In an African tribe, as legend goes, a child's birthdate is marked not by the day of birth, but by the moment the child was first thought of in the mother's mind. When a woman decides to have a child, she retreats alone beneath a tree -- listening until she hears the song of the child who wants to come. As the child is born, the village gathers, embracing her with that sacred song. And throughout the child's journey, through the trials of puberty, the heights of accomplishments, and the depths of tribulations, even when she strays far from herself, the community surrounds her, singing her song to guide her back. And when her time on earth comes to an end, they lift their voices one last time, honoring her spirit with the song that first brought her into being.

What is your sacred song? Beginning June 9th, we invite you to join us in a 21-day New Story Challenge, where we explore the latest renditions of our song, become keepers of each other's melodies, and align our rhythms with the subtler hum of the universe. For 21 days, you will receive a unique prompt each day, guiding you to share a story from your life with kin from around the globe. In the first week, we will delve into our roots, the second week will immerse us in the present, and the final week will gaze over the horizon to the future. Plus a lot more, like weekly calls and inspiring speakers! Join 21-day New Story Challenge here.

Few recent new stories that are bubbling around the ecosystem ...

**Eithne, in Klagenfurt, Austria, brings unTickets to the first TedX event -- where people can "buy" tickets with wealth of kindness, community, and silence.

**Disappointed by ChatGPT, Ruth asked the same question to our CompassionGPT: "Is there autism in heaven?" Similarly, Susan asked about leadership. The response Pamela got in response to parenting compassion moved her to tears. Bonnie wondered if it's cheating to ask her "Yoda Bot" to write her Sunday sermon. :)

**A teenager, Mili Nair, becomes the youngest ever Awakin Call host -- during her interview of Lucy Grace! (Bonus: Reinaldo and Madhu's Awakin Call on music!)

**At a UN event, ServiceSpace was invited to speak about its vision of AI: like a telescope and microscope, can AI be an inner/inter scope -- a third force to disentangle humanity out of its multiple polarities?

**In India, photos from Heart Intelligence retreat -- as they ready for various other summer retreats.

**Karma Kitchen is not new in Vietnam, but last month in Hanoi, Loan, Thuy and the entire volunteer community stepped it up -- KK in Silence (slideshow!) P.S. After hosting the first Karma Kitchen in Madrid, Carmen is now hosting one in Bogota, Colombia! Plus, a report from Vienna's 60 consecutive Karma Kitchens.

**While receiving Sutter Health's Deep Medicine award, Nipun spoke about multiple forms of health: "What the body experiences as pain, the mind experiences as confusion and the heart experiences as disconnection. How do we move from pain to resilience, confusion to curiosity, and disconnection to compassion?"

**Dr. Ariyaratne, a service legend in Sri Lanka and long-time friend of ServiceSpace, passed away on April 16, 2024. From an Awakin Circle in 2007, watch Silas Hagerty's goosebump-inducing 8-minute recap: "We build the road, the road builds us."

At last month's DRBU commencement, following Preeta's stirring address in 2023, the distinguished speaker this year was ... Nimo! (Bootleg clip.) At the climax of his address, instead of receiving applause, he bowed to the crowd! It mirrored what Rev. Chaz Howard, the youngest-ever chaplain at UPenn, recently shared with the Laddership Pod, weaving Moses and Dr. King with two everyday encounters: "What I remember most about Mr. Finney is whenever he saw trash on the ground, he would bend down and pick it up. The way up the ladder is down." #NewStory

ServiceSpace is a unique incubator of volunteer-run projects that nurture a culture of generosity. We believe that small acts of service can nurture a profound inner transformation that sustains external impact. To get involved, you can subscribe to our newsletters or create an account and complete our 3-step process to volunteer.

Unsubscribe | Newsletter Archives | Upcoming Pods | Contact Us