Living Peace Residential Retreat

Waitlist has started. Please contact Kathy before registering.

Wow.  What at time to dig into how to “Live Peace.”  We named the Living Peace retreat around 15 years ago, but it’s never felt more relevant.

Are you wondering how to live peace, to breath human connection and human caring into every interaction, personally, socially, and politically?  Are you wondering how to show up as empowered and as empathic as possible, at the same time?

Right now, as so many of us are working to increase our influence in the world, to act with power and empathy, the Living Peace retreat can help.  The skills of Nonviolent Communication can support us to keep ourselves healthy in turbulent times and to make a difference for everyone whose lives we touch.

We welcome those new to Nonviolent Communication and also those who want to bring their practice to a new level.  The setting is the spectacular redwood forest of the Santa Cruz mountains, which is magical in sunshine or in the rain.

Led by a team of experienced NVC teachers, each day at the retreat includes whole-group teaching sessions, small group practice sessions, empathy groups, participant-led offerings of arts and movement, and time for rest and enjoying the outdoors. Our food is prepared by a beloved chef who has worked with BayNVC for many years, and his mostly-organic, healthy and exquisitely-flavored meals add a sense of deep nurturing to our days together.

Depending on interest, there will be workshops each day focusing on skills for facing challenges in particular contexts, including these:

• Doing political or social change work
• Being in a couple or being single
• Parenting or connecting with children in other contexts
• Communicating across any kind of divide
• Collaborating at work
• Supporting others who are in conflict

You will have the time, space, and support to work on the issues that matter most to you.  Previous years’ programs have drawn therapists, activists, teachers, nurses, doctors, writers, artists, engineers, life coaches, and many more.

Comments from previous Living Peace participants

What a delight to watch Kathy and her team teach – engaging, humble, and authentic. It should come as no surprise that a group of people dedicated to compassion, choice and authenticity can create such a safe space in which to build interpersonal skills, but experiencing it is something else. My learning from the Living Peace retreat is transforming how I can show up in my most important relationships, with the tools for some much-needed repair work.   Ben – software engineer, father

I came to the retreat stuck, discouraged, and skeptical about the possibility of any significant, positive transformation.  It was miraculous for me to see myself and others have transformative experiences and feel much more clear, equipped and empowered to meet life’s complexities with care for oneself and care for others.  Biliana Stremska, designer, artist, wife, mother

I am grateful for the sense of community and the opportunities to deepen my practice of NVC at the Living Peace retreat.  The setting is spectacular, and the teaching and facilitation were well-designed to meet the needs of different kinds of learners with different levels of experience with NVC. J. S., community college teacher and health educator

Additional Opportunity

Participants of this retreat may apply to continue their learning in the BayNVC Immersion Program, which will meet in Oakland one weekend per month in 2017, March through October.

Program Leadership

The retreat is led by Kathy Simon, Ph.D., along with a team of teachers, including Ranjana Ariaratnam, Jared Finkelstein, Donna Carter, Alicia Garcia, David Johnson, Rose Slam Johnson, Roxy Manning, and Janey Skinner.  Our leadership team is designed to be large enough so that our small groups typically have 3-4 participants, so there is plenty of time for individual attention.

Waitlist has started. Please contact Kathy before registering.

Fees for the Program

There are two different fees: 1) tuition and 2) room and board.

1) Tuition is on a sliding scale, $750-1400.  You may place yourself on that scale where you choose, according to your ability to contribute.  We use a sliding scale so that we can open the retreat to people of a wide range of income levels.  Additionally, some scholarships are available, especially for people doing social justice work. Please contact Kathy if you are interested in a scholarship.

2) Room and board fees depend on the rooming arrangement you would like:

• $400 camping
• $450 room with 3 or more
• $550 double room
• $800 single room

What’s the total cost?  Typically, a participant might choose to pay $1000 for tuition and $550 for meals and a room shared with one person; his or her total would be $1550.

Someone needing to minimize expenses might pay $750 for tuition and $400 for meals and camping, for a total of $1150.

What to pay now? Please pay your room and board fee now to serve as a deposit and to hold your space for the retreat.  Pay the amount that matches your rooming preference.  You can also pay your tuition now, or you can pay it in person at the retreat.

Those paying tuition greater than $1000 will be contributing towards the possibility of scholarships, so that some people can attend the retreat for just the cost of room and board. Questions about payments? Please contact Rose (Slam) Johnson, rose@baynvc.org.