Congratulations to our new 2016 Mossler Fellow, Christian Hayden. Christian is a member of the Philadelphia Ethical Society and the Future of Ethical Societies, and he just completed a year with the Humanist Service Corps in Ghana. Christian’s fellowship will use the idea of a colloquy, based on the work of Leader Arthur Dobrin, to create a model that enables participants to use “each other as learning tools to deeply investigate questions in life.”

During a traditional colloquy, participants explore a theme with music, readings, parables, and discussion for shared reflection and deep listening. Christian’s proposal is to further develop this model and to train individuals to facilitate workshops in this technique in Philadelphia with the idea of—once the process is fully developed and tested—spreading the practice to other areas. “Those most in need of spaces that offer therapeutic reflection, disseminated learning, and spiritual growth usually do not have them,” writes Christian in his proposal. He sees colloquies as a culmination of education and action, a dialect that is focused on growth in community. He describes his project as a “youth friendly, educational and trauma informed, multi-pronged colloquy-like experience” and believes it will “bring more people in touch with our practice and give us avenues to expand and deepen our own practice.”

Christian wants to engage in a communal process, coalescing knowledge skills from a wide range of professionals, ethicists, and activists. He is looking for people interested in developing the approach, crafting materials, training individuals or groups, and strategizing on creating partnerships. If you are interested in any part of that process, contact Christian at chayden423@gmail.com. He looks forward to working with you!