Join fellow members from three networks–Retreat Center Collaboration, the Holistic Centers Network, and Advaya–in an introductory webinar designed to help us understand each other’s communities and collaborative efforts. If you’re interested in an inter-generational approach and curious about non-center based transformational initiatives, we invite you to join us.
Retreat centers are a beacon of light and inspiration in the world, however, centers sometimes struggle to keep the lights on and the pandemic has highlighted new changes. Collaboration opens new possibilities — for retreat centers to address challenges and opportunities as a sector, beyond place, and yet rooted in the deep wisdom of our work.
“One of the guiding principles of Advaya’s values has been around systemic change. And trying to think about, what is change? Within certain systems, we make changes on the surface that don’t reach the root. They’re just a continuation of the same patterns, but with a different face. They don’t really get to the root or the heart of the problem. A real world example: it’s like the decarbonization of the economy that is still tied to the same corporate, globalized systems that create injustice and oppression in other parts of the world. Just because it’s decarbonized doesn’t mean that it’s actually changed. It’s still creating injustice, and it’s still creating suffering. ” — Ruby Reed, Advaya
A panel discussion explored the differences in our approaches and the similarities in our values, with the intention of broadening our mutual horizons and fostering connections. We also shared in small group conversations and a large group dialogue to harvest the insights and learnings.
Date: Wed 14 Apr
Time 9am PDT
Theme: The Emerging Ecosystem for Innovation and Impact
Hosted by: Christine Lines, Executive Director, HCN and Ben Scott-Brandt, Program Manager, RCC.
Duration: 90 mins
Panelists:
Margarita Solis-Deal. Building on more than 20 years of experience as a nonprofit leader and change agent, Margarita has guided ministries and nonprofits, locally and internationally, through pivotal experiences requiring transformation and existential change. Her expertise includes strategic planning, leadership development, program design and implementation, and growing effective teams. She identifies as Latina and is dedicated to amplifying her voice for and with those seeking to be heard, seen and affirmed equitably and justly. Margarita is a Steering Committee member at RCC.
“When I think about collaboration, I also think of this way of emergence, right? It’s a new way—it’s not my way; it’s not your way. It’s this way of being that intersects all of that and creates this new energy in letting go. Collaboration is messy. And it is the way of moving forward.”
— Margarita Solis-Deal, Retreat Center Collaboration
Jenyng Wu. Jenyng is the operations and finance director at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, after 15 years building companies from the ground up. Her work focuses on the internal systems that support the Center’s external work, always looking for solutions where efficiency meets efficacy, and learnings integrate into the DNA of the organizational culture. Jenyng uses this lens to vision with others new ways forward towards creating the world that she wants her boys to inherit. Jenyng is President of the Board at HCN, and a Steering Committee member at RCC.
“As places where folks who come to do the inner work of human development or human potential, or spiritual growth, how do we enable them to go out into the world and do that external work?”
— Jenyng Wu, Holistic Centers Network
Ruby Reed and Christabel Reed. Advaya was founded in 2015 when two sisters, Christabel Reed and Ruby Reed, came together to create a community of learning around ecology, community and wellbeing. Ruby is a curator, catalyst and organiser fascinated with how we can recentre our relationship with the natural world into our perception of life as a whole. Christabel is on a mission to link inner transformation with social change and empower people to embark on the entwined journey of inner and outer healing. Based in the UK, Advaya is a global platform for alternative education and transformative experiences that sits at the intersection of ecology, wellbeing, and spirituality.
Part of the origin story of Advaya is trying to bridge the inner and the outer. Rather than it being start with the self, you know, heal the self and then heal the world. How can these two be in tandem? Because we don’t really have time to just focus on the self at this point.
—Christabel Reed, Advaya
We invite you to pop the dates of the 2021 webinars in your calendar and look forward to connecting again. HCN members receive the zoom invite via email. If you’d like to sign up for annual membership just click below. You can then join the live calls and access the recording via the members dashboard. If you have any questions please write to info@centersnetwork.org
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