Announcing a Transition for Ben
Holding a mix of regret and gratitude, the members of the RCC stewardship circle are writing to share that our Program Director Ben Scott-Brandt will leave his position on March 1, 2024.
Racial Healing Workshop: Opening Up Our Money Stories
On this call led by Brenda Salgado, program director of the Racial Healing Initiative, community members gathered to explore money stories. Opening up our money stories is a way to observe and transform our relationship to the flow of abundance.
Recruitment and Retention Strategies for Vibrant Staff
On this Community Call, participants gathered to discuss staffing at retreat centers.
Living into the Questions Together
While gathering for the final Community Call of 2023, RCC community members reflected on the year and our shared story as a community.
Maintaining Operations in Extreme Weather
Retreat centers in all geographical regions are facing an increasing number of severe weather events per year, and each event carries the potential for major impacts. By creating business continuity plans and emergency plans, retreat centers are prioritizing disaster preparedness and resilience.
RCC’s 2023 Year-End Review
At the Retreat Center Collaboration, we’re celebrating an abundant year of change, growth, and impact. Thank you for being a part of this journey!
Sharing Poems of Gratitude and Resilience
On this Community Call, participants shared poems and stories that have given them strength and inspired them in the important work of retreat centers.
Welcoming New Listening Circle Members
We’re pleased to welcome a new cohort of members to the RCC Listening Circle. This advisory group will be gathering quarterly throughout 2024 to help inform the future of RCC.
Retreat Programming
On this community call, participants dove into a peer-support discussion about the latest trends in retreat programming.
Your Center’s Sustainability Journey
On this recent call, community members Cathy Stackpole and Mohan Aguirre co-facilitated a conversation about RCC’s recent Sustainability Study.
New Learning and Trends in Our Community
On this community call, RCC Program Director Ben Scott-Brandt presented data from the 2023 RCC Community Survey and facilitated a discussion on how centers plan to utilize the information in their unique contexts.
Racial Healing Workshop: On the Path to Decentering Whiteness
During a Racial Healing Workshop in September, participants had the opportunity to explore their own internalized patterns of suppression, release, and transformation—and how those patterns affect the work of decentering whiteness at retreat centers.
Reflecting On This Year’s Annual Retreat
Our annual retreat last week at Five Oaks Centre in Ontario was a four-day celebration of the RCC community. We discussed resilience, racial healing, land stewardship, learning through gaming and play, operations and programming, bringing core values to life, and more. Such a joy to be together!
Welcoming the Bonner Foundation as a New National Partner
We are delighted to begin connecting retreat centers and allied organizations across the RCC network with Bonner programs, students and alumni around the United States who are passionate about community building, diversity, social justice, spiritual exploration, and wellness.
Models for Balancing Hospitality, Work, and Life
On this Community Call, a panel of speakers shared from their experiences on the difficulties of living where you work, establishing personal space, and what they’re learning along the way.
Sending Care and Love to Closing Centers
You may have seen the news in recent weeks that the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland is going through a major transition, and that Santa Sabina Center in northern California is closing and placing their property on the market. Here at RCC, we grieve to see the loss of these peers.
Peace Through Action AmeriCorps is Seeking Service Site Applications
RCC and Peace Through Action USA invite retreat centers to apply to be prospective AmeriCorps member service sites in Peace Through Action’s upcoming application for AmeriCorps funding.
Retreat Center Operations: Hardware, Software, and Equipment
On this Community Call in early August, the RCC community gathered to swap recommendations for tools that make retreat center operations more efficient and effective.
The Joy of Gathering With Regional Peers
The Midwest Centers Affinity Group serves as a big-hearted pick-me-up for folks who often feel isolated in their work, and an invitation to celebrate being surrounded by people who understand and share a similar vision and set of challenges.
Our Stewardship Circle Welcomes a New Member
The RCC Stewardship Circle brings together diverse perspectives to steward the strategy and direction-setting for the Retreat Center Collaboration, and ensures that our work remains aligned with our core values. In July 2023, RCC welcomed Francisco Burgos, executive director at Pendle Hill, to join this team.