Summer Camp East 2011 Program

Let's find out who's here and what we have to offer each other! We’ll spend much of the time moving around, meeting new folks and deepening existing relationships. Participants can ask questions of the group and get quick, direct feedback on issues they care about. We'll also have time to go deeper in several one-on-one connections. This is a quick, fun, easy way to meet lots of people and to get a sense of the diversity of the group.

We welcome each other into the camp community and go over the nuts-and-bolts of camp culture and logistics.

Campers will meet in small “family groups” of 5 to 7 people. Family groups provide: 1) an extra support structure for campers, 2) a mixing of new folks and returning campers, 3) a place to reflect on intentions for camp and how camp is proceeding, and 4) a smaller community that will explore the dynamics of doing real work (i.e., camp chores, also known as Karma Yoga) together. Groups will meet for check-ins approximately every other evening from 8:30 to 9 PM, at the Dome (our main meeting area).

Summer Camp offers opportunities for many new experiences, but it can push our edges, too. How many of us say "yes" to things we don't actually want out of guilt, obligation, or a fear of losing connection? In many ways, "no" is the most intimate thing that one person can say to another. If I can hear your "no," I can trust your "yes." Practice the skills of self-awareness (what do I really want?), transparency (revealing our true desires), and non-attachment (dealing with the feelings associated with not getting our first choice) in this experiential workshop. These skills enable us to find the space of mutually desired and open-hearted connection that is available to us with each person. Sarah Taub will be leading us in this exploration.

In our transparent New Culture, we share our needs and expectations openly. Through skits and discussion, long-time campers will give us some tips on situations that we may not have experienced before.

The Forum is a group process developed at the German community ZEGG to provide a stage for whatever is happening inside the person: one's true motivations, deep feelings, ideas and emotions. The Forum helps facilitate transparency, sharing and clarifying unsolved situations of daily life, and it can be a catalyst for one's own personal growth.

In a sex-positive and body-honoring community, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves on how to keep ourselves safe while having fun. We’ll go over the latest medical information, and practice talking with community and prospective partners about these issues.

The essence of The Heart of Now is the practice of being present with your whole self: your emotions, your thoughts, your body, and the place in yourself that is connected to everyone and everything. When you are present with yourself, you can experience the people, situations and circumstances of your life with greater honesty and clarity. At Summer Camp, we will explore what it means to assist someone as they practice presence and we will have a chance to practice with each other. Debby Sugarman has been working with the Heart of Now since 2001, and has organized weekend courses and evening workshops in the DC area. Debby’s other process work includes NVC, co-counseling, Zegg Forum and she is a trained mediator and meeting facilitator.

We meet in single-gender groups to connect on issues of shared interest. Usually we have a men’s group, a women’s group, and a gender-fluid/non-gender group; campers are welcome to propose other gender-related groups.

A Cuddle Party is a playful social event designed for adults to explore communication, boundaries and affection. Cuddle Party is a wonderful workshop on human connection and communication, and comes with an abundance of affectionate and nurturing touch. It is a safe and structured, non-sexual and drug and alcohol-free event. It is called a "Party" because it is so much fun! Read more on www.hugsandwisdom.com/cuddle_party.htm.Come and cuddle with us! Led by certified Cuddle Party facilitator Goran Matkovic.

Goran was born in Croatia, has lived in Atlanta for the last 20 years, and just turned 50. He is committed to his spiritual path, and what most inspires him are quest for wisdom, mindfulness, authenticity, and exploring human connecting.

How loud is the voice of your inner critic? Is it screaming at you from time to time? Or is the volume low, providing a constant drone? The inner critic is what keeps our mask (idealized self image) intact, and difficult to move. We get caught in a cycle in which it is nearly impossible to be authentic. In this workshop, we will explore how you want to be seen, what you perceive will happen if you are not seen this way, and what you "miss" in life by keeping up this appearance. For those interested in going deeper, we will explore lower self work around the actual voice of the inner critic. Bring your inner critic with you, and we'll give him/her a good workout.

Core Energetics is the bridge between psychology and spirituality. It is the first western psychotherapeutic approach to incorporate the spiritual aspect of being with modern psychology and body-psychotherapy, making Core Energetics a truly holistic and integrative therapy. It is an evolutionary therapeutic approach that seeks the integration of all aspects of our humanity - emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual. This evolutionary process is built on the foundation of the work of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Wilhelm Reich, John Pierrakos, and human development theory, the study of new physics, spirituality, and ancient chakra and human energy theory.

Core Energetics is based on a deep understanding of the ways in which energy and consciousness work together in the transformative process of healing. This evolutionary process of healing encompasses knowing and revealing your whole self- your beauty, your defenses, and your dark shadow. This transformation is achieved gradually by bringing consciousness and movement to the core's overlaying defensive structures.

The result is the release of a vast amount of energy, which can then be used in the service of mental, physical and spiritual health. This creates vitality, greater life fulfillment, joy and pleasure.

