Day-Use Retreats Return After COVID Break
After a COVID-related break in day-use retreats for mission-aligned organizations, we have begun opening the house and garden for these purposes again. It’s wonderful to see change-making organizations holding staff retreats, meetings, and workshops here again.
The UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism 11th Hour Food and Farming Fellows returned for a daylong retreat in November. The Food and Farming Fellowships have given over 100 journalists an opportunity to report ambitious long-form print and audio stories on the full range of subjects under the rubric of food systems: agricultural and nutritional policy, the food industry, rural and urban farming, agriculture and the environment, food and climate change, consolidation and securitization of the food system and public health. As part of their program, they spend a day at Mesa Refuge. “Mesa Refuge is such a gem of a place. Our day here is always a highlight of the weeklong workshop with our journalism fellows,” says Malia Wollan, Director, UC Berkeley 11th Hour Food and Farming Journalism Fellowship.
In January, we hosted the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center for a daylong staff retreat. The Human Rights Center conducts research on war crimes and other serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, using evidence-based methods and innovative technologies to hold perpetrators accountable and to protect vulnerable populations. They train students and advocates to research, investigate, and document human rights violations and turn this information into effective action. We have been honored to partner with the Human Rights Center since 2016, offering yearly residencies for a cohort of three Human Rights Center Fellows. For the past few years, the center has also been holding staff retreats here as well.
If your organization is looking for a nature-based location—saturated with the history and lineage of change-making writers and activists—to host a daylong retreat or meeting, please contact Program Coordinator Eirinie Carson. The cost is $2,275 per day.
Photo: Jenn Kahn