I think of the bones
of the unsung rib cage,
the way they protect
the heart. How bone,
too, is living, how it constantly
renews and remakes itself.
I think of how ribs engage
with other ribs
to expand, to contract,
and because they do
their solid work,
they allow the heart to float.
This is what I want to do:
to be a rib in this body
of our country,
to make a safe space for love.
There is so much now
that needs protection.
I want to be that flexible,
that committed to what’s vital,
that unwilling to yield.
- Rosemary Wahtola Trommer, 1/19/25
Educators are asked to hustle before they are allowed to heal. We are exposed to trauma with students, their families, and communities. We dedicate ourselves to building deep relationships with students and put them first within broader systems of oppression - to do this, we need practices and adult community to sustain ourselves and change our workplace response to trauma.
Immersive gatherings can allow educators to find wholeness individually and thrive together. The goal is that we build solidarity and vulnerability through joyful, contemplative, and connecting activities grounded in nature, and taking time and space away from challenging contexts. How that manifests is individual, no extra work to implement any program, while also inviting in collective solidarity and purpose.
Our membership grows each time people finish a retreat. Everyone can become part of the welcoming and support of the next group to follow. We embody healing in our work outside of retreats, including shared labor of hosting, resources and cultivating agency for change, digital community and dinner connections monthly.
Fri Overnight & Sat: Easthampton, MA
Practice skills for boundaries, co-regulation, resilience, communal care, radical joy, and ceremony to apply to belonging in school communit...
Fri Overnight & Sat: Easthampton, MA
TBD
A pop-up style gathering offering one retreat topic in accessible, local, and shorter format. Tentative theme: cultural bravery in complex m...
TBD
Multiple locations
Multiple locations
Multiple locations
Multiple locations
Open Farms Retreat, Cumberland, RI
Open Farms Retreat, Cumberland, RI
In-person dates at Movement Ground Farm Tiverton, RI
3 in-person retreats and 3 zoom convenings for a small cohort committed to supporting each other. This series draws together people co-explo...
In-person dates at Movement Ground Farm Tiverton, RI
In-person dates at Movement Ground Farm Tiverton, RI
New members connected with a committee to support and sustain educators as they enter Boston Public Schools
In-person dates at Movement Ground Farm Tiverton, RI
