Starting in a Good Way
We start and continue in a good way by connecting with place and with one another.
FALL 2024 | Introduction to Mindfulness
The two important components of Mindfulness are wisdom (clear seeing) and compassion (the heartful desire to alleviate suffering). Wisdom and compassion are often described as the two wings of a bird. Without either wing, the bird is unable to fly. Life sometimes brings with it painful events both large and small. What we can do is learn to hold what happens with warmth and kindness. In this course we explore the connection between our thoughts and our emotions and how we can use the present moment and our compassion for others to create peace during these turbulent times.
This program consists of 4 1-hour sessions; participants are encouraged to attend all sessions, as the learning builds from session to session.
WHEN: Wednesdays at 12-1pm; September 11, 18, 25, October 2 on Zoom
FACILITATOR: Robyn Henry, Professor of Rural Human Services
2024: Creating Community + Connection
WHAT: In this third annual retreat, UAF faculty and staff will gather to start the new academic year in a good way. Our lives during the semester are often both busy and isolating, and we sometimes lose steam in environments that don’t prioritize creativity and community in our work. This year, we will practice starting in a good way by focusing on “Creating Community and Connection,” or by engaging with each other to create experiences and tools that we can carry through the semester to support ourselves, our students, colleagues, and communities. The retreat will include instruction in the foundations of mindfulness, as well as creative, collaborative activities that include writing, making art and music, and exploring the Chena River State Recreation Area.
FACILITATORS: Robyn Henry, Inna Rivkin, Kendell Newman Sadiik
2023: Preparing to Teach with Wellness
WHAT: Approaching the start of a new semester can feel like gearing up to knock ourselves out: it is a challenge to balance work we value with sustaining wellness individually and communally. This 8-hour program will offer skills and methods for creating more nourishment, balance, rest, and connection in our work lives.
With instruction from facilitators in four different fields, participants are invited to explore the concepts of wellness, nourishment, healing, rest, and creating a community of care in the context of our work. We will build skills to better care for ourselves, our students, colleagues, and communities. To transform our knowing into doing, we will practice modeling and applying these skills in our daily work.
Facilitators: LaVerne Xilegg Demientieff, Mareca Guthrie, Wendy Whitehead Martelle, Kendell Newman Sadiik
2022: Mindfulness + Pedagogy
WHAT: Wendy Martelle (UAF Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics & ESL) will facilitate two half-day workshops for UAF instructors on applying mindfulness practices to our work with students. Wendy is training to become a certified mindfulness meditation teacher and these workshops are part of her training. Participants can expect instruction in theories of mindfulness and its impact on individual and community well-being, with particular attention to teaching and learning contexts. These workshops will allow participants to experiment with mindfulness practices and craft customized applications for their UAF classrooms.
WHO: Any educator who teaches or plans to teach courses at UAF. Participants need not have a background in mindfulness or meditation; all educators interested in connections between mindfulness and pedagogy are welcome.