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T H E N O R T H F I E L D C O N F E R E N C E
The Grapevine!
June 24-30: Northfield Week at Mt. Hermon What is in this Issue
Program Chairs’ Report- page 1 Friday Night/Saturday Lunch - page 2 Registrar’s Report - page 3
Silent Auction - page 3Things to Bring- page 4Executive Report - page 5Workshop Descriptions - page 5Contact List - page 9
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Program Chairs’ Report(too good not to repeat!)Meg Connor & Peggy Andreas
Room at The Conference nears…
It's hard to believe that we are just 4 weeks away from the Conference! Our planning meeting at Lisa Schermerhorn's house in October feels like it was just last week. The theme of Room at The Table for everyone has been living within us ever since, and we realize that this is not just a nice theme for a week— it speaks to the very essence of who we are as a community. Peggy and I have joked about being the "Planning Queens", but in reality, we are humbled to bear witness to the many gifts of time, energy and talents that so many Northfielders offer generously in order to create our week together.
What an unusual phenomenon Northfield is! As Program Chairs, we have been challenged to include all voices, to honor all opinions, and to bal-ance the needs of individuals with the needs of the whole community. Somehow, we know it all comes together and along the way folks will learn, grow, share from their depth, laugh, and celebrate to-gether. Being involved with this planning year has shown us what a web of inter-relatedness the Northfield community is.
Peter and Julie have been working hard to recruit and organize workshop leaders, our Conference Hour speakers are thinking about what they want to share with you, the Program booklet is in the works, Kathy has composed a song, T shirts are be-ing ordered, registration is underway. Opening and closing ceremonies are being planned, sound sys-tems thought through, Children's program staff are planning for the kids and parents, and on it goes. It is miraculous and humbling to see how it all some-how comes together!Ask not what your conference can do for you, but what you can do for your conference, right? Glad you asked! - First of all, before you leave your computer, why not head on over to the registration page and regis-ter today (only one more day to get your early regis-tration discount!)- Check out the list in this Grapevine about What To Bring to the Conference as you start to pack.
Other things to bring:- As you do your spring cleaning, keep collecting those quality items you no longer need that you want to bring for our Silent Auction. It becomes a Win-Win-Win when you lighten your living space, some-one else finds a new treasure at a good price, and the Conference receives funds for our scholarships. Who says you can't be a philanthropist?
A Quarterly (more or less) Newsletter for the Northfield Conference June 2017
Check out the website: www.northfieldconference.org , and access the members’ section using
Password: roundtop2017
T H E N O R T H F I E L D G R A P E V I N E
�- If you like to bake, plan to bring a home-made goodie for sale at Club Northfield. Folks especially enjoy healthy treats... Show off your culinary chops and nutritional know-how with some tasty healthy snacks to share.
� �- Writers and poets: bring a short original piece you can share at our Coffee house- Singer/songwriters and musicians - bring your musical instruments and your songs to share at our Songwriters Circle
- Storytellers (that's all of us!) Bring your authentic self and moments of your life you would like to share at our "Mothfield Story Hour.” (Taken from the NPR show the Moth Story Hour). At MidWinter we had a storytelling night and were all blown away by the depth, entertainment, poignancy and humor that emerged as folks told their stories. We want to continue this new tradition of honoring everyone's stories! Our theme for Mothfield will be an extension of our Room at the Table theme: "Being Welcomed/ Being Left Out.” When did you experience or witness such a moment? Share your story!
- Artists/artisans- this year we voted by consen-sus to limit sales of arts and crafts. We will be set-ting aside a special table in Silent Auction room at Wednesday lunch and dinner time for arts/crafts vendors. Artists will be responsible for setting up, selling, and taking down their displays during this time. For each item sold, 20% is donated to the scholarship fund.
- Our evening Sacred Circles will be facilitated by Mary Koopman and Bill Milford. Bring a poem, reading, song, prayer, and so on that you find meaningful and would like to share. We are espe-cially interested in offerings that relate to our theme of welcoming, inclusion, unconditional acceptance of all people, honoring diversity, navigating differences.
Oddball Requests!:- We are looking for strings of white twinkle lights for our Thursday night dance. If you have a set to lend, please notify Meg.
� �
- plan to open a bottle of champagne anytime soon?
If you pop open some champagne, or know a cater-er or restaurant that does, we are looking for the wire cages that go over the corks for making "Champagne bottle top chairs.” Please bring as many as you can! Can't wait to see you all June 24-30!!
