On Wednesday, 25th March 2020 we sent out an email inviting focusing friends to gather for support on Zoom. The response was immediate and overwhelmingly positive. “With quaking fingers I’ll attempt to set up Zoom. What a lovely idea” wrote one person. "Two and a half years. Has it been that long? Is that all it’s been?"

We’ve travelled quite a way since that first gathering and laid the foundations for a thriving network. “Focusing in Ireland can grow, if there’s something to hold it, the Network can do that.” was one person’s observation recently.

We certainly hope that is the case. From the beginning, though, the members of the Irish Focusing Professionals’ Support Group – a precursor to the current Network – were on hand to offer support and guidance and to take up roles in the newly emerging Network. Without their work to keep the Focusing flame alight there would have been no foundation on which to build.
Nothing happens without effort and there has been plenty of that. I want to take this opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary progress over the past two and a half years and the people who made it possible.

• Our Network has created a structure which allows us to work together, to share expertise, to support one another and to promote Focusing in Ireland.
  
  
• Our Network has grown beyond the borders of the country to welcome members from other places across the world.
  
  
• Our annual gathering online (kind of an AGM) allows every member to contribute to the development of the Network and offer suggestions for the year ahead.
  
  
• Focusers have weekly access to online sessions.
  
  
• New Focusers have been offered a supportive space to practice.
  
  
• Twice yearly in-person gatherings have given us an opportunity to connect in the real world.
  
  
• Bi-monthly gatherings online offer a space to explore Focusing and Poetry.
  
  
• Online workshops, generously offered by members of the Network, provide opportunities for further learning.
  
  
• The website has helped to make Focusing “findable” in Ireland.
  
  
• The resource page on the website is a treasure trove of focusing wisdom as well as offering a space to publish articles by members of the Network.
  
  
• Focusing courses across the country and beyond are advertised in one space.
  
  
• The Newsletter – published quarterly – keeps everyone up to date and in touch with trends and events across the Focusing world.
  
  
• Focusing Pathways – a series of podcasts created by Elaine Goggin and Therese Ryan – is a space where stories are shared, offering insight and inspiration for us all.
  
  
• A closed Facebook group has created a space for sharing information and inspiration.
  
  

It has been an extraordinary journey. One in which the creative energy, clear thinking and generosity of our community has helped to shape each step.
It is important that we ensure that the Network is carried forward sustainably. At a recent Committee meeting we addressed ways to ensure that we hold the vision which inspired this Network, build on the progress we have made to date and invite new energy as we move forward.

The term of the current committee comes to a close at the beginning of 2024, so we need to look at a process for handover which does not involve starting from scratch every three years. Our constitution stipulates that “Officers are appointed for a three year term, with a 2 year additional term if nominated. Anyone appointed for 5 years shall not be eligible for re-election for another 3 years.”

With that in mind, we will start the process of seeking out members who might be willing to be part of the committee in the future. If this opportunity is something that speaks to your heart, we would be delighted to hear from you. And don’t worry – getting in touch and expressing an interest doesn’t involve a commitment – just an opportunity to chat and explore possibilities.

-Margaret Quinn