My friend Jake just sent me this podcast about “the friendship bench” program in Zimbabwe. A doctor started setting up places grandmothers could talk to people so as to help them. Therapists did not think it would work, but—surprise—it works great for the people seeking help and the grandmothers too.
The heart of a course I co-teach online puts people in small groups so they can peer-mentor one another. It is wonderfully, even surprisingly, useful.
What does a worldwide network of friendship benches look like? The global village dialed up with a grandma or peer-mentor available to you on every corner?
I would like to make that a reality . . . the Molly Bench.