Whole Thinking Retreats
Why do I need you?
Why do you need me?
Who and what are we working for?
What are the unintended consequences of our work?
How can our work build whole communities?
Whole Thinking Retreats are six-day forums that help leaders of the environmental and social justice fields grapple with these questions together. Through fellowship awards, we bring together leaders whose work relates to land and people to find common ground, common purpose and common courage in tackling the major issues of our day.
Retreats are attended by leaders from a broad range of professions: urban and rural conservationists, environmental justice advocates, community development practitioners, food security advocates, farmers, ranchers, faith-based activists, wilderness and farmland conservationists, business people, biologists, writers, educators, elected officials, and others. We bring them together to ask questions of themselves and each other and through that process to help them see their work and potential in a new light.
“A truly transformational experience.” -- 2007 retreat participant
The Whole Thinking Retreats aim to strengthen the environmental and social justice movements in this country by:
- Helping individuals from specialized groups to re-think their work together, in terms of whole systems and in terms of addressing root causes as opposed to symptoms
- Initiating values-based inquiries that will help the movement to better understand and communicate the values that hold it together and, later, will inform better strategies and tactics
- Helping all people within the movement to engage in a safe and productive dialogue about the roles of race, class and privilege in their work
- Introducing new definitions and measures of success that foster greater collaboration, link social and environmental objectives, and offer the movement a clearer vision of what a whole community is and how to get there, and
- Rejuvenating people’s strength and wisdom through nurturing, reflective and creative practices that open the door for more authentic relationships, deeper dialogue and new ways of leading.
“The retreat was flawless. I have never come close to saying the word “flawless” about any other training I’ve been to.” -- 2007 retreat participant