As November draws to a close, many of us gather with family and friends to share a meal and memories or to serve others. These are opportunities to engage, to connect, despite differences in how we see and do life. And the first step to engage is to listen to each other.
Margaret Wheatley writes, “Listening moves us closer, it helps us become more whole.”
I’ve seen the truth of this statement unfold in NYOTA cohorts, where women bridge tribal, generational, and cultural divides. Shekinah, the youngest member of the 2024 Cohort, exclaimed with surprise, “I didn’t think I had anything to offer my elders in the cohort. But I soon realized that I had experiences and skills that helped others. We learned from each other. We helped each other.”
If you’re concerned about how conversations with family and friends might go during this season, try one of these prompts or guidelines:
Conversation Starters
- What’s one thing you’ve learned recently that changed how you think about something?
- Who has influenced you this year in an unexpected way?
- What are three things for which you’re grateful?
Guidelines for Grateful Conversation:
- Listen to understand, not to respond.
- Acknowledge what you appreciate in others’ perspectives.
- Remember: connection matters more than consensus.
This season, may your conversations—even the challenging ones—become opportunities for growth and gratitude.
Continuing the Conversations
NYOTA leaders know that conversation across divides is necessary for communities to become whole and to thrive. That’s one reason why the Impact Now end-of-year giving campaign is called, Continuing the Conversations.
A gift to Continuing the Conversations supports a growing network of Congolese women like Shekinah to leverage their differences for the benefit of others.
A gift to Continuing the Conversations is evidence of your commitment to individual and community wholeness and well-being through connection.