In the complexity of these times and the personal and professional lives we live, we can be worn down by the ongoing stress and we often neglect to create adequate support systems for ourselves. Our sense of self and life-giving energy can suffer. We need the opportunity to re-center ourselves, to get our bearings again, to recharge our own integrity, courage and wholeness.
We invite you to join our next Vermont Courage Cohort, a year-long, personal and professional renewal & leadership initiative that includes four seasonal residential retreats beginning in November. Based on the work of author and activist Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal, this retreat series explores issues of transition, vocation, direction, meaning, and alignment with your core values and inner knowing.
In whole group, small group, and solitary settings, we will “reconnect who we are with what we do” in a trustworthy space, exploring stories from our own journeys, deep listening practices, and insights from activists, writers, and inspirers from various wisdom traditions. Each retreat follows a theme, using the rich metaphors and realities of the natural world as a way of exploring meaningful vocational and life questions in order to bring a deeper sense of agency and wholeness into our lives. The retreat series includes Clearness Committees, a Quaker process of individual discernment within community.
The 48-hour retreats are held at the Rock Point Center on the shore of Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. Each retreat begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday and runs through 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The dates for the 2019-2020 Vermont Courage Cohort are:
November 7-9, 2019
February 6-8, 2020
May 7-9, 2020
August 20-22, 2020
The Cohort is facilitated by Carol Egan and Holly Wilkinson, trained Courage & Renewal Facilitators.
Holly Wilkinson is a Courage & Renewal Facilitator and Executive Director of WholeHeart Inc. Her experience includes international and higher education, women’s entrepreneurial training, youth leadership, and non-profit management. Creative expression and fostering circles of connection are important aspects of her work in the world. Holly lives on a dead-end dirt road in Northern Vermont, savoring earth, imagery and all that arrives.
Carol Egan has facilitated Courage & Renewal retreats in Vermont since 2008. For many years she has worked in health, education and leadership and is now a special educator serving children ages 3 to 12 years old in Northwest Vermont. Carol is especially interested in the ways in which creative activities can be integrated with reflective practices for learning and leading.
Total cost for materials, facilitation, room and board: $1,780 for double occupancy or $2,060 for single rooms. If you plan on commuting, the total cost is $1650. Payment plans can be established and scholarships are available thanks to our generous donors. Due to level of interest, an application process is involved. Four Graduate Teacher credits available through Castleton University for an additional $500. Please inquire for more details..
To be a part of this year's cohort, please complete the application as soon as possible.