Wherever you stand, be the soul of that place.
Your bright gaze will kindle this old shadow world to
Blaze up once again with the fire of faith.
-Rumi, One Song
Place. Place-Based. Placemaking. Soul of Place.
For each of us, these words may carry different meanings. They may bring to mind that place deep within ourselves. They may call to mind place in the context of engaging with others. They may instill strong feelings of those physical surroundings that are meaningful, potent, perhaps even connected with memory, as well as the others who inhabit those places and how deeply they impact our lives. Or they may immediately reflect on places which are welcoming – or exclusionary. Who among us has not asked, “Do I belong here?”
However we examine it, place is powerfully important in our lives. Connecting with place in all its nuances can restore and nourish us as we seek to do our best work in a world that very much needs us.
Please join this fifth annual gathering of professionals in education as we reflect on, explore, and sit with questions related to place: physical, interior, and the web of connection that weaves us together. Participants will rediscover ways to sustain ourselves as we foster our ability to enhance the common good on our campuses– connecting with those purposes for which we originally sought this vibrant vocation, and becoming more present, whether in the classroom, meetings, the hallway, or in residential life.
What you can expect:
Together, we will spend time in conversation with self and others, inspired through poetry, music, movement, and the wise words of elders, exploring questions together, such as…
• How can we find a sense of belonging while being rooted to a place larger than ourselves?
• How can we become connectors of places to support the generation of wisdom in community?
• What does this place know of me that I don’t yet know about myself, and what might it ask of me? Of us?
Participants will rediscover ways to sustain ourselves as we foster our ability to enhance the common good on our campuses– connecting with those purposes for which we originally sought this vibrant vocation, and becoming more present, whether in the classroom, meetings, the hallway, or in residential life.
While the event is designed for all who work in higher education, we welcome all who consider themselves educators. Parker J.Palmer and guests will join us in this time of inner reflection and outer commitment to cultivating a renewed vision of education.
Being naturalized to place means to live as if this is the land that feeds you, as if these are the streams from which you drink, that build your body and fill your spirit. To become naturalized is to know that your ancestors lie in this ground. Here you will give your gifts and meet your responsibilities. To become naturalized is to live as if your children’s future matters, to take care of the land as if our lives and the lives of all our relatives depend on it. Because they do.
― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
Details and Registration:
- Registration is open with an early bird discount available through April 14, 2023.
- 10 am- 2 pm CT,
To find the time of the event for you: https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/
- Costs: $150 early bird discount until April 14. $195 Registration Fees for event – total cost for three days.
- Scholarships are available and the process for applying is built into the registration process- please follow the instructions there and note that while we hope to help people attend, scholarship funds are limited so please apply early.
- Group Rate: $150 each for groups of three or more who plan to attend from the same institution.
- You can help us provide scholarships by donating during the registration process. Thank you for considering this partnership with us.
- Registrations closes June 9, 2023, midnight CT USA
- Cancellations must be received in writing and are subject to a $50 administrative fee if received 30 days before the event is scheduled to begin. After that date the standard cancellation policy applies, see full cancellation policy here.
“The institution of higher education is notoriously slow to change. But many
individuals within the institution have kept the vision of an integrative practice
alive in their hearts – using heart in its original sense, not just as the seat of the
emotions but as that core place in the human self where all our capacities converge:
intellect, senses, emotions, imagination, intuition, will, spirit and soul.”
~ Parker J. Palmer, from: The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal
Transforming the Academy through Collegial Conversations.
The Center for Courage & Renewal and its facilitators do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, height, weight, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status.
