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.
ProgramsCouncil in SchoolsFor 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. Youth Retreats
Ropes and Adventure Courses
Council In IsraelFor 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 ProgramIn 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 Los 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. Sweat Ceremony
Our Sweat Ceremony places groups in the natural wildness of our upper land. Separated from the busyness of everyday life, this tranquil area is a perfect place for a purifying ceremony. While our ceremony does not follow any set tradition, The Ojai Foundation does hold this ceremony in a particular way. Please call us to talk about the ways we hold this precious ceremony.
Rites of PassageWhen we go through a set of intense experiences that leave us feeling changed, we are passing through a Rite of Passage. Our bodies go through a Rite of Passage during the transition from childhood to adolescence. Many young adults experience a Rite of Passage when they leave their family home in search of their individual passions. However, if we enter these experiences without a guiding structure, they can be very overwhelming, scary, and can even spiral out of control. The Ojai Foundation strives to offer this guiding structure at those crucial times in the lives of our youth, like the transitions into and out of high school.
These kinds of experience continue throughout all stages of our lives. While we believe in developing an appreciation for Rites of Passage as early as possible, we also recognize the desire for adults to foster these experiences during pivotal points in their lives. At The Ojai Foundation, we work an understanding of Rites of Passage into all of our Council-based programs like youth retreats, relationship workshops, men’s and women’s gatherings, vision fasts, and weddings and memorial services. Transitional times can be some of the hardest times for us all and we are here to support you. Our experience staff and teachers are available to assist you in creating the appropriate ceremony to celebrate your current passage. |