The Center for Vocational Reflection invites you to be part of a special workshop opportunity this summer, as we pilot “Courage and Light: Exploring Passion, Renewal, and Creativity with Jim Brandenburg and Parker J. Palmer.” The CVR is partnering with (among others) Hamline University and the College of St. Benedict to create this new professional and organizational development resource, and the producers are asking us to take it for a test run as it nears completion.
“Courage and Light” provides teams and individuals with a powerful learning experience that ignites passion, reclaims mission and vision, enhances communication, and enriches creative thinking and problem solving. The program features a series of filmed conversations between acclaimed author and educator Parker J. Palmer (author of “The Courage To Teach” and “Let Your Life Speak”) and renowned National Geographic nature photographer Jim Brandenburg. The starting point and context for their conversations is the internationally award-winning PBS documentary “Chased By the Light,” which chronicles an extraordinary experience of personal and creative renewal undertaken by Brandenburg: at the height of his career, he found himself exhausted and having lost passion for his work. For 90 days he set out to document life in the Minnesota/Ontario wilderness surrouding his home by following a strict discipline of taking a single photograph — one click of the shutter — each day.
The program has seven sessions; feel free to come to as few or as many as you’re able. We will meet in Linner Lounge at 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. each of the following days:
- Monday, July 13: Introduction to the program, to Palmer and Brandenburg, and to the importance of passion and courage in life and work.
- Wed. the 15th: “Seasons as Metaphors” uses the cycle of the seasons as a framework for individuals and teams to assess where they are in the cycle of their work and helps them regain the passion that brings out the best in all of us.
- Tues. the 21st: “Paying Attention” reclaims the power of paying attention through listening — to others and to our own wise council — and by refocusing attention on the often neglected things that matter the most. *Note: Tuesday the 21st we will meet in the St. Peter Banquet Room in the Jackson Campus Center
- Thurs. the 23rd: “Working on the Slant” offers powerful approaches to creative problem solving and to deepening group communication, trust, and effectiveness.
- Tues., Aug. 4th: “Encountering the Other” explores how people, ideas, and organizations that we fear or mistust (“the Other”) can become positive, collaborative resources if we strive to learn more about them and stop projecting outward our internal concerns and apprehensions.
- Wed., Aug. 5th: “Finding the Gold in Failure” works with the concept that failure can allow us to confirm and reconnect with our commitments and provide opportunities to learn, discover, and innovate.
- Thurs., Aug. 6th: “On Risk Taking” explores how taking appropriate risks can awaken passion and stimulate creativity.
To help us get an accurate count for materials and refreshments, please rsvp to Amy in the CVR for the sessions you plan to attend (phone x7159 or email apehrson). But don’t let that keep you away: walk-ins are fine, and everyone is welcome.