Reimagining Futures
What a year.
However we hold 2020 at our retreat centers, with disdain or gratitude, it’s helpful to see how this year has also catalyzed new opportunities. On today’s call, we looked at how 2020 catalyzed the development of a cooperative and supportive network, strengthening (and sometimes establishing brand new) bonds between retreat centers, allied organizations, and their neighboring communities.
A messy year, yes. Confusing and disjointed, certainly.
And also, transformative.
As we close our time together in 2020, what does the future hold for the RCC, for this community of retreat centers, and how can we reimagine the possible futures?
On this call, Jean Richardson of Kirkridge shared insights from a New York Times article by Ferris Jabr, The Social Life of Forests, as a starting point for reimagining the future of our network, including the invisible and yet-to-be-discovered connections that may emerge.
Here are some takeaways from our discussions.
We identified some of our current strengths:
our wide social networks
our centers as “places apart” for innovation, experimentation and renewal
our deep roots of striving to live out values that care for the earth, humanity, and justice
Several colleagues shared what’s been emerging at their centers:
forest and farm pods for children during COVID-19
forest bathing, shinrin yoku
encouraging children to seek wisdom from nature, to sit at the feet of trees in the tradition of hitbodedut. Hitbodedut is self-secluded Jewish meditation following the teachings of Rabbi Nachman
encouraging retreat participants to listen and talk to the trees
combining resources to support shared program events with high profile speakers
providing grief and loss support for organizations/hospitals who are in great need
Michael Shewburg shared his current perspective from Five Oaks:
Five Oaks had to re-position ourselves in our community, we had a broader range, but we were faced with possible local collaborations
shared land with children, developed a forest school program onsite
collaborated on how to share food, take out dinners locally in our community
offered open space, yoga studios, art studios to be in space that is safe
had some land that could be farmed, partnered with a young farmer who didn’t have the equity to buy land
worked with the government to support migrant workers and divided our centre into zones where folks could safely quarantine in small pods
began to understand our responsibility to advocate for migrant farmers’ rights and for their access to food
questioned what it means to creatively collaborate for fair employment - entered into a barter economy in some cases.
As we collectively reflected, several people shared the questions they’re holding.
what’s the next normal?
what are the learnings this year that will enable us to be better in the future?
what did we take into account during our staff restructuring?
were our choices equitable and just?
what are our values and how did we integrate them into our programs?
Yolanda shared from Dominican Center in Michigan:
we lost the physical space of our retreat center this year, but we partnered with someone who had land, and we provided guidance using our experience and values to connect people to the farm and the land
Another colleague shared:
one of the blessings of trees is that they are not self-referential; they are communally referent
one of the traps of being human is constantly centering self—we’re born to it but we don’t have to limit ourselves by it
this collaboration is a giant effort in looking outward to what others are doing/being without self-condemnation or -congratulation. Celebration together. Belt-tightening together.
Facilitators:
Jean Richardson - Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, RCC
Michael Shewburg - Five Oaks Education and Retreat Centre, RCC
Justine Johnson - Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, RCC
Ben Scott-Brandt - RCC
More notes and an audio recording of this session are available at the link below.