Community Building
In early-August 2019, the Intrepid Philanthropy Foundation hosted its sixth annual Convening honoring the newest cohort of LIGHT Awards grant recipients. An amazing group of 40 teachers representing 13 projects attended this 1.5-day meeting at Indian Springs Resort and Spa in Calistoga, along with thought partners and members of Intrepid Philanthropy Foundation’s board and advisory board.
Thought Partnership
For the first time, a group of thought partners attended the Convening. These thought partners are experts in their content areas, and many have already successfully completed LIGHT Awards projects themselves. Thought partners shared advice for a successful LIGHT Awards project and worked one-on-one with teams to discuss goals, address concerns, and offer support. The LIGHT Awards community grows larger every year, and our goal is to connect teachers and teams in our network that have common projects and ongoing interests.
Cultivating Emotional Resilience
For the professional learning portion of this year’s Convening, Janet Baird from Bright Morning Consulting led attendees in daylong activities on the habits and dispositions of a resilient educator. In the session, attendees identified moments where resilience can be cultivated, and the group practiced a range of strategies to do so. As new LIGHT Awardees will be working in teams for the next two years, the group identified their own core values and common emotional responses, and discussed the following questions:
- What role do our core values play in our work as well as the work of our team?
- How can listening expansively cultivate our team’s collective resilience?
- What do we need as a team to move forward?
Identifying the answers to these questions can lead to more resiliency as a team and as individuals in the education space. Cultivating Emotional Resilience was designed specifically for these purposes: to bring prepare teachers to work together as a team, problem-solve effectively, and stay energized as educators for years to come.
Visioning Posters
The event also featured the graphic facilitation of Rosi Greenberg of Drawn to Lead. Rosi created beautiful personalized posters to inspire each of the thirteen cohorts on their LIGHT Awards project journeys. She also created a powerful visual representation to enhance Janet’s Emotional Resilience session, which can be seen in the gallery below.
Favorite Moments
Each summer, the most recent LIGHT Awards grant recipients are invited to a Convening like this one. Below, you can see some of our favorite moments from this year’s gathering. (click to enlarge)
Images by Fotos by Flee