace. And, oh what a ride it has been!
I joined the ALF family in January 2020, just before the pandemic hit–and was able to attend an ALF-SV staff retreat in the Los Altos hills within weeks of the shutdown. What a gift to gather with such a heartfelt and devoted staff, to be welcomed so warmly, and to learn more about the ALF way. I knew something about the ALF approach to leadership from my conversations with Suzanne before I was hired. In those talks, we had found striking and powerful common ground between our two organizations–I, having been a director of the educational non-profit PassageWorks Institute for 15 years, an organization devoted to supporting schools and districts with culture change. Our book, the 5 Dimensions of Engaged Teaching has been used in schools and universities around the nation–and outlines practices and principles for transformational change based in cultivating relationships, interrupting structures and policies that produce predictable inequalities (like the school to prison pipeline), leading for equity, and engaging in mindfulness. I worked for years with East Side Union, Morgan Hill and Saratoga-Los Gatos School Districts and came to know a bit about the complex dynamics of Silicon Valley. I have also served as a guide with the Bay area non-profit Pachamama Alliance— leading cultural exchange journeys to the Amazon and participating in coalition building between peoples of the north and south. Coming from these roots, it felt like a natural step and profound blessing to step into the lead facilitator role for ALF-SV.
“We are embodying what it means to show up and meet crises, to collaborate with each other, to explore what network leadership really means, and to develop our inner capacities to lead in the midst of so much unknown.”
As I had my initial interviews with Fellows in Class XXXIX, I was blown away by the breadth and depth of wisdom, skill, and heart that this class came in with. Our first and only in person meeting with Class XXXIX was a socially distanced one at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. Because of travel restrictions, I was unable to attend–and so began a path of co-creating a class experience that was radically different from any other–and yet built on the foundations that have always been part of ALF. Since then, we have met monthly via zoom for regular check-ins, seven minute stories, mindfulness, and rich dialogues. We have had special sessions with dynamic thought leaders and authors —Edgar Villanueva, Anand Giridharadas, Christie Hardwick, folks from Stanford’s Institute for the Future, and Eric Liu. Fellows have met outdoors in “home groups” of four and with their buddies, to maintain more intimacy and contact. We have extended the program through summer 2021, so this class’s time together could culminate in the signature wilderness experience which is at the bedrock of ALF. And most of all, together we have been in our own laboratory for how to thrive in times of crisis and division–and it has been full of grit and grace!
I am learning and growing with this class–as we have built our community, grown our trust, shared vulnerably, created space for all the emotions present in such moments, and brought our critical and creative thinking to the very real and pressing issues of these times. We are embodying what it means to show up and meet crises, to collaborate with each other, to explore what network leadership really means, and to develop our inner capacities to lead in the midst of so much unknown. This has been no small task. We have moved nimbly and flexibly–following the arc of our curriculum, while adapting each month to the needs of the moment. Each month we have asked ourselves: can we meet in person, with all the necessary precautions? And if we can’t, how can we continue to develop connection and intimacy from afar? These are the questions this class—and the whole world–has had to address.
As we close out 2020, I want to recognize some of the fruits of this time together. The moment in the ALF check in where a fellow took the time to honor and acknowledge five of her classmates. The creation of an affinity group to more deeply explore issues of race and class. The connection between folks in tech and education around the digital divide and access issues so present in schools. The powerful sharings about the deep impacts of racism in people’s lives and work. The depth of truth in the seven minute stories. The photos of buddy walks and home group meetings. The courage evident, each time we meet, in those who are directly working to manage the fallout from this pandemic. Collaborations around issues of homelessness and gentrification in Silicon Valley. Kind faces beaming through on zoom. The devotion to being change makers that this class expresses and embodies. I am honored to be part of such an inspiring community.
I’ll close with an excerpt from a poem by Antonio Machado–that seems to be a signature for this class and the whole of 2020. This class has truly laid down a path by walking.
Wanderer, the road is your
footsteps, nothing else;
wanderer, there is no path,
you lay down a path in walking.
In walking you lay down a path
and when turning around
you see the road you’ll
never step on again.
(Excerpt from poem by Antonio Machado. Translation by Francisco Varela)
I hope you will consider joining ALF’s January 29th half day retreat, Engaged Leadership: Thriving in Divided Times. Together we will dive into restorative practices and the “Six Dimensions of Engaged Leadership” with me and Guest Facilitator Scott van Loo as your guides. Scott has facilitated equity work for the last 25 years in education, business and leadership. Read Scott’s bio here. See you in the new year!
Laura Weaver, MA is an author, non-profit director, leadership consultant, and group facilitator with twenty-five years of experience in non-profit and social change work, leadership, education, health and writing. She currently serves as the Director of Transformative Learning at the PassageWorks Institute—a non-profit dedicated to creating meaningful, inclusive and engaging school cultures based on the integration of Social and Emotional Learning, Mindfulness, Equity, and a Whole Systems Approach to change.
Laura is passionate about supporting individuals and systems to transform from the inside out to create a more meaningful, compassionate, sustainable and equitable world. Before joining PassageWorks Institute in 2004, Laura taught Literature and Creative Writing for four years at the University of Colorado and founded and directed Bridges—an all-volunteer agency serving the needs of homeless communities in the greater Philadelphia region. Laura earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Trinity College in Connecticut and her Master’s Degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
