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Our Mission:


Fostering practices that awaken connection with self, others and the natural world.

Council, the practice of listening and speaking from the heart, is our core offering.

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Upcoming Events

Spotlight

Our Educational Sanctuary

The Nature of Council Leadership Training in Athens, Greece

May 22 2013 - 2:00pm - May 26 2013 - 4:00pm
The Nature of Council Leadership Training
with Gigi Coyle
Oikia Karapanou, Athens, Greece
 

Intro to Council in Santa Barbara: "Coming Back to Life"

May 25 2013 - 9:00am - 9:00pm
May 26 2013 - 9:00am - 3:00pm
(Saturday + Sunday) 
Join Alexis Slutzky & Laura Whitney
for an inspring and rejuvenating introduction to Council at The Center for Spiritual Renewal, Casa de Maria, in Santa Barbara.
 

Mother/Daughter Council Retreat

May 25 2013 - 10:00am - May 26 2013 - 4:00pm

Join Kate Lipkis and Phoebe Lipkis for two sweet days exploring your relationship with the one you came from or the one you gave birth to! 

Council 2 Workshop in Olympia

May 31 2013 - 6:30pm - Jun 2 2013 - 3:00pm
Join Council Trainers Kate Lipkis and Leslie Roberts for a dive into deep council and unbridled joy at Dancing Cedars, outside Olympia, Washington.
 

Gathering Of The Ages ...

Jun 14 2013 - Jun 16 2013

An InterGenerational SOLSTICE Celebration of Indigenous Wisdom in Contemporary Times

Sponsor a Youth!  Register Early and Save (by May 15th!)

2013 Gathering of Council Carriers

Jul 12 2013 - 9:30am - Jul 16 2013 - 6:00pm

The circle is calling you!!  

This year's annual weekend Gathering of Council Carriers at the Ojai Foundation, hosted in 2013 by Alexis Slutzky and Lori Austein, is an offering to all who hold Council in their hearts and who are finding ways to bring the practice to others.

Council Training 3 - "Living the Way of Council"

Jul 19 2013 - 3:00pm - Jul 21 2013 - 4:00pm

Facilitated by Bonnie Mennell and Leon Berg  

Council Training 3 is an advanced workshop, intended for experienced council practitioners who are discovering that they want to live the way of council rather than limiting their involvement to facilitating a useful approach to group interaction. 

Summer Work Retreat 2013

Aug 25 2013 - Sep 3 2013

SUMMER WORK RETREAT

Sunday, August 25 - Tuesday September 3, 2013

Come prepared to work with your body and the earth, while deepening your connection with self, community and the natural world. This 10 day Work Retreat at the Land Sanctuary offers the opportunity to live close to the Land while engaging in daily mindful, physical work on 40 acres of beautiful semi-wilderness.

Council Training 1

Sep 13 2013 - 5:00pm - Sep 15 2013 - 4:00pm

Facilitated by Jodi Rosner and Deborah Raoult.

Experience the age-old practice of Council and learn ways to use it to enrich all your relationships: couples, families, schools, businesses, communities ...
 


 

Building A Vocal Community with Ysaye Barnwell

Sep 27 2013 - Sep 29 2013

We are delighted to be hosting this incredible wisdom keeper who has been with the vocal acapella African American group Sweet Honey in the Rock since 1979.  Ysaye will be facilitating a weekend workshop, and a public Community SIng! on Sunday evening.  We encourage vocal coaches, school and university choir directors, church groups, and anyone who just likes to sing to join us for this unique opportunity to be with Ysaye Barnwell.

Nature of Council: Leadership Training (@ School of Lost Borders)

Oct 13 2013 - 9:00am - Oct 19 2013 - 4:00pm
This seven-day training, led by Gigi Coyle, is designed for those already working with council in schools, quest work and therapeutic or spiritual communities, as well as those wanting to introduce council in new places .

