Me-to-We: Youth Retreat
Location: Ahmedabad
Duration: --
In India, when we meet and part, we often say, ‘Namasté’, which means: I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides; I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where, if you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us. – Ram Dass
Inspired by the ripples from last year, we’re hosting another Youth Retreat, on the theme of Me-to-We. Held in Ahmedabad from August 2-4, this retreat aims to brings together youngsters in the 18-25 age group for an embodied head-hands-heart journey from me-to-we, in the spirit of inner transformation and service.
Why?
The world’s longest study on happiness reveals that the quality of our relationships is the most important determinant of our happiness. Quantum science confirms what sages have long maintained : we are fundamentally inter-connected to each other and all life.
However, in a "me"-oriented transactional culture, we are rapidly losing our ability to live in alignment with this truth and build thriving relationships. In 2009, the word “unfriend” entered the dictionary and was declared Oxford’s "word of the year." Last year, a major study revealed that 2 billion people globally are so dissatisfied with their communities that they wouldn’t recommend them to anyone.
Market-driven technologies lure us with cheap solutions like the “metaverse” and “artificial intimacy” to fill this void. But can we collectively forge a deeper pathway to rediscover that “place of love and light in which we are one”?
What?
If “peace is not the absence of tension”, then as youngsters, how can we hold the tension with a calm mind and an open heart – between pursuing our dreams and ambitions v/s being kind and generous; listening to our inner voice v/s expectations of family and society, earning money v/s service, etc. While we don’t have any answers, our hope is that holding a field for a rich, authentic collective inquiry can help broaden our awareness and expand our hearts.
We will also have a lot of fun, singing, dancing, listen to each others’ life journeys, do acts of kindness together, visit Seva Cafe and other inspiring places; meet some uncommon love warriors, and lots more!
Who?
We expect to have a diverse group of spirited youngsters between 18-25 age group, from diverse economic and social backgrounds across India. Together, our hope is to awaken the bonds of our sacred kinship, while embracing our differences and unique gifts. To enable depth of engagement, we will be limiting the gathering to 30 participants. While most of the slots are already filled-up, if you feel drawn to the idea of inner-transformation and service, we welcome you to apply and we will get back if we are able to squeeze you in.
If you'd like to join us, please click on the 'Apply For Retreat' button below and complete the application below (in English or Hindi) and we'll get back to you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
This is a youth retreat, open only for participants between 18-25 years of age.
Simply put, we are a group of ordinary individuals, who come alive in doing small acts of kindness. Volunteers behind this particular retreat have hosted thousands of circles and hundreds of Moved by Love retreats; moreover, they have supported many ServiceSpace projects from Karuna News to Karma Kitchen.
- Inspiring participants. Lots of great hearts are coming together!
- Uncommon questions. For quick-fix, binary, either-or answers, we already have Google; we aim to hold questions to lean into its nuances first.
- Noble Friendships. Our hope is to nurture a rich matrix of friendships among unlikely friends.
- Gandhi. Being on sacred Gandhian land in Ahmedabad, we hope to tap into vast reservoir of inspiration and practicing Gandhians. (More: Standing Up)
- Volunteer Run. It's run entirely by volunteers, so there's no solicitation, pitches, agendas. Just practice of love.
A beautiful and serene campus on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, the heartland of Gandhian revolution, will be our home for the retreat. Built by legendary social entrepreneur Ishwar Patel, the space is an architectural blend of activism, work for humanity, spirituality and modernism.
All Moved By Love retreats are offered as a no-strings-attached gift, made possible by gratitude offerings from past alumni. At the end of all retreats, everyone has an opportunity to keep the chain alive and pay it forward with money, time or other expressions of wealth -- for future guests.
The retreat formally begins on 9:30AM on Aug 2nd (Friday), 2024. Please ensure you reach the retreat venue before that. If needed, outstation guests are welcome to arrive on the previous evening.
Retreat ends at Sunday, Aug 4th @ 3PM. Most participants will leave during the evening, but in case you need to stay back for the night, we will be happy to arrange that.
Please note that is mandatory to be present with us for the entire duration of the retreat. And during the retreat, you won’t have space to take other meetings or step out of the campus.
Through our time together, we will sit in circles to learn from each other’s experiments and challenges; hear and engage with some innovative speakers across sectors; engage in many group practices that nurture our collective inner transformation. Plenty of opportunities to engage the head, hands and of course the heart. Plus a few surprises!
Over last twelve years, thousands have joined from a wide-ranging backgrounds. Perhaps what brought them together was a simple organizing principle: We are not merely what we do, but who we become by what we do. If you resonate with the notion that inner change and outer change are intrixicably intertwined, and if you are moved to cultivate deep connections with kindred spirits, this retreat will likely speak to you! Beyond that, we'd recommend leaning in your heart's intuition -- more often than not, 'heart knows today what the mind will know tomorrow.' :)
To facilitate deeper connections, we limit the group size of our gatherings -- and give priority to project initiators who are anchoring local projects in their contexts.
If you have any questions, please contact us anytime. To co-create our sacred field of emergence, we welcome you join us!
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