provided to The Santiva Chronicle
TOGETHER—A Way Forward is an island interfaith environmental initiative on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Their aim is to inspire people of faith and spirit to demonstrate leadership in responding to the global environmental crisis. Participating congregations include Bat Yam Temple of the Islands; Captiva Chapel by the Sea, First Church of Christ, Scientist; Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church; Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ; and the Unitarian Universalists of the Islands.
This March, TOGETHER is sponsoring a timely online workshop—“Active Hope in Difficult Times: Moving from Despair to Empowerment.” This workshop is intended to assist in the spiritual challenges of the pandemic times. Its aim is to help participants remain resilient, creative, and empowered to act for healing. The workshop will explore ways to envision and create a life sustaining society. The event is drawn from “The Work that Reconnects,” based on activist and teacher Joanna Macy’s work synthesizing engaged Buddhism, systems theory, and eco-psychology, which has been developed over five decades as a resource for resistance and resilience.
In the workshop, participants will gain tools that will ignite their Active Hope, increase their inner resources, and help them experience their unique place in our shared planetary home. The journey will comprise a spiral in four parts: Coming from Gratitude, Honoring Our Pain for the World, Seeing with Fresh Eyes, and Going Forth. Each part will offer the possibility to unfold experiences for hearts, minds, spirits, and bodies. The practices include shared rituals, guided meditation, small groups, songs, and poetry. The workshop will take place on Zoom, and there will be structured time away from the screen to write, reflect, or be outdoors.
The workshop will be intergenerational as a number of Florida Gulf Coast University students are expected to participate. The organizers expect that bringing young adults and elders into a shared virtual space will make for a rich experience. During a time that challenges us to embrace our Active Hope, it is more important than ever for people of all life perspectives to come together with each other and the community of Earth.
It will take place over three mornings on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 to Friday, March 12, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. each day. The full cost of the workshop is $45. There is a special student fee of $15. Scholarships are also available. The registration website is now open: https://activehopetogether.bpt.me/.
The workshop will be led by Amy R. Tighe and Anne Goodwin who have co-facilitated The Work That Reconnects over the past four years for faith communities, activist groups, and students at Boston University School of Theology and Harvard Graduate School of Education.
For further information on the workshop, please contact Amy R. Tighe at artighe@bu.edu
For scholarship information or questions about TOGETHER–A Way Forward, please contact Peter Blaze Corcoran at peterblazecorcoran@gmail.com.
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