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Why Cathy Gives
Cathy Buller (pictured at left) is volunteering to crunch numbers and run data for the Whidbey Institute this week during the 48-hour fundraising marathon that is GiveBIG. Yesterday, I asked her why she’s willing to put so much time and energy in for us. This was her answer. Read More →
Questions and answers about the Whidbey Institute’s current status
We understand program leaders, program participants, community members, friends, and donors may have questions about how we’re doing. For all those who wonder about the Whidbey Institute’s status during this unusual time, we’ve prepared this Q&A post!
With appreciation,
The Whidbey Institute team
Humanity & Nature | May Newsletter
“We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was never normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature.”—Sonya Renee Taylor
In this issue: staffing update, conservation easement update, GiveBIG May 5 & 6, and Journalists of Color on COVID-19.Click to read the issue. Read More →
What Might We Learn? | April 2020 Newsletter
Click here to read the full issue: https://mailchi.mp/whidbeyinstitute/newsletter-1122357
Transformational learning in the present moment
Transformational learning was once defined by Dean Elias as, “the expansion of consciousness through the transformation of basic worldview and specific capacities of the self.” Through transformational learning, in the words of Jack Mezirow, “ . . . we learn to negotiate and act on our own purposes, values, feelings, and meanings rather than those we have uncritically assimilated from others—to gain greater control ove r our lives as socially responsible, clear-thinking decision makers.” According to John M. Dirkx, transformational learning “challenges our existing frames of reference—the beliefs and assumptions we hold about ourselves, others and the world,” while at the same time “evoking potentially powerful feelings and emotions within the learning experience.” Read More →
Mary Holscher on “Democracy Vouchers”
Pictured at our February 2020 program leader gathering, from left: JJ McMinds, Helena Hennighausen, Larisa Benson, and Mary Holscher.
Dear Friends of Whidbey Institute,
In this time of confinement, one form of entertainment my husband Paul and I have recently enjoyed is deciding how we will give away the part of our $2400 stimulus check we don’t need. We understand that some of you reading this have had severe financial losses and will need every bit of whatever you receive. This letter is directed to those of you who will receive a stimulus check soon and have, like me and Paul, suffered only modest financial impact. Read More →
Together, apart
Our March 2020 quarterly learning group was unlike any our team has held before: fully online. Some folks had major Zoom fatigue after spending a full two weeks in remote conversations, while others were just getting used to connecting through the computer as a new part of daily life. Still, we managed to learn, laugh, grieve, play, work, and reflect together and by the end of our three-hour call we felt collectively nurtured and restored. Good work, humans—it’s an honor to be in this work with you.