Friday Night/Saturday Lunch
Andrew Mason
If anyone who is not on the Executive Committee wishes to stay over at the School on Friday night (you need to get your dorm room number from Tracey before contacting Andrew) and/or eat Saturday lunch, you must contact Andrew by June 17th to make arrangements. [email protected]
Have you changed your address, email, phone? Peter will update you on our lists:
Peter Bloch [email protected]
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Registrar’s Report Tracey Briscoe
We’ll be meeting in just a month's time for another Awesome week together. For those of you who've not had time to register yet, or who are still unde-cided, now is the time to get your registration in!!! The registration rate as of June 1st is $90/person. I will be sending out invoice reminders at the begin-ning of June. All balances owing can be paid by paypal, check or cash on or before June 24.
VERY IMPORTANT for all who've registered and will register: there are three links on our website for you to fill in and submit as soon as possible. Those with Dietary Needs, specifically Food Allergies, need to fill in this form so that the Kitchen can accommodate your aller-gies as well as they are able. Newcomers must fill in this link so that they can be included in the New-comers meeting and be assigned to their Family. Families with children must complete this form and submit it as soon as possible. It also has much-needed information for parents concerning the well-being and care of their children while at Northfield.If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me using the Registrar's email ad-dress, [email protected]. I can keep better track of requests, inquiries and notes that I receive concerning your week at North-field.Thanks and see you All in a Month!!
The underlined URLs in this Grapevine are links to our website, where you will
find lots of information about us, registration and the June Conference.
Silent Auction Gail Ferris & Ellie Weinstein
Remember our annual Silent Auction and prepare now for what you might offer and/or bring. However, please remember that the Silent Auction is NOT a yard sale and we need items you think people will really want and compete for! Here are some ideas:
Hand made items, crafts, nice jewelry, CD's , photographs, and other items you would like in your own home. AND please think about what services you might be able to offer to the community such as: a weekend at a vacation home, a massage offer to knit a hat or a scarf or a sweater for someone an offer to make a piece of jewelry put together a gift basket of specialty items
Let the bidding begin!
IF YOU HAVE NOT REGISTERED YET, PLEASE DO SO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO THAT ALL THE PEOPLE WHO PLAN
THE JUNE WEEK WILL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE US ALL.
www.northfieldconference.org
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T H E N O R T H F I E L D G R A P E V I N E
CANADIANS PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO GET
TRAVEL HEALTH COVERAGE
And do not forget your passports!
Things to Bring Please read this carefully!
NO LINENS, PILLOWS, BLANKETS, OR TOW-ELS ARE PROVIDED. Please bring whatever you need. (Bring twin bed flat sheets. Do not bring fitted sheets, as the beds are extra long.) ALSO: NO soap, shampoo or bathroom cups are provided.
RECOMMENDED ITEMS TO BRING: alarm clock, clothes hangers, a reading lamp, fan, extension cord, flashlight, umbrella. That fan is really impor-tant, there is basically no air conditioning at the school.
OTHER OPTIONAL ITEMS TO BRING: Books/readings to share with others during Sacred Circle, a journal & pen, iPods, iPads, CDs, thumb drives, memory sticks, instruments, cards, games, puzzles for Club Northfield, tennis racquets, soccer ball, softball glove, bats, balls, Frisbee, yoga mat, mos-quito repellent, suntan lotion, bathing suit, beach towel, flips flops for showers stalls and pool. Fami-lies with small children should bring toys & other playthings, and provide any special requirements for eating and sleeping (e.g. rubber sheet for bed, highchairs, maybe a portable crib). There is free
WiFi in many spaces on campus, but in the dorms you may need to use a cable to hook up to the inter-net – specifically a CAT-5 ethernet cable.
VALUABLES: We cannot be responsible for valu-ables taken from the rooms. Rooms should NOT be locked (you won’t be able to unlock them without help); thus, unwanted entrance to them cannot be controlled.
FOLDING BEACH CHAIR, (one that is LOW to the ground, for Conference Hours and Northfield Fami-lies.
CLOTHING: Dress is casual – slacks, shorts, T-shirts, sweaters, sneakers, sandals, swimsuit. (A raincoat or umbrella is useful.) Loose, comfortable clothing is essential for dance and movement work-shops. Note: Weather can change from very hot & sunny to cold & wet! Be prepared!!
WATER BOTTLES: Please bring your own water bottle to be used all week to save on the use of dis-posable paper cups.
JAMMING: Bring instruments (drums, guitars, rat-tles, percussion instruments, etc.) for spontaneous music making and for Singing on Rainbow Point!!
