Power & Equity Challenge Retreat
June 21-28, 2024 Registration is open! Sign up below.
Please note that this is a small retreat and limited seats are available.
Pre-requisite Course: RUP Core Training
The Power and Equity Challenge Retreat is a 7-day, in-person retreat located at the beautiful Charis Mandala Retreat Center near Des Moines, New Mexico (USA).
This retreat is for those who have attended the Right Use of Power™ Core Training and want to develop their power-and-equity consciousness with a deep dive into status, collective, and systemic power.
There will be space and intentional opportunities for both self-care and collective-care. You will have the opportunity to develop deep connections with other participants as well as have a renewed sense of your own power.
This is a retreat for the people who do the work of liberation and need rest, the support of community, time to reflect, and space to be in right relationship with self, others and the land.
What Is Power-And-Equity Consciousness?
Power-and-Equity Consciousness (PEC) is a term refers to the state of awareness of social power dynamics, like those in interpersonal power differentials as well as collective and systemic power, that influence equity in relationship.
Why Do We Need To Develop Our PEC?
Power is present in every relationship. As your PEC develops, you are more capable of seeing power dynamics as they occur, inequities that show up in those power dynamics, and deciphering your responsibilities and vulnerabilities within your relationships.
When you have a framework for understanding power dynamics, the language to talk about it, and the skills to navigate it, you are better resourced for creating and maintaining relationships across difference.
Day 1
Friday, June 21st
Arrive & Settle
You will arrive between 3pm - 6pm to get checked in and settled into your room. We will have dinner together at 6:30pm and you will get an overview of our time together.
Day 2
Saturday, June 22nd
Building Community
This day will be dedicated to connection: to ourselves, one another and to the retreat space. We will share story, build our collective narrative and honor the land that holds us. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” This challenge is designed to help build Beloved Community where there is mutual belonging, collective care and active responsibility.
Day 3
Sunday, June 23rd
Cultivating Personal Power
Often we can feel powerless when it comes to navigating relationships with difference. After this training, you will not only know what power you do have, but also how to use that power in ways that can empower others. Knowing your power and the accompanying responsibilities and vulnerabilities that come with it is empowering for you, can minimize harm (misuses/abuses of power), and empowers others.
Day 4
Monday, June 24th
Self-Care & Collective Care
We know from our Right Use of Power training that self-care is an ethical imperative. This retreat will create space not only for us to care for ourselves but also the space and support for caring for each other. We will learn what it means to cultivate a practice of collective care and we will take a deeper look at how we care for ourselves. You will leave with a self-care and collective care plan that you can take back to your life and communities.
Day 5
Tuesday, June 25th
Navigating Power Differentials
With the understanding of systemic power, we able to better understand and prepare for the complex power dynamics present in every interpersonal relationship. We'll look at the responsibilities and vulnerabilities in each part of the power differential and address the particular challenges in relationships across differences in power.
Day 6
Wednesday, June 26th
Accountability in Relationship
As we get into the nuance and complexities of power differential relationships, we'll notice that responsibility - and the lack thereof - is a central determinant for how power gets used. We will look at the myths and norms of responsibility present in dominant culture and then start to learn a "power with" approach to accountability.
Day 7
Thursday, June 27th
Collective Power
Collective Power is the only type of power that can shift systemic power. This session explores the different types of collective power, how collective power forms, can be sustainable and ultimately shift systems.
Day 8
Friday, June 28th
Closing & Depart
We will end our time together with intentional connection and commitments for going forward. Packing and Departure will happen between 11am - 1pm MST.
The Facilitators
We are excited to introduce our team of facilitators who are rooted in a Right Use of Power lens and have a great deal of wisdom, experience, skill and passion in the learning session topics.
Dr. Amanda Aguilera
she/her/ella
Dr. Cedar Barstow
she/her
Veronica Borgonovi
she/her
Michelle Cottingham
she/her
Dau Windwater
they/them
Jamelah Zidan
she/her
Farzin Farzad
he/him
How much does it cost?
We want to make the Power & Equity Challenge Retreat as accessible as possible while still making it sustainable for our facilitators and the Institute. If you would like to inquire about alternative options, please contact [email protected]
Please note that these prices include food and lodging accommodations at the retreat center.
Limited to 5 Seats
- This rate is for those who frequently struggle to meet basic needs or are facing temporary financial crisis.
This rate covers costs.
- This rate is for those who are mostly able to meet basic needs and have some discretionary income.
Help us offer the Reduced Rate
- For those who comfortably meet basic needs & have significant discretionary income.