Retreat:Renew:Rebel! is for English speaking activists, social workers, and social entrepreneurs who find themselves in need of a gathering that is deeper and whose effects are longer lasting than a simple break from the work of healing the world. We have set the timing of this event to follow on the heels of the U.S. presidential election, because we know that, for many North Americans and others, that will be a time of reflection, regardless of the results.

Retreat:Renew:Rebel! will be held in Yelapa, Mexico. Participants will arrive on Wednesday, December 1st in Puerto Vallarta and will be picked up by boat and brought across the beautiful Bay of Banderas to Yelapa. There will be an opening event on Wednesday evening, followed by three full days of retreat (with plenty of time to enjoy Yelapa) and a closing event on the morning of Sunday, December 5th, when a boat will take participants back to Puerto Vallarta.

Obviously, one of our main goals is for the tired professional to feel better, but our goals go much deeper than that. We look forward to you leaving with tools and insights that will continue the process of renewal and reengagement for months after the retreat. We hope to inspire in you a new vision of your work. We will be both idealistic and realistic about the kinds of changes you might want to nurture in your life, especially as it relates to your work. If we're lucky, everyone will return home as a teacher of a deeper, more sustainable approach.

Everyone learns and teaches a little differently. We plan on taking advantage of that fact by employing a wide variety of techniques in the context of a holistic three day retreat plan. There will be inspirational talks and music, one on one and small group processes, meditations and exercises, movement, body work and body awareness, artistic and musical explorations. The retreat will speak to your mind, your body, and your spirit, sometimes together and sometimes apart. One way to see the retreat is as a blending of mind, movement, and music.

The three days of the retreat are focused on the three parts of the journey which we hope to facilitate. Thursday, the first full day, will be focused on the process of Retreat itself. It will be dedicated to ways of truly letting go of the weight that we carry in our work. Friday will be focused on Renewal. We'll reconnect with sources of inspiration and energy. Saturday is about Rebelling. We'll develop the sustainable strategies that mindful reengagement in "the good fight" depends. Throughout the retreat, there will be plenty of time to enjoy Yelapa, connect with other participants, and enjoy individual time with the instructors.

We've assembled a truly amazing team of three instructors.

Michael Gilbert became well known in the early nineties for his workshops: Making a Living, Making a Difference; Time Management for Human Beings; and Learning and Growing from Burnout. He is well known for his refreshingly honest approaches to organizational problems and has been an inspirational speaker at conferences for many years. He has worked with hundreds of nonprofit organizations from over 20 countries.

Ali Woolwich is a dancer, a teacher, and a community organizer, who was trained as a classical musician and documentary filmmaker. She is a strong advocate for the teaching power of Contact Improvisation and other group movement techniques. She is the Director of Humility Swim, a Contact Improvisation based performance ensemble, think-tank and nomadic classroom.

Trina Willard is a singer, songwriter, activist, teacher, and mother. She may be best known for having composed Stand Up, the signature song of the Seattle Peace Chorus. She and her a cappella group Trillium are admired for their beautiful and spiritually moving music.

The per person cost of the workshop is $1800. This includes absolutely everything except your transportation to the dock in Puerto Vallarta, and home from there at the end. It includes lodging, all meals, transportation during the retreat, of course. More importantly, it includes instructor fees, activity costs, supplies, and equipment for a rich and rewarding retreat.