Organisations & Communities
Helping you create spaces where people can be seen and heard - and find their own way forward
Many organisations are supporting people who are carrying a lot.
They may be caring for someone else, navigating change or uncertainty, dealing with difficult circumstances or simply trying to keep going while life asks more of them.
Often there is practical information available.
Sometimes there is professional support. But there can also be a need for something simpler:
A place to talk.
A place to listen.
A place to pause and work out what matters now.
That's where Compass Circles may help.
What is a Compass Circle?
Compass Circles are small facilitated groups that bring together honest conversation, thoughtful reflection and The Compass - a simple framework for helping people find their own direction and take their next steps.
The Circle isn't therapy, counselling or a place where people are told what they should do.
Participants are given space to talk honestly, listen to others and reflect on their own situation without immediately being advised or fixed.
The Compass gives them something practical and memorable to take away and use beyond the Circle.
Start by listening
We don't assume that the same Circle will work for every community.
You understand your people, their circumstances and the support you already provide. We bring experience of The Compass, facilitated circles and creating spaces where people can reflect without being directed towards somebody else's answers.
So our starting point is usually a conversation.
What's happening for the people you support?
What do they tell you they need?
What support already exists?
Where might there be a gap?
Together, we can explore whether a Compass Circle could add something useful.
A Compass Circle for your community
One way to begin is with a small Compass Circle facilitated by us.
A typical starting point might be:
- 4 weekly sessions
- Around 90 minutes each
- Up to approximately 12 participants
- Online
The exact shape can be adapted with you to suit the people you're supporting.
A Circle can provide direct support while also giving your organisation an opportunity to experience the approach and decide whether it has a place within your community.
What we've already seen
The approach behind Compass Circles has grown through our work with people navigating real and often difficult circumstances.
In a previous programme with family carers, participants used The Compass alongside facilitated group conversations and reflection. They were supporting family members with dementia, Alzheimer's, mental-health challenges, degenerative conditions and additional needs.
What they told us afterwards was striking.
“It was the first time I didn't feel alone.”
— Norah, caring for her partner with Alzheimer's
“When life throws you a curveball, having real human connection can be a game changer. And for me, it really has been.”
— Cheryl, caring for her husband and young son
“I've learned how to shift my mood and my mindset — and that has changed everything.”
— Karen, supporting her young adult son
Building capacity within your organisation
Our longer-term aim isn't for organisations to remain dependent on us to run every Circle.
Where The Compass proves useful, we can help you develop people from within your own organisation or community who can facilitate Compass Circles themselves. That might be a member of staff, volunteer, practitioner or someone with lived experience who is well placed to create this kind of space for others.
Potential facilitators first experience The Compass themselves before developing the skills to facilitate it.
Live it. Learn it. Share it.
Compass Facilitator Development combines personal experience of The Compass with practical facilitation skills, practice and reflection.
Facilitators learn how to listen without fixing, ask thoughtful questions, work with silence and emotion, hold appropriate boundaries and create space for different voices.
Who could a Compass Circle support?
We're particularly interested in working with organisations and communities supporting people who may be navigating challenging, uncertain or changing circumstances.
That could include:
- unpaid and family carers;
- parent carers;
- families supporting someone experiencing illness or mental-health difficulties;
- people navigating bereavement, transition or significant life change;
- staff or volunteers carrying demanding roles;
- and communities where people would benefit from greater connection, reflection and peer support.
The context may be different. The underlying principle remains the same:
We don't tell people where to go. We help create the conditions in which they can discover their own direction.
Could The Compass work in your community?
You don't need to know exactly what you want before getting in touch.
You may already run groups and be wondering whether The Compass could add something. You may have people asking for support that doesn't quite fit what you currently offer.
You may be looking for a way to develop staff or volunteers who can facilitate reflective spaces. Or you may simply be curious.
Let's start with a conversation.
Tell us a little about your organisation, the people you support and what you're noticing.
We'll listen first - and then explore together whether The Compass could be useful.