WORKSHOP ATTENDEES: In order to fully partici-pate in craft workshops, you might want to come prepared with some objects or materials. Quite a few workshops require that you bring notepad and pen, others a yoga mat and comfortable cloth-ing for movement.
DRINK CONTAINERS: if you wish to bring drinks to evening activities, plan to use discreet containers.
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T H E N O R T H F I E L D G R A P E V I N E
Executive ReportRob Young, Donna Moore,
Lisa Schermerhorn
As the dates for our June Conference quickly ap-proach, we all anxiously look forward to seeing each other again. There is so much to experience, reuniting with friends, both old and new. Quiet con-versations, listening to the stories told at Confer-ence Hour, supporting a friend, dancing the night away, ..... , the week will soon be here. And if sim-ply being together isn't enough, our Conference Planning Chairs have created a week to remember.
We recently visited the Northfield campus, con-necting with our partners at the School and visiting several important venues. The schedule for the week has been created with much care, including many workshops that can't be missed! We will once again fill the campus to capacity with our atten-dance, and we wish you all a safe, loving, peaceful week. We will introduce ourselves at the beginning of the Conference, but if any of you have questions or concerns before June 24, please contact Rob Young, Donna Moore, or Lisa Schermerhorn.
Safe travels! Our time together will be here before you realize it.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
Julie Snow Osherson & Peter Bloch
*An asterisk means a New Resource Person
HUNYUANG QIGONG (age 6 and up)Bob Bishop*QiGong is a Chinese method of movement and breathing for health. Anyone of any age and physical ability can benefit. No experience necessary.
BEING IN WALKING (age 14 and up)Tracey BriscoeYour identity is linked to the spaces you inhabit, physically, emotionally and mentally. Who are you - as you go from one place to another - in those in-be-tween liminal moments - as you switch paths from one identity to another? What happens if you decide to take a different path from the normal one? Delve into these questions of Self, with a pilgrimage walk in nature, as you experience a fullness and expan-sion of Being in this moment.
SHINING IN A STRESS-FILLED WORLD (age 14 and up)Thaeta Franz*Subtitle: “How to Live Your Brightest Life.” The focus of the workshop will be on the ways we can bring gratitude, being present-focused, and being in service as ways of being our best selves, connecting to the Divine and allow-ing ourselves to shine from the inside out! :)
TIE DYE (all ages)Wendy Desmarteaux, Mikaela Desmarteaux, Pierre RagotThe return of an annual Northfield tradition. Bring some clothes that you want to bring to life with wild rainbows of color.
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ROOM AT THE TABLE: HANDPAINTED PLACE-MATS (all ages)Donna Desmarteaux, Tracy Desmarteaux & Monica KnowlesTo tie into this year’s theme of " Room at the Table", we will be making beautiful, hand- painted placemats to have ready for those to join you at your table back home. We will be using child friend-ly acrylic paints, while painting on canvas material.
HOOLA HOOPING (for all ages and bodies)Karen KuzminskyCome learn the basics of hula hooping! Demystify the phenomenon of keeping a hula hoop spiraling around your waist! If you can already waist hoop, come play with moving the hoop to other body parts and perhaps try moving to music and creating your own cool dance sequence!
VASE DECOR FOR THE TABLE (age 7 and up)Rosalie Levi*Create a lovely flower vase, integrating found ob-jects, recycled fabrics, acrylic paint and an eco-friendly liquid resin.Rosalie Levi is a Montreal Artist and Interior Designer. Rosalie brings balance and harmony to your home and life through her SpaceShift™ process and sharing her knowledge and expertise in sculpture through work-shops and her creations. You can see her work at www.RosalieLevi.com
INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSFORMATIONAL PHILANTHROPY (age 8 and up)Yale Levey*This highly interactive workshop will have us em-barking on a journey of personal discovery. We will be exploring what drives us socially and then, together with family and friends regardless of age or generation, we will participate in fun exercises designed to both enlighten us and challenge us.The intention is to help uncover our common social drivers and then use that mined information to help us make a positive impact on the people, causes and institutions we have a personal connection with. You will leave this workshop with tools which will allow you to work collaboratively with your Northfield community in addition to helping you proactively embrace your home community to make the world a better place for all.
THE RHYTHM OF SOUND (age 12 and up)Kathy LoweThis workshop will have drumming, sound healing, improvisational vocalizing, joined silence, and some movement. Bring your own drum if you have one, but not necessary. We’ll be lying on the floor for a part of this, so bring something that allows comfort to do so. No musical experience is required.
