I’d like to see our organisation become a real community, like that of the LETS group in Far North Queensland.

At the moment in BrisLETS, we have the beginnings of convergence and a cooperative spirit, but we haven’t yet reached critical mass.

What’s needed to achieve this?

The answer could be something to promote more interaction among members. Sure, we do some trading, and that’s good, but what else?

I found this suggestion in an article, The 10 Traits of a Positive Community, at https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/10-traits-positive-community/

“Positive communities work to foster a feeling of genuine connection among members by providing plenty of opportunities for interaction.

“Creating a feeling of connection works to make members more motivated to meet their obligations and work towards the established goals of the community.”

One idea for connecting – share our stories

I’ve enjoyed belonging to an informal monthly storytelling group for some years. A friend started it about 15 years ago. Its longevity shows it must have something going for it. It has simple elements:

  • a theme, e.g. “Pure, blind luck”
  • a venue, e.g. someone’s home
  • some interested friends
  • loose guidelines: maximum 5 minutes; prepared or impromptu; spoken, sung or read; original or not; fiction or non-fiction; prose or poetry
  • no cost, apart from a …
  • … shared supper.

One benefit of listening to each other’s stories is that we get to know other members better as we find out what’s in each other’s hearts.

Another good thing is the simple pleasure of hearing an uninterrupted story about someone’s life and challenges, without someone else breaking in to talk about their latest trip or their gifted and talented children.

Trading Day = Storytelling day?

We already have our monthly venue, the Albion Peace Centre, which includes various separate spaces.

I’m offering to lead an hour-long storytelling session at the Trading Day each month from 3–4 p.m. (As we get to know each other better, someone else might like to lead the sessions.)

For more information, ring me on 0417 722 937. Hope to see you there, either as an observer or as a storyteller.

―Josephine Brown

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