For July’s retreat, we’re inspired by the work of Priya Parker's “The Art of Gathering,” and her call to boldly stand for a disputable purpose that is unique for each Earthshot retreat.

Some tensions I want to note in the planning stage:

1. Work and connection–are they at odds? Some folks within the organization would like to have time blocked for meetings, while others want to focus expressly on connection and building trust.

2. Meta-structures or free flow–we are utilizing the brilliant body of work on deep ecology and resilience from Joanna Macy’s "The Work that Reconnects" to hold a meta-structure for the retreat. We also acknowledge the radical option of having free form space for the entire retreat (aside from meals) for people to self-organize, rest or spend time however they feel best in the moment.

3. Collaborative co-creation or allowing teammates to show up and be surprised–our teams are busy and hyper-focused on their personal and team missions within Earthshot. We want to engage their ideas for how to gather, while also not giving them too much responsibility so they can arrive in their ease and be surprised by how our time unfolds.

Video from our April 2022 retreat, by Armando Davila Kirkwood

Do you have community-building activities or retreat workshop ideas that have been transformative for your communities? Does this style of gathering interest you? If so, consider checking out our open positions.