“Cultivate” is defined as to foster the growth of a craft and improve skills through labor and care. For us, our craft is the work to end violence and oppression. This work happens in many places such as advocacy, prevention, policy, and other spheres we find ourselves. To better serve survivors and our communities, we must take the time to develop new skills, challenge ourselves, and refine our practice. We must take the time to cultivate ourselves, which is why we have chosen it as the theme and our focus for the 2019 Biennial Retreat.
To cultivate means to nurture and help grow. Just as gardeners or farmers tend to their plants and crops, we must tend to ourselves and care for ourselves. Just like you make sure a plant has the right amount of sunlight, the right amount of water, and the right soil, you also need to ensure you are receiving what you need.
Cultivate can mean taking a pause. This work can stretch and challenge us. We see trauma and oppression face-to-face and its effects on ourselves, our clients, and communities. The retreat will provide space for self and community care in cultural performances, a self-care room, and other events meant to help recharge our minds and bodies.
adrienne maree brown speaks to how we grow as a collective in her book Emergent Strategy, “There is an art to flocking: staying separate enough not to crowd each other, aligned enough to maintain a shared direction, and cohesive enough to always move towards each other.” We hope as we come together for a few days of learning and expanding ourselves that we also have times of moving together and experience real collaboration among one another.
There is an art to flocking: staying separate enough not to crowd each other, aligned enough to maintain a shared direction, and cohesive enough to always move towards each other. –adrienne maree brown, Emergent Strategy
Like previous Biennial Retreats, each person will be able to choose a track of workshops they want to participate in, and we’ve brought the spirit of cultivation into each of these spaces. For example, the prevention track is called “Cultivate Resilience” as a nod to the preventionists’ efforts in building resilience in individuals and communities to prevent sexual and intimate partner violence. Other tracks include “Cultivate Your Craft,” a 201 advocacy track, and “Cultivate Leadership,” a specialized track for leadership in your organization or agency such as executive directors or managers. The “Cultivate Community” track offers workshops on relationship building and community connection. Finally, there’s “Cultivate Wholeness,” a track focused on self and community care.
Many of us here at the Action Alliance are excited to help make the theme of “Cultivate” come to life. We believe it is filled with connections, symbolism, and practices relevant to our statewide community of sexual and domestic violence agencies. This retreat will be a time for individuals to nurture their practice, grow in their expertise, and for our community as a whole to come and rejuvenate ourselves in the work to eliminate violence and oppression.
Cultivate: 2019 Biennial Retreat | June 5-7, 2019
Emory & Henry College
Click here to learn more about workshops, scholarships, and registration.
Robin Sawyer is a VCU student and MSW Intern at the Action Alliance.
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