• 23 - 27 Mar 2025
  • Savannah , Georgia

Searching for Truth Tellers in Sacred and Storied Places

"Healing begins where the wound was made." - Alice Walker, The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart, 2000 What can we learn from the past? Ask a Truth-Teller, a role held by one who speaks courageously, is thought to be wise, often acting as a moral or spiritual guide within the community. We invite you to join us for an unforgettable and immersive Circle of Trust® Retreat held in Historic Savannah, Georgia.

“Healing begins where the wound was made.” – Alice Walker, The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart, 2000
What can we learn from the past? Ask a Truth-Teller, a role held by one who speaks courageously, is thought to be wise, often acting as a moral or spiritual guide within the community. In many indigenous and spiritual communities throughout history Truth-Tellers have been deeply respected for their ability to share truths that challenge, heal, and preserve cultural identity. Their role is to uphold communal integrity, speak against injustices, and ensure the continuity of intergenerational wisdom.

We welcome you to this experiential Circle of Trust® Retreat of the Benevolent Community Initiative. Together, we believe we can cultivate communities that uplift our shared humanity if we have the courage to engage with the essential questions that history presents to us. Amid escalating social and institutional challenges, this retreat provides a much-needed pause—a safe space for all who are grappling with concerns about the future. How can we move forward in ways that bridge divides, uplift hope, and create healthier environments to heal from past and present wounds? Over the course of four days, we will view history through a lens of self-care, opening our minds and hearts to the stories of our ancestors and the whispers of our inner teacher. We will listen to the pain and possibilities of our past and present to illuminate the path we aspire to build together.

We are honored to partner with Sistah Patt Gunn, a Master Gullah Geechee truth-teller, activist, and historian, who descends from Africans enslaved in Georgia. Born in Savannah during segregation, Sistah Patt traces her lineage to her great-grandmother, who was enslaved on a plantation in McIntosh County, and to the ship that forcibly brought her ancestors across the sea from their homeland in Africa. Sistah Patt shares our conviction that healing begins with truth-telling. This retreat will also feature special performances by The Saltwata Players, a Gullah Geechee folk art and freedom songs group established in Georgia in 2014.

Our retreat will be facilitated by Lori Yadin, an experiential educator, leaderhip coach, and independent Circle of Trust® Facilitator prepared by Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal leadership team. Lori is excited to once again be  joined in the hosting of this retreat by her esteemed colleague and friend, Mr. Dave Ellis. Dave is an internationally recognized expert in the field of trauma and ACEs, and is a Global steward of Worldview Intelligence. Lori and Dave have been holding Healing Justice retreats for the past seven years in Montgomery and Selma, Alabama and are elated to be expanding their work and journey to Savannah. Together with Sistah Patt they look forward to welcoming you to join them for an inspirational and meaningful retreat experience.

This Retreat will use the Circle of Trust® approach, concepts of Benevolent Community, and a lens of self-care and healing introduced through Dave’s Five Fold Path to Healing to support both individual and community reflection and sharing. We will use the sacred stories and history of place as a third thing, along with poems and songs. The Retreat Group will meet each day in Circle to reflect and share their feelings, questions and thoughts. (See below for schedule overview.) Each participant will receive a journal, and other materials to enrich and remember their experience.

Retreat Schedule Overview:
Sunday, March 23: Arriving – The Mindfulness Practices of Arriving and Welcome
Arrival Day
Retreat Participants staying at Hotel Indigo Arrive and Check In
5:00 pm The retreat will begin at 5:00 pm in a Hotel Meeting Space for ALL Participants
5:00 Our Opening Circle will begin promptly at 5 pm
6:00 Buffet Dinner
7:15 Circle – Session 1
8:30 pm Good Evening
Monday, March 24: Self-Care – The Work Before The Work
Tour 1: Opening Minds and Hearts to the Lived Experiences of Beloved People
Hotel Participants – Breakfast in Hotel – Five Oaks Taproom opens at 7 am
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Circle – Session 2
12:00 Lunch at Hotel
1:00 Tour #1 with Sistah Patt Gunn – Savannah Underground Tour presenting an overview of Gullah
Geechee history, we will be hopping on and off a bus at many of the most important historic sites
4:00 – 5:45 Self-Care Break
5:45 Meet in Lobby to walk to one of Savannah’s many great Restaurants for Dinner
7:45 – 8:45 Meet in Hotel Meeting Space for Circle – Session 3
Tuesday, March 25: Tour 2: Slave Quarters, Burial Grounds & Auction Blocks: A Day of
Community Homages
Hotel Participants – Breakfast in Hotel – Five Oaks Taproom which opens at 7:00 am
9:15 AM Depart for Day 2 of Touring with Sistah Patt – The Davenport House, Ebenezer Creek
Massacre Site, The Weeping Time Historic Site. We will be stopping at a locally owned restaurant for
lunch.
3:30 Return to Hotel for a Self-Care Break
5:30 Meet in Hotel Restaurant – Five Oaks Taproom for Dinner
7:00 – 8:30 Circle Session 4
Wednesday, March 26: Tour 3: Courage, Culture, and Community
Hotel Participants – Breakfast in Hotel or a 2-minute walk away is The Goose Feathers Café &
Bakery
9:30 Depart Hotel Lobby and Board Bus with Sistah Patt for Tour of The Penn Center by docent Dr.
Marie Gibbs, St. Helena’s Island, SC, Lunch, and the Harriett Tubman Memorial
3:00 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
7:00 Depart to head back to hotel
7:30 All are welcome to hang out in the Hotel bar for our last evening
Thursday, March 27: Circles and Stories that Continue to Travel With Us
Hotel Participants – Breakfast in Hotel, check out of Room and Store Luggage
Local Participants – Arrive by 9 am
9:00-12:00 noon Closing Circle – Session 6
Depart at noon

The retreat will be held at the historic Hotel Indigo, 201 W. Bay Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401 (912) 236-4440.
This beautiful Hotel will be our home base and is just Steps from the City Market and the Savannah River Front.

Retreat Tuition (for those not needing Hotel)  $1,450
Includes meals (L, D) museum fees, bus transportation, guided tours and presentations, and retreat materials.
Full Retreat Tuition $2,475 includes: accommodations at the Historic Savannah
Hotel Indigo, all meals (B,L,D), museum fees, bus transportation, guided
tours, retreat materials.

Payment:

Please mail payment with this registration, checks made to Create Safe Space, Inc., 107 Majestic Oaks Drive, Savannah Georgia 31406

Retreat Tuition for local Participants not requiring Hotel accommodation: $1,450.00

Retreat Tuition that includes Hotel Accommodations and Breakfast Monday – Thursday: $$2,475.00

It is important to Dave and Lori to create a safe environment where participants feel the comfort of a small community, and therefore this Retreat will cap at 14 Participants.

Due to the timing of the Retreat we will not be able to refund for cancellations unless we can replace the vacated space with another participant.

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