Living and Working Across Differences
Share the Journey—Live Your Own—Honor All
Participants in Shared Journeys experience community while honoring our separate primary relationships and ways of life.
Our mission, “Share the Journey—Live Your Own—Honor All,” reflects the hope that everyone learns to thrive. We equip you for a shared journey by identifying the resources, developing the relationships, and honing the skills you need to struggle through conflict and flourish.
Founded by Eric Clay, M.Div., Ph.D., Shared Journeys is a nonprofit organization in Ithaca, NY. We host small discussion groups, offer coaching, and facilitate local, multifaith events. Listen to topical shows and interviews with more than 700 area residents and visitors at madeofclay.org.
Explore Individual or Couples Coaching
As a clinically trained, multifaith and secular chaplain and crisis counselor, Eric Clay offers coaching for people facing challenges with partners, families, co-workers, or within themselves. How do we get what we need without alienating the people we care about? How do we reconcile changes in faith over time? How do we make difficult end-of-life decisions? What prevents us from living more fulfilling, useful lives?
Coaching fees are arrived at by mutual agreement. Sessions may involve initial meetings of 90 minutes to 2 hours, and then periodic follow-up.
Participate in a Group
Ongoing groups of people who would not otherwise know, work, or socialize with each other meet weekly in Ithaca. People engage others as they seek to live more balanced, creative, and meaningful lives with family members, friends, workplaces, identity groups, and political causes.
These aren’t support groups, although people feel supported as they learn from each other and push their own boundaries. Participants receive feedback on challenges they’re currently facing, practice communication and relational skills, and grow with a group of diverse people.
Listen to Made of Clay Radio Show
On WRFI community radio, Made of Clay focuses on the issues of our lives. You’ll find archives of more than 700 interviews and hear topical shows with co-host Peaches Gillette at madeofclay.org.
Learn About the “Circle of Symbols”
The “Circle of Symbols,” in the middle of the Shared Journeys banner, may be used as a discussion starter and teaching tool. We offer a template, definitions, and other resources to facilitate this activity for community, spiritual, religious, political, or other groups.
The 37 symbols represent different religious, cultural, scientific, political, and economic assumptions of how the world is and ought to be. By exploring and sharing symbols that resonate with us, we begin to understand the ambiguities, contradictions, and complexities of our lives. We meet each other with openness and curiosity and work things out by engaging, testing, questioning—even fighting. Just as important, over time, we discover the moving contours of personal and group boundaries.
Collaborate With Us on Multifaith and Secular Work
If you’re looking for a community, we may be able to identify people you can connect to. Shared Journeys has 30 years of relationships in Ithaca.
If you have events or activities you would like the wider community to know about—even if they’re not invited—we will include them in our Community Newsletter.