Public Retreats
Our public retreats take some of our most requested content from our work with groups and organizations, and make them available to a broader audience. Upon completing a one-day retreat, participants will leave with both theoretical frameworks and concrete resources to support their work within their community.
Three times a year we offer three different public retreats on 1) Liberatory Facilitation, 2) Conflict Analysis, and 3) Harm Systems Design. Our public retreats take some of our most requested content from our work with groups and organizations, and make them available to a broader audience. Upon completing a one-day retreat, participants will leave with both theoretical frameworks and concrete resources to support their work within their community. In 2023, Liberatory Facilitation is offered on 2/24, 6/9, and 9/29. Conflict Analysis is offered on 3/10, 6/23, and 10/13. Harm Systems Design is offered in 3/24, 7/7, and 10/27.
Before each retreat, participants will learn about our values, community agreements and harm response systems, have an opportunity to introduce themselves to their fellow students, and to submit questions to inform the facilitation and direction of the live event. At the conclusion of each retreat, participants will receive a list of additional resources and are invited to submit a personal artifact or reflection to the group to reflect on and share their learning. Additionally, optional personal or group coaching can be added to any retreat to support in personalizing and applying the learnings.
On access: these retreats are virtual, offered in English with closed captions. Written and captioned video materials to prepare will be shared in advance. Upon registration, participants will fill out a survey to share access needs. If we cannot meet those needs, we will reach out and offer a refund and alternate options. Please ask any further questions in the comments here, via direct message, or by emailing bluelight.academy@timetospringup.org
Learn more and register today at bluelight.academy
Private Retreats
Interested in booking a private retreat for your group of 10+? Fill out our current "Collaborate with us!" form to express your interest and a member of our team will be in contact with you for booking.
Our current booking availability:
2023–
Spring: February 11 - April 1
Summer: June 5 - July 13
Fall: September 25 - November 2
LIBERATORY FACILITATION RETREAT
The Liberatory Facilitation retreat is structured around the questions, “What does it take to be free together? And, what is the role of the facilitator / educator in supporting that freedom?” The daylong retreat is great for anyone who facilitates learning experiences, whether they are teachers, trainers, community accountability facilitators, or leaders. Through dismantling notions of what ‘should’ happen in facilitated spaces and how people ‘should’ learn, participants learn skills to lead people and spaces towards differentiation and self-directed learning.
Alumni Reflection: The facilitation was engaging, dynamic, interesting, and challenging in a good way. I loved the modeling of how to facilitate for liberation! Incredibly effective design of a workshop. And I really appreciated the transparency around how facilitators were communicating and negotiating through the whole workshop to meet everyone's needs
CONFLICT ANALYSIS RETREAT
The Conflict Analysis retreat is a six-hour event for organizers, leaders, mediators, coaches, therapists, and more--anyone who is interested in deepening their understanding and analysis skills of conflict. Within the retreat, participants will examine fictional scenarios and engage with tools to support empathy building, understand and map power dynamics, investigate the scale of the harm, and discuss the choice points available throughout the conflict.
Alumni Reflection: "I have never been to a conflict training where I felt so witnessed, and have had a thorough breakdown of power, harm, and conflict. Y'all are brilliant - thank you so much for sharing with us, and for your work!"
HARM SYSTEMS DESIGN RETREAT
Harm is pervasive in communities and institutions, how an organization responds to the harm is its accountability in action. The one day Harm Systems Design retreat is great for organizational leaders, people from Human Resources or community accountability teams or entrepreneurs thinking about how to create systems in their endeavors. This retreat requires a minimum of two people from an organization to participate to share the learning. Through an examination of Organizational Accountability, what harm looks like in the participants’ context, and consideration of the legal liability requirements of organizations, participants will leave with examples and inspirations of how they can respond to harm given their unique context.
Alumni Reflection: All the facilitators rock. I love the depth of experience and vulnerability and wisdom. The facilitation was so skillful, the agenda and flow were well paced, and the core tool of the wheel of accountability is a REVELATION.