“I have been a good witness of the changes that have happened in the life of the children through these multi-generation conversations. Here, I got an opportunity to remember my life and share its experiences with the children. The children are respecting the elders and are working with them for the common good.

After participating in the women’s listening circle, I felt happy and free of my worries. In future, I would like to see my village people united with each other and my community completely self -sufficient. I began thinking about how I can improve the life of the villagers after participating in the program.”

Dreamcatchers collaborated with Rose in Tamil Nadu to introduce the Community Wisdom Circle as a place for dialogues for diverse generations to support children and youth in the community to cope with the dramatic changes in their lives post the tsunami of 2004.

Twenty eight year old Madhana is a mother of 3 children and a member of Community Wisdom Circle of Koraikuppam village. Fishing, shell collection, picking prawns and allied activities related to the ocean and backwaters that border the village define the rhythm of everyday life in Koraikuppam.

“I first participated in the women’s Listening Circle and that made me very happy. I learnt many good values and shared it with my family members. After participating in the women’s program, I am sharing my experiences with others. Afterwards I participated with the children in the Community Wisdom Circle and saw that the children were participating with their own interest, without any external coercion. The circle organized community members through the common events and we're witnessing the changes in the children and women; I feel that our village will be developed within.”

Dreamcatchers partnered with Jeeva Jyothi in Tamil Nadu and introduced the Listening Circle to the women/mothers of the community as a space for healing from their loss after the tsunami of December 2004 that affected east coast areas of South India.

Born physically challenged, Ramesh 20 is a graduate and member of the Community Wisdom Circle of Sattankuppam; an island area situated on east side bay of Bengal, West Buckingham Canal in Tamil Nadu.

“I feel that it is my duty to help the CWC in working for the common good. I offer my time to lead this program to the youth and women from the other villages because I believe that is very helpful for their development. Through this I am becoming a very important instrument for the development of the community.”

Dreamcatchers partnered with Jeeva Jyothi, to work with communities impacted by the tsunami of December 2004 to introduce the Community Wisdom Circle as a dialog space focused on community healing and regeneration for diverse generations of the community.

Twenty eight year old Vasanthi is a member of the Community Wisdom Circle of Thalampettai where the waters are the main form of transportation. A widow, she earns her living through the sale of fish. She has 5 children, 4 girls and a boy.

“During a session of the Wisdom Circle I was asked to share my story and everyone listened to me deeply and consoled me. They told her that my life would be developed through my children as they are also part of the wisdom where they are learning many things and they will support me in future.

I am very proud about the wisdom circle in the village because they are talking with the elders very lovingly and they have matured to listen to the elders and console them with their loving words. I experienced the wisdom circle as a place for giving knowledge and wisdom for the children and helping them to gather the knowledge from the elders. It also helps them to sense the needs of the affected people and help them promptly.”

Dreamcatchers collaborated with Rose in Tamil Nadu to introduce the Community Wisdom Circle as a place for dialogues for diverse generations to support children and youth in the community to cope with the dramatic changes in their lives post the tsunami of 2004. The wisdom circle offered widows an equal place of participation in community life which is otherwise not accessible in the village.

"In one of wisdom circles at Pulicat, the children designed and built a model village out of papier-mâché. Valarmathi, the community facilitator at the village was proud of what they had created, but it was not until a goat, unfortunately, ate the model, that she realized the true extent to which the children had internalized the concept.

The children had worked hard to build the model, and Valarmathi, unable to find a safe place to store it, felt responsible for its destruction. Seeing how she was upset by the incident, the Children’s Wisdom Circle children consoled her. To her amazement, they told her: “The thing itself may be destroyed, but the real idea still exists in our minds.” - Into the Waves of Life, an exploration of the Dreamcatchers work, Adam Yukelson

Dreamcatchers partnered with Jeeva Jyothi, to work with communities impacted by the tsunami of December 2004 near the Pulicat lake area and introduced the Children’s Wisdom Circle; a contemplative space for listening and healing.