Presenter Barra Kahn (http://www.barrakahn.com/index.htm) is an Advanced Certified Core Energetics Practitioner (ACCEP), a professor of Communication at GMU, focusing on developing Interpersonal Communication skills for individuals, couples, and groups. For nine years, Barra was on the faculty and Artistic Director of a national drama conservatory. And just for fun, Barra has been teaching Ashtanga Yoga for 35 years. You can reach Barra at barra3@gmail.com or 703-786-7065.

Move your body to wonderful tunes provided by Francesca and others!

Come explore the balance in your own humanity through interactive exercises, guided visualizations, and sharing with others. Love, Intimacy and Sexuality can be the hardest issues to deal with in a relationship. Human Awareness Institute workshops offer the skills that help you deal with these sensitive topics in your relationships. It will help you define what love, intimacy and sexuality mean to you, and in turn, how that affects the other areas of your life. It promises to be fun, heartfelt, and informative! Presented by Ben Farris from East Coast HAI; more info at www.hai.org .

Expect to be amused and surprised by the variety of unusual items and services donated by fellow campers for bidding. Previous auctions have included such offerings as "1000 kisses" and "a morning serenade." Auction proceeds help to provide scholarships and improve future camps.

WorldWork (http://www.worldwork.org/worldwork.html) will introduce methods for understanding your inner experience in a new and more meaningful way, for understanding the dynamics that exist in relationships, communities, and organizations more deeply, and methods for facilitating conflicts and disturbances. It will introduce group facilitation methods that can also be applied in relationship work and mentoring and will show how to work towards finding a deeper, more meaningful collaboration on all levels helping families, teams, and communities work together more efficiently, more effectively, with a greater sense of wellness and ease, and more joyfully.

This workshop will present methods for using your awareness to track and understand the patterns of relationship interactions helping to crystallize your body’s awareness and bring more meaning to your relationships. Combined with concepts from quantum physics and earth-based psychology, the workshop will present the concepts and practices for developing a practice of fluid awareness in your relationships, grounding your wellness in a deeply body centered way, and furthering your own visions for your life and your world. This is a brief introductory workshop and participants should come away with a sense of how the tensions that pattern community conflicts also exist within our personal relationships and within our own inner psyches. Exploring the relationship between these levels helps us develop a greater understanding of the field and the roles that pattern our world and help us understand how to facilitate a learning path towards finding sustainable solutions together.

Seminar leader Stanford Siver (http://www.stanfordsiver.net) is a therapist, facilitator, and Certified Processwork Diplomate. He has studied process-oriented psychology extensively earning a doctorate in the psychology of conflict through exploring the relationship between our inner experience and community, organizational, and global conflict. He is a board member of IAPOP (the International Association of Process Oriented Psychology), a co-founder of the Deep Democracy Institute, and an independent consultant working to bring Process-Oriented Leadership training programs to conflict and developing regions.

Drum and dance around a roaring bonfire! Led by the fabulous Tenya Goosby.

This in depth interactive workshop combines the teachings of Taoist and Tantric Sacred Sexual practices to take you on a journey exploring what is possible when we tap into our most powerful creative energy. A combination of knowledge and hands on practice help you to understand the physiology and energetic responses of your personal sexual and energetic systems and how you can use this to deepen your connection with your partners as well as how to focus this energy into other important areas of your life. Morning will focus on information and basic techniques. Afternoon energetic exercises will be done solo, in dyadic partnership, and with multiple partners in a safe space and always at choice as to your level of participation. During the Free Time session following the afternoon session, there will be an opportunity to experience a puja and the energy of Mandala Tantra with the group.

Robyn Trask has been a student of and teacher of Sacred Sexual practices for over twenty five years studying both Taoist and Tantric Sacred Sexual teachings. Robyn began teaching and Facilitating Sacred Sex workshops in 1998. Her approach is to integrate different types of energy within each person with intention and a holistic approach. She is the Managing Director of Loving More Nonprofit and Magazine teaching and speaking on matters of choice and honesty in alternative relationships and sexuality across the US. She has identified as polyamorous for 23 years and is working to shift the narrow paradigm of our current culture in terms of relationship choice and sexuality.

Every year at our Summer Camps, we create a heartful, mind-expanding, transformative community aimed at creating a sustainable world based on love and freedom. How can we bring more of this energy into our lives and the world? What would this look like for us as individuals, and as an expanding network? Let’s figure it out!

Imagine a table loaded with succulent fruits, candies, and nuts; in the center are large bowls of chocolate sauce and whipped cream for dipping. But there's a catch - the one rule is that you may not feed yourself! Serving, and being served, are the watchwords of this event. The result is a delicious combination of sensory input: music, movement, people, touch, and yummy treats.

Join in as the entire camp self-organizes for concurrent events, inspired by your own passions and interests. Open Sessions are an opportunity for campers to convene dialogue groups on topics they've been wanting to explore, or create group massages, or do a music jam together. Participants are free to move from session to session, honoring their instincts and natural enthusiasm.

Come one, come all, and show us more about you! No talent is required – “if you can walk, you can dance; if you can talk, you can sing!”