 |
|
Women's
Culture Program
 The
purpose of the Goodenough Community women’s culture is to provide a place for a
woman to grow herself to be her best at all ages and stages of development. We
believe that each of us has a unique and significant role to fill in the world
and that to recognize and develop our gifts we need the wisdom and support of
others.
Currently, we are offering a
Gender Series , which was created for men and women who
desire a deep conversation about maleness and femaleness, about
their differences and what they have in common, about feelings
and intuitions, about embeddedness and emergence, and about a shared
vision of masculinity and femininity that redefines power and love.
At our monthly gatherings and weekend retreats we offer a professionally led
program and an environment where women encourage each other with understanding,
compassion, and humor. Our community often describes itself as a one-room
schoolhouse where we learn from the real lives of others and from bringing our
own lives present.
In this and other Women's Culture programs,
we value the use of small and large group process and we
treasure the gift of uninterrupted time together as friends. Our laughter, truth
telling, tears, and hugs add fullness to our relationships and lift our spirits.
At our gatherings you will find us using music, artistic expression, movement,
and ritual to prepare ourselves as individuals to join with each other. You will
notice that our culture is enriched by understandings gained from the archetypes
of feminine life stages, from goddess wisdom, and from the inspiration of the
Divine feminine. We use four feminine life stages in our culture: maiden,
mother, guardian, and crone.
Themes and learning frames support an overall vision of a vital women’s culture
that builds on the norms and lifeways that we’ve found help us be mature,
loving, conscious women contributing to the whole of our lives together. We are
currently building on our community theme of goodwill. For example,
during this program year we are focusing on the relational skills of self
observation, self disclosure, joining, and receiving—skills that support our
realization of Self, that inner most part of us that guides life and choices and
connects us with the Divine.
For
those drawn to the communitarian movement, our women’s culture provides an
excellent introduction to community as a context for personal and social
transformation. Our women’s culture has a special role to fill in the
development of girls and young women. We value our daughters, welcome them to
our meetings, and provide a curriculum for them appropriate for their ages.
Our
curriculum draws on a body of teaching developed by John and Colette Hoff over a
period of more than 25 years on such topics as the Living Arts, right
relationship, human development, mental health, and the Perennial Wisdom. We are
fortunate in having Colette Hoff as the leader and key faculty for our program.
About Our Leadership
 Colette
Hoff, M.Ed., is the founder our women’s program. In the guardian phase
of life and preparing for the stage of crone, Colette has a special vocation in
working with women’s issues as she supports and encourages women through their
life-stage transitions and on their spiritual journeys.
Colette
is supported by a leadership team for the women’s culture: Elizabeth Jarrett-Jefferson, Hollis Guill Ryan, Irene
Perler, and Joan Valles.
For
more information, e-mail goodenough@aboutcommunity.org or telephone the office
of the American Association for the Furtherance of Community at 206/323-4653 and
a member of the team will respond to you.
|
Upcoming Workshops
To be announced ...
|
