Linda Wolf

When I started facilitating teen talking circles in 1993, I had no prior experience and little knowledge of what to expect. But I did have a strong motivation. I wanted to help my own daughters navigate their teen years without having to go through the pain that I went through as an adolescent. And in the process, I did more than just help my children, I have had the honor of witnessing young people grapple with seemingly insurmountable issues, feelings, fears, and pain, only to emerge from our circles feeling hopeful, joyful, supported, connected, able to maintain lasting relationships, and be known for who they really are—as evolving human beings.

And, after ten years of providing a safe place for young people to speak their truth, I have grown, not only in my skill as a facilitator, but as a person. I have come to understand that growth and healing is a process that takes time and is pushed along by circumstances both in and out of our control. I am thankful for the many opportunities I have had to work through my own unresolved issues just by virtue of witnessing young people struggle with their own emerging selves.

I am eternally grateful to everyone who has loved and supported me through the often-exhausting work of running a nonprofit and writing books. Most precious to me are my mother, Barbara Wolf; my daughters, Heather and Jenni; my sweetheart, Eric Kuhner; and my dearest friends Cara Cruckshank, Leah Green, Jean Kilbourne, Libba Pinchot, Carrie Rhodes, Lindsay Wagner, Karen Wesolowski, Mimi DeBlasio, and my friend and “wusband”, Tomas Smeeth. I am also grateful for the love and support of my extended family and community, including everyone in “The Monday Night Group,” and “Fast Track.”

Thanks also go to my dear friend and writing partner, Neva. Over the past two years, we have worked side by side at the computer, often finishing each other’s sentences in a near seamless activity of writing together. Our experience has been at times grueling and often hilarious, as we’ve spent hours attempting to craft one paragraph, each taking a turn at the keyboard, only to end up deleting it, realizing how saying something incredibly simple can be so complex! Without Neva, this book would never have been done.

Lastly, we dedicate this book to the young people and their families who were willing to trust in the power of truth telling, and to engage in the possibility that through compassion, mindful communication, and perseverance we can be part of the emergence of a more peaceful, loving, life affirming world, starting with oneself.

Neva Welton

Life is full of twists and turns. Little did I know in 1993 when my daughter joined a newly formed girl’s group, that I would become intimately involved with the Teen Talking Circle Project? What’s more, there was no way to predict that I would develop a lifelong friend and colleague in Linda Wolf.

Since those early days of the organization, Linda and I have worked in partnership on a variety of projects. We have that rare ability to weave our strengths and weaknesses in to pure gold. And for that, I am grateful. Through our projects, we have grown personally and touched the lives of many people.

Speaking and Listening from the Heart represents Linda’s amazing work as director of the Teen Talking Circle Project and is a marriage of our knowledge, experience, skills and words. I hope that the book is a solid resource for adults wanting to work with young people in Circle, and an inspiration to whomever reads it.

AUTHORS’ BIOGRAPHIES

Linda Wolf is a mother, activist, professional photographer, and the founder and director of the Teen Talking Circle Project, and co-founde of The Daughters Sisters Project, whose mission is to educate, inspire and empower young women and men, foster understanding and partnerships between the genders, generations, and cultures, and support youth in responsible self-expression and social action for a just and sustainable world. She is the co-author of Global Uprising: Confronting the Tyrannies of the 21st Century: Stories from a New Generation of Activists (New Society Publishers, 2001) and Daughters of the Moon, Sisters of the Sun: Young Women and Mentors on the Transition to Womanhood (New Society Publishers, 1997) ; and producer of a documentary on the Daughters Sisters Project.

Neva has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. She has worked with youth through community mental health programs, private practice, and nonprofit organizations. She has worked with the Teen Talking Circle Project for over eight years in several capacities: Girl’s Group facilitator, training workshop facilitator, research and development, communications, and board member. Neva is co-author with Linda Wolf of Global Uprising: Confronting the Tyrannies of the 21st Century - Stories from a New Generation of Activists. Currently, she devotes her energy to social transformation as an activist, writer, and producer of “The Conscientious Projector: Films of Hope for the People and the Planet,” on Bainbridge Island. In her spare time, she is on her knees happily restoring a wooden sailboat.