Our Mission
The Center for Courage & Renewal exists to nurture deep integrity and relational trust, building the foundation for a more loving, equitable, and healthy world.
What We Do
Through Circle of Trust retreats and other programs rooted in the Courage & Renewal approach we nurture supportive communities of reflection and practice to help people come alive with a renewed sense of purpose, build trustworthy relationships, and cultivate the courage to rise to today’s challenges, making a difference within themselves and their communities.
Why We Do It
While the forces of exhaustion, loneliness, violence, and injustice are real and undeniable, so are the powers of human authenticity, generosity, courage, and community that rise up to meet them.
Whatever personal or societal challenges we face, the resources we need to transform our lives and the world can always be found within us and between us – in the human heart and in community. When we fully embrace the genuine within ourselves and honor the inherent worth and dignity of every being, we unleash the power to build a better world.
The source of our integrity – the genuine within us – goes by many names: soul, true self, inner teacher, identity. When we connect with that part of ourselves and celebrate it in others, we gain a clearer understanding of who we truly are, why we’re here, and the gifts we bring to the world individually and collectively.
When we show up in our homes, relationships, workplaces, communities, and ecosystems rooted in our own integrity and with a deep bow to human dignity, we inspire hope in those around us and foster the relational trust and stamina we need to keep moving, step by step, toward a more loving, equitable, and healthy world.
Our Founding Story
In 1997, Parker J. Palmer with Marcy Jackson and Rick Jackson founded what would become the Center for Courage & Renewal.
First known as the Center for Teacher Formation, our organization began as a program within the Fetzer Institute. Courage to Teach became the premier program helping teachers connect soul with role, rekindling their passion for educating the whole student.
As our approach grew more popular within the teaching profession and other social sectors, the Center for Courage & Renewal was established as an independent nonprofit in 2003 to create programs and immersive Circle of Trust retreats for people in education, healthcare, ministry, nonprofits, activism, business, and anyone yearning to become more authentic and whole.
