📖 Table of Contents

“Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.”

• David Bowie

🤔 what is this whole thing?

What: A wild opportunity to join a group of ~14-20 friends (to be) for ~2 weeks of fun, transformative, experimental shit 🥳

When: SAVE THE DATE April 14th through April 30th (15 nights)

Who: hopefully, you 😉 ! you can meet some of the organizers here, and we’ll add a list of attendees as it grows 😁

Where: Bucaramanga, Colombia https://goo.gl/maps/im3yCTSt3myxasUZ6

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/48356643?source_impression_id=p3_1677181205_ySbs9nND+EVC4Jhe&check_in=2023-04-14&guests=1&adults=1&check_out=2023-04-30

Why: Given the recent/impending 30th birthdays of many of us, the initial inspiration was to create a space to respond thoughtfully to the process of aging - to reflect, to mourn, to celebrate, to set new intentions, and more!

Its shifted/expanded a bit to include, more broadly, intentions around connection, fun, and exploring aliveness and emergence.

You can read more about the original inspiration in this medium post from Johnson

Budget**:** Accommodation - likely $100-200 for the 2 weeks. Asking $200 to Milly for deposit (see below for details, will refund if it ends up less)

👀 “fun, transformative, experimental” …. say more

Here’s a sketch of what we’re envisioning:

• First weekend: Several sessions run by the planning crew to welcome everyone, set the agreements of this experience, and help everyone get acquainted/comfortable with each other. In our experience, each session covers foundational building blocks for a harmonious group. We’re requesting that everyone block out this weekend to be be present for these (e.g. no trips, don’t be hungover). There’ll be plenty of time for adventures. Might roughly look like this:
  • Day 1
    • Morning session - intro logistics, ice breaker, intention sharing to understand where everyone’s coming from
    • Afternoon session - Authentic Relating games to facilitate some connection
    • Evening session - bonfire (is there a place to bonfire?), for casual bonding/hanging out
  • Day 2
    • Morning session - self responsibility, consent, light touch exercises (wheel of consent?), to practice making requests and saying no’s
    • Afternoon session - group decision making (advice process), to set up how activities will happen the rest of the time
    • Evening session - NVC, empathic listening, courageous conversations, to practice being courageous and honest with each other safely
  • Day ~5 - a night time activity to welcome any folks that can’t make it until a few days later
  • In these sessions, big emotions might come up. Our intention is to create space for that in a way that breeds trust, safety, acceptance, and at the same time, none of us are specialists with trauma, and cannot take responsibility for handling of deep trauma.
• Rest of the time: Structured open space. If you aren’t familiar, maybe the most widely familiar version would be hackathon. The hosting team is no longer in charge, everything is co-created. Everyone’s invited to offer/share whatever they’re excited about whenever they want, and everyone’s invited to participate or not in as much as they would like. Ends up being emergent ordered chaos.
  • e.g - A sample day might include authentic relating games 10am-12, spike ball tourney at 4, and then group dinner at 8
• If you’re working: you’ll have time and space to work, and when you aren’t you’ll be able to participate or not in as much as you have desire for.
  • Activities/sessions may be happening throughout the day/night. If people are finding it difficult to create space then we can try to support that, e.g. with blocked off house wide “no event” time
• Regular house get togethers/heartbeats: e.g. we all eat dinner together. Activity and frequency TBD based on people coming, preferences, # of people (easier to wrangle a daily dinner with 10 people than with 20)

🪞if this sounds like you … you’ll fit right in