• 08 - 11 Aug 2025
  • Savannah, Georgia

Searching for Truth-Tellers in Sacred and Storied Places

In the hush of sacred, storied places, history whispers the wisdom of lifetimes. When we listen together - with compassion as our guide - these echoes become pathways of healing, calling us toward the heart of a benevolent community, where our shared humanity may root and flourish.

Date

Friday, August 8, 2025, 5 pm - Monday, August 11, 11 am

Cost

$1450 Full Retreat Tuition, see below for more details, and rate for local commuters.

Venue

onsite

Savannah Georgia US

Registration Deadline

Jul 28, 2025

We welcome you to join an extended weekend Circle of Trust Retreat® in Historic Savannah, Georgia. It has been written that, “Old trees are the guardians of truth and time, holding the memories of wind, storm, and sunlight in their rings – silent witnesses to the passing of generations and the unfolding of life. (unknown author)  Savannah, with its beautiful old live oaks, draped with moss, and cobble stone streets made by many hands is steeped in stories that often become shadowed by the grandeur of its Historic Homes and river that flows to the sea.

In the face of increasing social and institutional challenges, this retreat offers a pause, a safe space for all who are holding concerns about what next, how to move forward in ways that close our divides, maintain our integrity, uplift hope and create healthier environments to heal from past and present wounds. How can we use lessons from history to create positive and just change in our rapidly changing world?

This retreat will utilize poetry, music, and place – using a lens of self-care to view history, as an invitation to opening our minds and hearts to the stories of our ancestors, the whispers of our spirit, listening to the pain and possibilities of past and present to provide a path we dream of building together. To enrich our experiences, we are honored to partner with Sistah Patt Gunn, an acclaimed Gullah Geechee truth-teller, activist, and historian, a descendent of Africans enslaved in Georgia. Born in Savannah during segregation, Sista Patt can trace her lineage to her great grandmother who was enslaved on a plantation in McIntosh County and to the ship that brought her ancestors across the sea, stolen from their homeland in Africa. Sista Patt shares our belief that healing can only happen when truth is told. This retreat will also be inspired by special performances by The Saltwata Players, a local Georgia Gullah Geechee folk art/freedom songs group established in 2014. The Facilitators for this meaningful retreat are Lori Yadin, an experiential educator, benevolent community organizer, leadership coach and independent Circle of Trust Facilitator, prepared by Parker J. Palmer and The Center for Courage & Renewal. Joining her is Dave Ellis, an internationally known expert in trauma and ACES and dedicated practitioner in the Worldview Intelligence and Art of Hosting approaches to holding difficult conversations.

Meet Your Courage & Renewal Facilitators

Retreat Schedule Overview:

Friday, August 8, 2025: Arriving – The Mindfulness Practices of Arriving and Welcome
Tour One: Evening Walking Tour – History at Our Feet
Arrival Day
Retreat Participants from out of the area will be staying at the Twilight Airbnb, which will also serve as the “Meeting House” for all participants during our Retreat. Arrival Check In for out of towners begins at 3:00 – Please plan to arrive no later than 5. (Note: If flying – morning flight is best to avoid any afternoon summer rain shower. If arriving early, Lori can help to make arrangements to store luggage prior to checking in)
5:00 pm The retreat will begin at 5:00 pm at the Twilight Airbnb – “Meeting House”,
for ALL Participants
5:00 Our Opening – Welcoming Circle will begin promptly at 5 pm
6:15 Dinner by the Riverfront
7:15 Tour #1: Evening Walking Tour with Sistah Patt –
History at Our Feet (The walking Tour shares the significance of sacred steps within a 2-3 block space and will lay the foundation for our time together).
8:30 pm Closing Grace Note and Good Evening – We will help those staying at The Meeting House to get back there for a good nights rest.

Saturday, August 9, 2025: Self-Care – The Work Before The Work
Tour 2: Sankofa – Retrieving Lessons from the Past -Stories of Courage, Perseverance &Honor
Airbnb Guests: Breakfast at the Airbnb, Local Participants join us at 9 am,( coffee, tea and snacks)
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Circle – Session 2
12:15 – 1:45 Lunch served for all participants – and a bit of Self-Care Time – Walk to beautiful Forsyth Park, Browse a Book, Relax at the Airbnb (art supplies for creativity, and books will be available for borrowing)
1:45 Depart the Airbnb and Tour #2 – The Davenport House
2:00 Historic House Tour
3:00 Group Joined by Sistah Patt Gunn – Savannah Underground Tour presenting an overview of Gullah Geechee history, we will be hopping on and off a bus at several important historic sites
6:00 – Return to Airbnb – All Participants will have Dinner together at local Savannah Restaurant
7:45 – 9:00 Gather at Airbnb Meeting Space for Circle – Session 3
9:00 – Grace Note and Good Evening

Sunday, August 10: Tour 3 – Worship, Weeping, and Keeping – A Day of Community Homages
9:30 Sunday Breakfast for All Participants
10:00 Framing The Day in Circle
10:30 AM Depart for Day 2 of Touring with Sistah Patt – Worship at The Historic Second African American Church, Ebenezer Creek Massacre Site, The Weeping Time Historic Site.
11:00 Worship at Second African American Church
12:30 Light lunch/snack
1:00 Depart for Ebenezer Creek Massacre Site, and The Weeping Time Historic Site
Return to Savannah for an authentic Gullah Geechee Catered Dinner by local caterer at Lori’s Home, her small neighborhood off the Herb River Marsh is home to the historic 600-year-old Majestic Oak Tree, listed as a Historic National Treasure
4:00 – 5:30 Refreshments and Circle Session 5
5:30 Traditional Gullah Geechee Foodways Dinner, Music, and Pool Party – following Dinner – dessert and refreshments around Lori’s Pool. All are welcome to bring a suit for swimming or just hang out in the screened pool lanai.

Monday, August 11: Closing Circle – Stories that Continue to Travel With Us
Breakfast served at Airbnb for All Participants
Local Participants – Arrive by 9 am
9:00-11:00 Closing Circle – Session 6
Depart Retreat at Eleven

Our Meeting and Lodging Place is a fully renovated Airbnb located in Historic downtown Savannah, a few blocks from the iconic Forsyth Park, around the corner from a favorite local coffee shop and grocery store. The address will be provided closer to the retreat date. The lovely clapboard home consists of both sides of a detached house, as found throughout Savannah, each with 3 cozy bedrooms and 2 full baths, living, dining room, and kitchen. Two of the bedrooms have twin beds (for those who may be traveling with a friend), and four bedrooms with a queen or king bed. The warm home away from home appeal supports a community environment.

$850  Local Retreat Tuition (no overnight accommodations) includes meals (L, D) museum fees, bus transportation, guided tours and presentations, and retreat materials.

$1450 Full Retreat Tuition includes accommodations at an Airbnb in Historic Savannah, all meals (B,L,D), museum fees, bus transportation, guided tours and presentations, and retreat materials.

If traveling w/a spouse/partner/friend & sharing a room the fee for 2nd person is $850.

For More Information and To Register for this Retreat Please email Lori Yadin at: [email protected]

Kindly Note: This retreat is open to area residents and participants from out of town and is limited to 14 persons.

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