On-Site: Skill Set: A Retreat for Young Adults 20-30

For the most up-to-date information, please check out the co-directors’ official Skill Set website.

As we stand on the precipice of climate catastrophe, a polarized nation, an unstable economy, the list goes on… many of us wonder, “What am I to do? How am I to be?” As frightening as it may be, coming of age in this time can be just as exhilarating as we are all called to bring our unique gifts and passions to the task of building a more just and equitable world. We do this by cultivating deeper relationships to ourselves, each other, the collective, the earth, and spirit/source/the divine.

Skill Set is an experiment in co-creating a space that responds to our unjust society with creativity and resilience. Through collaborative workshops in art, spirituality, experimental performance, herbalism, social justice, sacred activism, and ecology, we will explore the interplay of our internal and external worlds, and we will do it together in this week-long, peer-led camp for those between the ages of 20 and 30 years old.

The retreat is led by a staff of trained peer facilitators who believe in the potential of young people to change the world and to be changed in the process. Together, we will reflect, share wisdom and skills, and build community.

Last year we worked on topics ranging from self-help to food justice and home cooking. We wrote love letters, talked about the construction of whiteness in America, and spent hours running through the woods. We learned about mindfulness-based stress reduction, theories of social change, and neuroplasticity. We talked about the future of “the movement.”

Whether you’ve attended Rowe summer camps or are a newcomer, we welcome you to join us in the beautiful woods of Rowe for a week of reflection, dialogue, learning, and play.

Rowe has lowered its standard fee to make this retreat as accessible as possible for people with differing access to resources. Stay tuned for an opportunity for online participation! For the most up-to-date information, please check out the co-directors’ official Skill Set website. To get in touch with the co-directors, please email skillsetcods@gmail.com or pass on a message via the Rowe Center at 413-339-4954.

CHELSEA ROSE-PULITZER Chelsea Rose-Pulitzer graduated from Hampshire College with a Bachelor’s Degree in education, theater, and arts integration and has put that to use as a teaching artist, paraprofessional, and after-school administrator in a Brooklyn homeless shelter. Having directed other camps in New York City, she is excited to bring what she’s learned back to her home away from home. With everything she takes on, Chelsea promises to be responsible, compassionate, and playful!

INDIA ADAMS India Adams lives in Boston and works at Oxfam America, a global non-profit fighting poverty and inequality. She is passionate about human rights, gender justice, and creating social and political change alongside many other incredible activists. India graduated from Boston University in 2010 with a degree in International Relations and received her Master’s Degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in 2015. She is excited to bring her experiences to co-directing Skill Set and continue the work to empower youth and create change through the magic of Rowe.

The Rowe Center is hiring a new co-director for our Skill Set Retreats for Young Adults! Skill Set consists of a variety of collaborative workshops led by peer facilitators and generated directly from participant interest. Skill Set takes place twice a year, with a shorter retreat in the winter (≈3 days) and a longer retreat in the summer (≈5 days).

The two Skill Set co-directors lead the retreats and help support the facilitators in the creation and implementation of their workshops. Co-director duties include interviewing and hiring facilitators, managing retreat logistics in coordination with the Rowe Center, and marketing the retreats to potential participants. We are looking for someone who is passionate about the potential of young people to change the world, with ideas for how to continue to grow and improve the Skill Set program. Please apply here.