Council Training 2

Oct 18 2013 - 5:00pm - Oct 20 2013 - 4:00pm
Facilitated by Bonnie Tamblyn and Lise Ransdell.
Council 2 is about deepening our practice, embracing shadow and "turning into the skid" ...  
 

Council Training 1 at UC Santa Cruz

Nov 9 2013 - 9:00am - Nov 10 2013 - 6:00pm
Introduction to Council (Council 1)
with Alexis Slutzky and Adam Rumack
at The CENTER FOR COMMON GROUND at UC Santa Cruz
 




Click here to read about The Center for Council Practice Social Justice Council Project in the February 20, 2013 Ventura County Star newspaper!



Read our 2011-2012 Annual Report Here



This winter, the Center for Council Practice is launching its new "Social Justice Council Project," made possible by a generous grant from the Angell Foundation

Click here for more information!


Center for Council Practice Announces 2013 Training Schedule!

Interested in learning about the Way of Council? Looking to deepen your council practice in your work setting or in your personal life? The Center for Council Practice has announced a full slate of council trainings for 2013, all taking place at The Ojai Foundation's Land Sanctuary. Sign up today!


2013 COUNCIL TRAINING SCHEDULE

Introduction to Council (Council 1):

February 15-17: Shay Sloan & Andrea Brown

May 10-12: Natalie White & Adam Rumack

September 13-15: Jodi Rosner & Deborah
Raoult

December 6-8: Alexis Slutzky & TBD

Deepening the Practice (Council 2):

March 15-17: Kate Lipkis & Tom Nolan

October 18-20: Bonnie Tamblyn & Lise Ransdell

Living the Way of Council (Council 3):

July 19-21: Leon Berg & Bonnie Mennell


(Additional Council Trainings take place at other locations throughout the year; check back for updated listings of trainings open to the public at a variety of locations.)


The Center for Council Practice (CCP) was established in 1999 to provide ongoing trainings and programs, in-service and retreat-based internships, and support for schools, businesses and communities implementing Council in the world. CCP received a major revitalization in 2010 as a result of a 5-year evaluation of the needs and challenges facing those who are carrying council in the world.

Our center in Ojai is a semi-wilderness, sustainable-model educational sanctuary for living in right relationship with each other and the earth. We host council trainings, rites of passage retreats, a ropes course challenge, permaculture workshops and more for youth and adults.


A Visual Tour

Our Initiatives

Council in Schools

For more than 25 years, The Ojai Foundation's award-winning Council in Schools Initiative has been providing school communities with training and support in the practice and integration of council into the life of school.  See our new Council in Schools website by clicking here!!

Youth Retreats

Charisma Ceremonies, like birthdays and graduations, help youth and young adults to mark certain times in their lives and to realize their individual importance in the world. The Youth Programs at The Ojai Foundation allow youth to mark such times of significance while also providing a rich background that helps to frame these experiences.

Ropes and Adventure Courses

girl on ropesOur Ropes Course offers groups of all ages, corporate teams, and families the opportunity to overcome personal limitations through exciting and rewarding mental, emotional, and physical challenges. With the assistance of our trained staff, such experiences can become doorways into greater self-confidence, improved ability to relate to others, and opportunities to make empowering choices.

Council In Israel

For the past nine years the Foundation has been supporting a variety of council-based programs in Israel. These include councils in schools, women's empowerment groups, municipalities, intimate relationships and inter-cultural councils directed at the creation of a truly Shared Society in the Holy Land. These initiatives resulted in the creation of an Israeli non-profit organization, Ma'agal Hakshava" (Listening Circles), that continues to work closely with Ojai. For current information and links, please click here.

Mali HIV/AIDS Program

In 2007 the Foundation became the Fiscal Sponsor for a medical research program in Mali, Africa.  The clinical part of the Program involves the evaluation of an immune system enhancer called Low Dose Naltroxone as a way of preventing HIV positive individuals from subsequently developing AIDS symptoms. Participants in the clinical trials can also participate in monthly councils involving men and women discussing issues of intimate relationship, health and cultural mores that directly impact the spread of HIV. For current reports and links, please click here.
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