It's been awhile since I posted anything on this blog, and that's because the summer is a time when I'm committed to being with my daughter as much as I can. Instilling the value of presence and a sense of belonging is very important to me as a parent. And while it was extra challenging to me this summer, in particular, with so many exciting things happening in my career, I remained committed to my choice to prioritize time with her and spend time in nature, above all. This is the way that I recharge my batteries and get some of my best ideas.
We also were given the amazing opportunity/
gift of a trip to Switzerland to the Caux Palace for an incredible experience of attending the CATS conference as part of the
The CATS conference brings together a community from all over the world, committed to engaging children and young people in a conversation on how to make the world a better place for all.
This year the theme of the conference was about ending violence against children. It was a beautiful, intense, and ultimately uplifting and inspiring event. If you follow me on social media, you probably saw some posts about it.
Before I left for the trip, my
husband and I talked about two big ideas. The first, expanding this Belonging project to an international scale (which was always my intention in the back of my mind), and so I have purchased the domain name, www.belongingintheworld.com. The second was taking the opportunity while I was in Switzerland to interview the community there with a few key questions that I feel are central to the work we are doing with this series.
I set up a room for two days at the conference, when we were all given the opportunity to propose a workshop to the community, and I interviewed people on the balcony of the incredible Caux Palace, providing a quiet few moments to relax and engage in reflective dialogue. I interviewed everyone from a 9-year-old Nigerian boy to a 40-year-old British professor who lives in Texas.
The answers I got were beautiful, heart-opening, sometimes unexpected, and authentic.
We will be sharing these short videos on our brand new Belonging in the USA Instagram page (belonging_in_the_USA) starting in September. And if you don't already subscribe to our newsletter, sign up here, as we're sharing the first of many videos to our subscribers there.
I hope to attend the CATS conference with my daughter and mother again next year. I feel like I've just been given the privilege of becoming part of an international community committed to bettering the world. I hope to see some of you at next year's CATS conference as well!