DRAGON BITES
COMMUNITY
Creating Community with Charles Vogl
by Toby Chen '25
NOVEMBER 17, 2023 - 3 MIN READ
Renowned author and guest speaker Charles Vogl visited HKIS to engage with high school students, parents and faculty.
On October 30, 2023, renowned author and guest speaker Charles Vogl visited HKIS to engage with high school students, parents, and faculty. Charles is widely recognized for his expertise in community building- having developed leadership programs globally and written books, such as “The Art of Community.” During his visit, he hosted a leadership workshop with the High School, and conducted a session on building community with the wider community at the Church of All Nations. Charles is a lively and interactive speaker who tries to get the audience to participate in activities. When I first saw him, I was met with his contagious energy, enthusiasm and expressive hand gestures, which instantly piqued my interest in what he had to say. The same feeling was felt by the audience, who leaned forward in their seats, eager to learn more.
Charles Vogl conducts a session and hosts activities at the HKIS Church of All Nations for parents and faculty to build connections and community.
Charles began the session by captivating the audience with a personal story. While studying at Yale University, he experienced overwhelming loneliness and academic pressure. To combat this, he and his close friend (now his wife) started hosting dinners at their apartment building. Despite this initial lack of attendance, they persisted, and over the course of a year, they hosted over 500 people. These dinner parties led Charles to forge lifelong friendships- the underlying message of this story is to inspire people to create transformative experiences that have the power to change lives, which served as the foundation for the evening’s talk. I think this story is relevant to students because HKIS is a school with a tight knit community- despite individuals having packed schedules and heavy workloads. Through activities such as Dragon Days, community gatherings, seminar/ counselor support, and more, I, and many others, feel like there is always someone we can go to for support.
Charles then instructed everyone to place their phones in a basket beneath the table, emphasizing that conversations change for the better when we put our phones away. Charles asked people to share a time when they felt lonely. Parents shared how they felt lonely after the birth of their children, during COVID when their friends moved, or when they were busy with work. From this activity, the HKIS parents glanced at one another and felt less alone/ more connected, because they realized that everyone goes through tough times.
Charles Vogl sharing about his book "The Art of Community" to the audience, and engaging with HKIS parents.
Charles then instructed everyone to place their phones in a basket beneath the table, emphasizing that conversations change for the better when we put our phones away. Charles asked people to share a time when they felt lonely. Parents shared how they felt lonely after the birth of their children, during COVID when their friends moved, or when they were busy with work. From this activity, the HKIS parents glanced at one another and felt less alone/ more connected, because they realized that everyone goes through tough times.
Well what is the problem exactly? Charles shared that the problem is that the world is currently in their ‘Lonely Era’. Charles claims that in order to combat this loneliness, we need to turn to building community, and one way to do this is through invitation. Invitation is important because it shows that someone cares about you. You need to make sure you invite someone personally and not just post something on Facebook, Charles laughs and shares, reminiscing on his own past experience. The room buzzed with commentary and excitement, as people shared with their partners on a time they received an invitation. An HKIS parent shared how she went to a party, and talked to someone, who is now her husband. From this story, our community learnt that it’s important to accept and make time for invitations, because one invitation can single handedly change someone’s life. This shows the power we, as individuals, have at all times.
"It is important to accept and make time for invitations, because one invitation can single handedly change someone's life."
Charles also emphasised that invitations from elders are especially meaningful, and reminded everyone in the room that they are each an elder to someone. I completely agree with this because the times I have received an invitation from an elder, such as a teacher, my parents, or a relative, I have felt special and seen. The session was concluded with a takeaway to “do the things that might seem ‘small’ over and over again, and you will never know the difference you can make.”
The HKIS community expresses deep gratitude to Charles Vogl for not only gracing our campus with his wisdom but also being such an energetic, fun speaker. Parents, faculty and students left his talk with deeper understanding and inspiration to invite and accept others.
Annicka Sen '25 interviews Charles Vogl to create a Dragon Waves Podcast.
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