Reaching out Beyond the Garden
On a mild day in mid-January, close to twenty elders, mentors, and leaders who work with youth gathered at Commonweal Garden. They came for an introduction to the Regenerative Design Institute’s (RDI) Ecology of Leadership training, and stayed for the next 24 hours to help plan an important new RDI initiative—the formation of a Youth Leadership Program.
Inspired by our desire to work with urban youth and support young leaders, the concept for the program evolved through many years of conversations, meetings, and discussions. Although there are a number of programs offering young people a chance to experience the natural world, there are few opportunities for young leaders who work with youth to receive the training and care they need to give fully of their hearts and souls. The intention of the Youth Leadership Program is to fill that need.
Funded through the generosity of the Kalliopeia Foundation, the Youth Leadership Program will bring together leaders, ranging in age from 21–35, who serve youth organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. They will be invited to spend four days with the Regenerative Design Institute, participating in a retreat led by wise elders, RDI staff, and other guest instructors to collaborate, nurture themselves, and develop a strong connection to each other and the natural world.
Following the retreat, those participants willing to commit to working together for the next three years will dive into a five month Ecology of Leadership training. Each will develop a plan that will help the communities they serve to better connect with the natural world, and RDI will work with them to make their visions a reality.
The undertaking is ambitious and rewarding. The inspiration, for ourselves, the elders who gathered in January, and those who will participate in the retreat, comes from the amazing gardens and the wildlands that comprise Commonweal Garden. Vibrant and buzzing with life, the gifts they offer spread out far beyond the fenceline—breathing new energy into the corners of our cities and urban neighborhoods in need of nature and nurturing.
The Regenerative Design Institute at Commonweal Garden is supported through the generosity of the Jenifer Altman Foundation, Morning Glory Family Foundation, Stinson-Bolinas Community Fund, Kalliopeia Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration BWET program, and the donations and time of many individuals to whom we are very grateful.
