Name: Arrowyn Ambrose
Hometown: Los Angeles
Sponsoring Organization(s): Eastside Mindfulness Collective, Center for Council & Story Tribe
Date Launched: January 2017
What attracted you to Ben Franklin Circles?
I have been running community circles for some time now. After the Inauguration, responding to my desire to be proactive, my friend told me about Ben Franklin Circles. It seemed like a perfect fit for the communities I was trying to build.
How did you recruit members for your Circle? Any lessons learned?
I have recruited members through the Eastside Mindfulness Collective and Center for Council, mainly.
How has hosting a Ben Franklin Circle impacted you?
For starters, I never leave a Circle feeling worse than when I went in. The basic council practice is the foundation of my life’s work, whether I am doing it for Center for Council in prisons or Story Tribe in schools. Weaving the virtues in has given the monthly community circle some foundation and direction.
Which virtue means the most to you personally and why?
Sincerity, because it is about listening more than speaking and being of utmost authenticity when I do speak. This is council.
What is the last commitment you made to yourself? How’s it going?
I am committed to my sobriety. Temperance speaks to this. It is going still.