by Lawrence Sharrett
Director, Colloquy Communities
August 13, 2023
Well-being is a gift people can experience when they connect with quality communities and quality individuals. Think about it: Aren’t we influenced by the people we spend our time with on a regular basis? This is something backed by research and something that will always be true. Communities help individuals grow, and individuals help communities grow. It is a reciprocal process.
Nurturing Communities
With a focus on individual and collective well-being, Colloquy is an international educational organization led by high-quality professionals (therapists, counselors, psychologists, educators, administrators, life coaches, business leaders, leadership consultants, and other leaders in various fields). Our team of professionals is committed to developing and supporting people personally and professionally at whatever stage of life by offering a variety of TEDx-like presentations with follow-up discussions for participants.
If you are interested in connecting with a community, Colloquy provides quality and flexible learning communities for you to join, via Zoom, from anywhere in the world. In-person events (our hybrid communities) depend on your location. You can also join us for one of our in-person retreats that happen every two to three years in some beautiful location around the world. Our first Colloquy retreat is scheduled for August, 2024, in Thessaloniki and Chalkidiki, Greece.
Cultivating Relationships with Colloquy Communities
International and cross-cultural life is like a “revolving door” with people coming and going continually. The locals who have not experienced the international “revolving door” often have a hard time knowing how to trust or connect deeply with expats passing through. This is sometimes reciprocated by expats who are slow or reluctant to connect deeply with locals because of the challenges of saying goodbye again. Farewells are experienced with great intentions to stay in touch, but distance often prevents and slows even the best of commitments. Colloquy Communities provides a way around and through this challenge by providing consistent, personal, and professional spaces for cultivating relationships even when people go different ways. As little as once a month can help cultivate and sustain friendships through the connections of local and expat communities. To learn more about this process and why Colloquy is a quality option for you, see more here.
Through Respectful Conversations
Through Colloquy, participants are invited into the tremendous life value of being:
being a lifelong learner, being a global citizen, being a trustworthy and responsible communicator, being a service-minded individual (and part of a network of individuals that serves others), being one’s authentic self (something rare in a world of insecure critics), being nonjudgmentally respectful to the experiences and perspectives of others (a great and needed skill of emotional intelligence in our world), and being in safe spaces with others who also desire to nurture communities and cultivate relationships through respectful conversations. Colloquy provides such a space of being in communities that is uniquely welcoming to participants in personal and professional ways.
What To Expect
Participants with Colloquy Communities can expect to be surprised by how exceptionally welcomed they are in our community meetings. This is an increasing strength of Colloquy’s ethos. Participants can expect to get to know great people from around the world, people who will enrich the quality of one’s life. Participants can also expect to grow in personal or professional leadership and well-being skills. If you are interested in viewing some selected sessions from Colloquy’s various meetings, click here. While the presentations are the only part of the meetings recorded, you will notice that participants can join with or without video. During discussions, participants are invited to participate only to the degree that one is comfortable. Your level of participation is up to you.
Individual Wellness Sessions (Wellness Wednesdays)
In addition to our quality community learning opportunities, Colloquy offers personal well-being sessions with our team of professionals. These sessions are by appointment only and can range from therapy and counseling to coaching and leadership consultation. To learn more, click here.
The Future of Colloquy Communities
The concept of Colloquy has been organic in its development. This was the case before and since its official launch in December, 2021. The future of Colloquy is expected to remain consistent with its organic nature of serving others through online and in-person opportunities for personal and professional development. Colloquy will grow with the quality of its leaders and the quality of its participants. You are welcome to join our present and future Colloquy quality.
Contact Us
If you are interested in seeing our calendar of events, visit our website. If you are interested in attending one of our community meetings or signing up for an individual wellness session with one of our leaders, you can reach us at colloquycommunities@gmail.com or via mobile at +30 69 713 238 (WhatsApp text please).