By Molly Monroe
“When was a time you have or have not felt seen and heard?”
This question clung to the whiteboard in the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights waiting to be answered by Interfaith Sanctuary guests and Wassmuth Volunteers.
Guests Julie Loomis, Gary Harman, Nick Rogers, and Shyloh Crawfurd accompanied by staff paired up with four community members ranging in age and took turns answering the prompt. Each pair was tasked with practicing reflective listening to be able to repeat their partner’s story back to the whole group.
“My name is Nick and this is my story…” a high school aged volunteer who just listened to Nick’s story said to the group. She began to repeat Nick’s heartfelt experience of receiving an anonymous letter of encouragement addressed to “Dear Beautiful Stranger”, a moment that left an impression on Nick and a reminder that someone notices him and cares.
Guest and WOTS writer Loomis said that sitting across from the volunteer she was paired with felt like getting coffee and catching up with a friend.
Prompted to think about those in the community who are rarely listened to, Stella Thornfeldt, Boise High School student and Wassmuth Youth Leader, reached out to Interfaith Sanctuary to give those experiencing homelessness an opportunity to share their stories while practicing reflective listening.
“Giving people a platform to feel truly seen and heard, makes my heart so full and that’s really our goal in doing this,” Thornfeldt said.
Four high school aged Wassmuth Youth Leaders Abigail Wallace, Ashlyn Woodhouse,Molly Steenhoven, and Thornfeldt facilitated the story sharing event modeled after their monthly Stories at the Center.
“As a young person, it’s just really formative to think how we will engage in our community. Guests allowing us to walk in their shoes was incredibly touching and it has made me want to go out and be more of an advocate.” Wallace said.
The overarching question these students explore throughout the year is “How does change happen?”
“This really gave us a chance to understand how positive change is a product of compassion and empathy across all boards,” Steenhoven said. “I believe in order for positive change to happen and for us to be a more cohesive and unified society, we need to host things like story exchanges.”