Retreats

The world needs more people, no matter their context, role, or “official” title, to lead with courage and integrity. The Change the World program nourishes the heart and soul of leadership by helping young adults to:

• discern and clarify their callings

• develop trustworthy relationships

• listen more deeply to the voice of true self, and to the contexts in which they lead, work, and serve

• nourish key “habits of the heart” (outlined in Parker J. Palmer’s book, Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit) for fostering leadership

• learn about, and cultivate capacities and skills of, adaptive leadership (see, for example, Sharon Daloz Parks Leadership Can Be Taught and Ron Heitetz, Leadership on the Line)

• foster practices to sustain themselves and inspire others for the long haul

  work together to transform the institutions and communities they serve.

In large group, small group, and solitary settings, we will explore the intersection of our personal and professional lives, making use of stories from our own journeys and insights from poets, storytellers, scholars, artists, sacred texts, naturalists, musicians, filmmakers, scientists, and various wisdom traditions. Clearness Committees, a high-integrity and strictly confidential process of asking open and honest questions around a difficult issue within a small group, is often a key component.

Between and beyond the retreats:

• Peer Learning Circles: Participants will convene by phone or web-based video conference in small (4-5 person) peer learning circles, which will meet for two hours each month between retreats. The Milkweed Group provides training and materials on how to conduct these circles, and once the circles are established they will function autonomously in the skilled hands of the cohort members.

• Individual coaching/consultations: Each member of the cohort will also have access to individual coaching/consultation and spiritual accompaniment with Chris or another member of The Milkweed Group, monthly between the retreats (and, for a modest additional cost, for six months beyond the end of the series).

Additional Resources:

• You’ll receive a bibliography of suggested reading and websites including suggestions of tools helpful in monitoring personal growth and clarifying values.

• You’ll also receive a quarterly e-newsletter from The Milkweed Group, with information and resources to reinforce the learning, suggest healthy habits for self-care, and target focus areas of growth.

• You’ll have access to optional Change the World alumni events (e.g., reunion retreats), and support from The Milkweed Group to implement ideas that come from your cohort.