Breathe in…… Breathe out……
Greetings YDEKC Members and Friends:
Amazing how quickly things are evolving in this new normal (which is anything but normal), requiring leadership and trust to evolve daily, like the murmuration that Adrienne Maree Brown describes in her book Emergent Strategy:
“My dream is a movement with such deep trust that we move as a murmuration, the way a group of starlings billow, dive spin, dance collectively through the air – to avoid predators, and, it seems, to pass time in the most beautiful way possible…Here’s how it works in a murmuration/shoal/swarm: each creature is tuned in to its neighbors, the creatures right around it in the formation. This might be the birds on either side, or the six fish in each direction. There is a right relationship, a right distance between them – too close and they crash, too far away and they can’t feel the micro-adaptations of the other bodies. Each creature is shifting direction, speed, and proximity based on the information of the other creatures’ bodies…Imagine our movements cultivating this type of trust and depth with each other, having strategic flocking in our playbooks.”
Whidbey Island (March 2020)
I got to witness this murmuration last week on Whidbey Island, and it made me think of this quote and the ways in which all of us are taking on new leadership roles in our families, communities, and organizations while needing to deeply trust those around us to be making the best decisions for the well-being and livelihood of our communities. Thank you for continuing to be nimble in leading (or following) one another through this very emergent time. Read on for many resources for youth serving organizations and supporting youth and families during this time.
In service and gratitude,
Jessica, and the rest of the YDEKC Team: Anne, Hikma, Mona, Rene, Sarah and Stephanie
Youth Development Executives of King County
ydekc.org | jwerner@ydekc.org | 206.336.6912 |