Teen Talking Circles is a 501-c3 organically grown nonprofit organization founded on the principle that both a mature self-identity and healthy relationships develop naturally when we learn to speak our truth from our hearts and hear the truth of others with our hearts.

We provide local Girls Talking Circles, Guy’s Circles and GenderTalks (mixed gender Talking Circles) on Bainbridge Island, and our youth and adult facilitators train people from around the country and internationally through our TTC Facilitator Trainings to assist them to start circles in their communities, schools, organizations and youth-serving programs.

Our training staff has certified facilitators of Compassionate Listening and teaches one-day workshops on such topics as how to listen to your teen and how to be heard by him/her, using the practice of Compassionate Listening, a conflict resolution technique developed by the Compassionate Listening Project and used in the Middle East with Israelies and Palestinians. Compassionate Listening is a skill taught and practiced in all Teen Talking Circles.

By providing young people with a safe space to tell the truth, talking circles encourage teens to reveal their passion, beauty, and dreams, as well as their fears, problems, and insecurities. In circle, young women and men bear witness to each other as full human beings, discover the wholeness in themselves, and learn to relate inclusively rather than exclusively. By modeling wholeness, compassion, and inclusiveness, talking circles help young people develop mature identities and form healthy relationships at home, at work, and in society, providing a foundation for a more cooperative, caring world.

TTC was founded in 1993 to help girls and young women navigate the teen years. We are pioneers in the creation of Girl’s Circles, Guy’s Circles, and GenderTalks, our mixed-gender youth circles. We have also trained hundreds of adults to start circles in their own communities. We offer facilitator trainings, workshops, and retreats for adults and youth. In addition to facilitating circles and training new facilitators, our lead trainers have participated in advanced programs in the practice of Compassionate Listening (SM).

Organizational Information