The Circle Way: A Collaborative Practice for Community-Based Research

EVENT DETAILS
event

Date: October 6th, 2025
Time: 5 PM - 7:30 PM

location_on

Liu Institute for Global Issues
6476 NW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2, Canada

About

This two-and-a-half-hour training introduces The Circle Way, a powerful and collaborative practice for dialogue and decision-making. You’ll learn the core principles of this ancient method and how it can serve as a facilitating tool for community-based research. This includes exploring how The Circle Way supports an intersectional approach to public policy and research. The session will be followed by a community of practice, providing a space to apply these skills and have meaningful dialogues on topics relevant to your work. Snacks and refreshments will be available.

Background

The Circle Way is a methodology for group dialogue and decision-making that draws on ancient practices of gathering in a circle to foster connection, equality, and collective wisdom. Revived and refined by Christina Baldwin and Ann Linnea, The Circle Way offers a structured yet flexible approach to conversations that matter—whether in classrooms, boardrooms, or community spaces.

At its core, The Circle Way is built on the belief that everyone has a voice, and that deep listening and intentional speaking can transform how groups relate, collaborate, and lead. It is a process and a way of being together, emphasizing shared leadership, mutual respect, and the power of story.
Circle practice can strengthen public policy by ensuring that all voices are heard equally, creating space for silence and reflection so responses are thoughtful and intentional. By weaving in practices that support mental health and well-being, such as time for feelings and grounding, circle structures help transform emotions from barriers into pathways for collective action and better decision-making.

Key Elements of the Circle Way

Center: A physical or symbolic focal point that represents the purpose of the gathering and helps anchor the group’s attention. 

Check-in and Check-out: Rituals that mark the beginning and end of the circle, allowing participants to arrive fully and leave with intention. 

Talking Piece: An object passed around to regulate speaking, ensuring each person has uninterrupted time to share. 

Host and Guardian Roles: The host guides the process, while the guardian watches over the energetic and emotional integrity of the circle. 

Agreements: Shared commitments such as confidentiality, listening without judgment, and speaking with intention. 

Applications 

The Circle Way is used in: 

  • Education: To create inclusive classrooms and foster student voice. 
  • Organizations: For team building, leadership development, and conflict resolution. 
  • Community Work: To support healing, dialogue, and participatory decision-making. 
  • Spiritual and Personal Growth: As a tool for reflection, storytelling, and deep connection. 

Philosophical Roots 

The practice is inspired by Indigenous traditions and global wisdom cultures that have long used circle gatherings for governance, ceremony, and storytelling. The Circle Way honors these roots while adapting the practice for contemporary settings.

About the Facilitator

Stephanie Papik

Stephanie is two-spirit, with an Inuit, Irish, Scottish, and Spanish ancestral background. Their work is centered on Indigenous self-determination, decolonial approaches, circle practice, and public service innovation — endeavours that are informed by the values of compassion and inclusion, as well as a drive toward cultural resurgence. Offering three decades of experience in Indigenous knowledge system advancement, public policy transformation, and culturally-safe governance across the B.C. Public Service and community sectors, Stephanie has lent her wealth of experience to numerous leadership positions across the province.

Before joining UBC as a Practitioner Fellow with the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at UBC from September to December 2025, they served as a Director of the Moose Hide Campaign, where they directed cross-governmental initiatives to support the prevention of gender-based violence while supporting reconciliation efforts. She is also a co-founder, as well as a Board of Director, of the Inuit Collective Society of B.C. Previously, they have held positions such as Director at Emergency Management B.C., as well as working in the Premier’s Office.