State of the Possible Retreats - United States

The retreats, which are small and intimate, mark an opportunity to unite people who are "active insubstantial networks of people engaged in social change" in order to examine historic potentials of our time, experience spiritual renewal, and build trust. The retreats are based on the premise that each participant is involved in networks that extend to thousands of people. As the participants create new collaborations with one another, they build a web of connections across the divides of race, age, faith, ethnicity, and sector. The idea, according to organisers, is that "Participants can see themselves as part of a Great Turning - a time of cultural awakening to the interdependence of all people and the living planet on which we all depend."

With the support of the Fetzer Institute and several individual donors, six retreats have been held as of this writing. Past retreats have focussed on themes like the love of life (as opposed to the love of money), a "Talking Circle" that drew out personal reflections like "what it is like to be a black man", spiritual awakening associated with struggles against the injustice of a dominator system, and the question of "How can all Americans, of all races, help build a country that "has never been and yet must be?".

Environment, Rights.