Children’s Listening Project kicks off

“The Children’s Listening Project” kicks off its first event in the Campbell Gallery at Sisters Art Works through November 7.

Listening is the greatest gift we give one another — to be truly heard on the path to understanding, seeing another, valuing their experience. Listening well transforms a young person’s life. Children are asked — even told — to listen, but are rarely taught how to listen. The Children’s Listening Project creates tools for parents, educators, and children to enhance listening skills at all levels.

Patrons are invited to enjoy the art, find something you like to take home – 50 percent of all art sales will go toward distributing the book “The Magic in Listening” to those who may not otherwise have access. The project will provide books to Head Start, the Children’s Book Bank, and other settings to share “The Magic in Listening” with children and parents.

Translated from Mandarin, Ting is an ancient Chinese concept that symbolizes the art of listening. Deep listening, empathic listening is an art.

By listening with Ting you turn the focus away from yourself, and toward the other person. You demonstrate that the other person matters. Ting dates back thousands of years and reflects the five essential components of listening.

• The ear: To hear the words the other person is speaking
• The mind: You provide presence, quiet these inner voices in order to hear without distraction or judgment.
• The eyes: To see, to sense the non-verbal signals.
• The heart: To listen wholeheartedly — open- heartedly —and to appreciate the speaker’s experience from their perspective.
• Undivided attention: To give the other person 100 percent of your focus.

Parents and children learn together the magical art of listening — they practice together, they deepen skills together, and family relationships grow.

Two local professional women, Linda B. Wolff and Joyce Burk Brown, collaborated in writing “The Magic in Listening.” It is an early reader fiction book for ages 4-8 years, and was published by Windemere Press.

The objective of the book is to help young people understand many of the key elements involved in successful listening.

Tissue paper collages will be for sale at The Campbell Gallery in the Art Works Building, 204 W.Adams until November 7, highlighted with the Art Stroll on Friday October 28, when both the authors and the artist will be available to answer any questions.