On the first Saturday of August, people started arriving at Haltia’s old parsonage to spend three days together at our Active Hope in practice retreat. We had ten participants, two facilitators, as well as our hosts, who joined us whenever their kitchen duties allowed.
The summer weather was kind to us throughout the retreat, so we spent a large part of our time outdoors. The grounds of the old parsonage, its old trees and the surrounding nature provided a pretty perfect setting for the weekend.
Active Hope surrounded by nature
The first two days were facilitated by artist and coach Kaisa Käärmemaa and were based on Joanna Macy’s The Work That Reconnects, also known as Active Hope.
We started by getting to know each other and connecting with the place around us, and gradually moved deeper into the themes of Active Hope. Over the two days, we did a lot: working in pairs and as a group, moving our bodies, using art and creativity, and doing exercises in and with nature.
Sometimes we laughed, and sometimes we sat with serious issues. We also spent a lot of time simply listening to each other. Our small group quickly became familiar, and our own little retreat bubble began to form around the parsonage.
One of the absolute highlights of the weekend was the Council of All Beings. This time, the meeting was called by Raspberry, and quite a colourful gathering of animals, plants and natural phenomena turned up, including a cow, wild marjoram and the eye of a bog. The council also had a message for the humans: don’t forget about us or see us only as something to be used – we are part of this world too.
On the third day, we designed action
On Monday, it was my turn to step into the facilitator’s shoes. After two days of Active Hope, we started exploring what really matters to each of us and how we could put it into practice.
The framework for the day was the Design Web, developed by permaculture designer Looby Macnamara. During the day, we worked through its 12 anchor points and applied them to each participant’s own topic, moving towards concrete action in support of their own sustainable goals.
We started with visioning – and after the previous two days, it wasn’t actually that difficult to find things we wanted to do something about. From there, we explored our limits and resources, the support available to us, recurring patterns and principles, and what we could actually do next in practice.
The aim of the day was not only to move forward with our own ideas, but also to learn how to use the Design Web as a tool we can return to when planning other things in the future. Judging by the feedback, I think we succeeded pretty well.
And then it was already time to go home
Of course, there was much more to the three days than workshops. We ate together, drank coffee, talked, spent time outdoors, went to the sauna and swam. In a small group, there was time to really get to know each other, and on the final day it felt a little strange to think that soon everyone would be heading off in different directions again.
One participant described the atmosphere of the retreat in their feedback:
“What I liked most was how gentle and safe the space felt from the very beginning, inviting us to be curious and wonder together. (...) It was also beautiful to share grief together. It was moving and felt meaningful. Such important themes – it increased my hope and strengthened my sense of agency.”
By Monday afternoon, it was finally time to say goodbye to each other and to Haltia’s old parsonage. In just a few days, a warm little community had formed, and none of us was quite ready to leave yet.
Thank you to everyone who shared these three days with us! 💚
The From Hope to Action retreat was organised as part of Vihreä Pourusmäki ry’s Active Hope in Practice – Strengthening and Empowering Our Community project. The project is supported by ECOLISE’s Regenerative Communities Fund with funding from the European Union.
Pics from the retreat