WILD ANIMAL PRAYERS (age 18 and up — for women)Andrea Mathieson*Through spontaneous movement and authentic sounding, Wild Animal Prayers access our body-soul’s instinctual expression and innate wisdom. This potent work expands our familiar mental/emo-tional range of expression. Through a deliberately conscious vulnerability, we begin to experience a more visceral communion with Creation. Always done in sacred space, the workshop is highly expe-riential, beginning with simple movement and sound-ing warmups before we hold space and witness those who choose to fully engage in the work.
POLITICAL ACTION: HOPE AND CONNECTIONSam OshersonThis workshop will focus on how to bring like-minded people in your networks together to form an effective and supportive political advocacy group, based on our experi-ences organizing in our own community and elsewhere. Local community groups can be an important part of find-ing hope and resilience -an antidote to despair - in a chal-lenging social-political experience. We will explore what is involved in creating a coherent group, identifying what matters most to group members, and formulating political action goals which produce outcomes.
CHANGE THROUGH NONVIOLENT ACTION(age 14 and up)Veronica PelicaricIn these times of turbulent change, when our water, air, land and livelihoods are being threatened, when democ-racy is a dream and nothing more, it is important to un-derstand what kind of strategic tools will have to be ap-plied to bring about nonviolent change. We will be looking at the work of Dr. Erica Chenoweth and the eight stages of social movements by Bill Moyer. Come prepared to hear good news that will reshape your understanding of why nonviolent movements - when properly applied - have historically been more successful than violent ones. The Why the What and the How. We will be creating de-sign of the eight stages for the present times and thus experientially unearthing the answers dormant within us.
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THE GUEST HOUSE (age 14 and up)Devon ReidThis workshop is a gentle and creative approach to inquiring and exploring into the otherness inside, the guests at our own table – which ones we like, which ones we reject, which ones don’t even make it to the door. How we can open our hearts to all these characters in ourselves as an extension open ourselves to otherness in the world around us.
MOTHFIELD: GET READY (all ages)Debra SamsonWhen you tell a story, you’re taking the listener on a journey into your life—and only you know the route and the destination. This workshop will help you shape and structure a three-minute story, ready for the Mothfield stage, which engages the audience and transports them into your experience. Bring your story (either the idea or a rough draft) and writing materials.
HONORED GUESTS AT YOUR TABLE (age 6 and up)Nanette SaylorIf you could invite anyone to your table, who might you include? What might you ask them, given the chance? In a guided mediation, using creative vi-sualization techniques, participants will be invited to write, draw or doodle their experience and the dialogue they entertain with the people around the table. What symbols come to mind that represent the guests and the ideas they might bring to the table? Next, if you were to choose one guest to bring to the table of the collective group, who might that be? How would that person inform or direct the conversation? What stories might they tell? What unique knowledge might you gain from their per-spective? Let's see where the conversation leads.
READING BEAUTIFUL HANDS (age 6 and up)Amy Schapiro*I will read and show the pictures in Beautiful Hands. After that, we will trace our hands and wrists on folders. We will then cut them out, color them, and decorate with fabric and beads. When completed, the hands will be intertwined.
SUCCESS WITHOUT STRESS (age 18 and up)Teri ScheinzeitIs your workday demanding, draining and peppered with unknowns? Does “down-time” mean riding in the elevator on the way to your next appointment?
Do you say, “What happened to my life?” or “What’s a vacation?” In this fun, interactive workshop, I’ll share insights, savvy biz tips and simple techniques for finding calm in the workplace. You’ll learn how to own your brilliance, embrace your inner critic, create a calmer world with your words, and feel accom-plished at the end of the day. If you find yourself say-ing,”Being driven is just my nature,” come to this workshop. You might be pleasantly surprised!SONGS WITHOUT WORDS (age 12 and up)Steve SchuchWhile many Northfield experiences rely on the word-processing parts of our brains, music can touch us on many other levels. This workshop will explore deep listening to music from across the ages, mostly without lyrics, along with some group singing. Bring a journal and comfortable clothes (and optional yoga mat) for listening while lying on the floor.
MINDFUL MORTALITY (age 14 and up)Rob Spencer*Lessons learned at the end of life teach us how to live today. Together we will explore those experien-tial opportunities that can help us, even those who are not sick, to become mindful of our mortality, to heighten our appreciation of life, soothe our fears and promote healing of past wounds and losses.
PARENTING: DISCIPLINE WITH LOVE AND RESPECTRick StockwellThis workshop will address discipline techniques that foster responsibility and independence through our guidance as teachers and coaches rather than creating dependance and insecurity through the use of fear and punishment. We will look at how we can better help our children meet their needs through the use of positive discipline techniques that still involve firmness and consistency, but add fairness and re-spect as well.
MAKE ROOM FOR YOGA (age 14 and up)Susie Lowe StockwellEnjoy a nourishing yoga class geared toward feed-ing and resting the body. Yoga is not just for people who are already “fit..” Yoga is for everyone who wants to check in with their body and allow time to open stuck places, move past pain and breathe deeply from the top of the head through the bottom of your toes. You can do what works for you and reap the full benefits of this 1 1/2 hour class. If you have a yoga mat, please bring it.
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ROUNDS AND SOUNDS (age 10 and up)Betsy Taylor, Caroline Jestin and Steve SchuchHarmony and rounds. Isn't this what it's all about? I will sing my part as best I can while listening deeply to you singing your part. Together we will create something wonderful. Come tone and sing with us, for fun and the delight of our souls!
HOW WILL YOU SET YOUR TABLE? (age 12 and up)Ellie Weinstein, Jean-Luc Sebabi, Gloire Se-babi* & Jen AndreasThis will be a hands-on, intergenerational work-shop. We will begin with a meditation and then go on to create a mindful collage depicting those we would invite to sit at our table and with whom we would choose to break bread. We will provide a fo-rum for discussion about who you want there; what you may fear about the "other"; who you don't want to invite; and how you made your decisions.
Jean-Luc Sebabi and Gloire Sebabi will offer reflec-tions about their arrival in the United States three years ago, sharing challenges and lessons learned along the way: being marginalized, struggling to make connections, fearing their surroundings, overcoming the sense of being outsiders, and learning to trust. Hopefully we will all leave this workshop with ideas about how to make newcom-ers feel more welcome in their communities.
WHO AND WHAT’S FOR DINNER (age 10 and up)Jenny WhiteChoosing a primarily plant-based diet, as well as organic, local and unprocessed foods, can have a positive and obvious influence on our own health. And you might be surprised to learn that this very personal daily decision can also have a profound impact on the size of our global ecological foot-prints and the wellbeing of people around the world. We’ll discuss the potential power that our individual and collective food choices have beyond our own plates to determine who eats and thrives, and sometimes who doesn’t. In this fun and inter-active workshop we’ll explore resources and strategies for creative and mindful eating that de-lights your palate, maximizes your health, aligns with your values and contributes to the common good.
HIP HOP DANCE (age 8 and up — 8-10 with a parent)Joey AbbottGet your groove on! You will learn a “hip hop styled” choreography to a popular song. This is not a kid’s class. Children must bring an adult to attend. Very active and dangerously fun, wear comfortable cloth-ing.
YOGA NIDRA MEDITATION (age 10 and up)Wendy BoodeWendy will guide you through a 60 minute practice of Yoga Nidra Meditation, a relaxing and restorative medita-tion technique. Ease insomnia, decrease anxiety, allevi-ate stress and foster feelings of peace, calm and well-ness. All can benefit from this simple yet powerful prac-tice and use it to bring clarity and focus into any aspect of life and work. Come and experience this raising of awareness and prepare yourself for making room at the table, starting from within. Bring a yoga mat if you have one, and a blanket.
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People you may wish to contact
Troika (Conference Coordinators):
Rob Young, 508-429-1550, [email protected] Donna Moore, 603-848-1300, [email protected] Lisa Schermerhorn, 781-718-9288 [email protected]
Northfield League President:
Jim Peters, 203-281-5993, [email protected]
Treasurer and Finance Chair & Youth Program Coordinator: Ron McClain, 301-891-3650, [email protected]
Registrar:
Tracey Briscoe, 514-892-8197, [email protected] Scribe:
Lisa Flynn, 916-406-6076, [email protected]
Program Chairs:
Peggy Andreas, 617-959-4488, [email protected]
Meg Connor, 603-357-3200, [email protected]
Workshop Coordinators: Julie Snow, 603-827-3462, [email protected]
Peter Bloch, 603-526-6152, [email protected]
Google Groups Manager:
Peter Bloch, 603-526-6152, [email protected]
Grapevine Editor: Kay Flanagan, 819-687-8520, [email protected]
Webmaster:
Judi Blum, 514-806-7292, [email protected]
Liaison to MNH & Rolling Ridge/Head of Finance Committee Andrew Mason, 860-658-0568, [email protected]
