Workshop and Presenter Details

• Problem/Opportunity of Practice Discussion (with Mora Segal)

Mora Segal facilitated a “Problems of Practice” consultancy model that enabled Segal Fellow Jess Kent to get peer feedback on her plan to design and pilot a culturally-relevant mediation training. After the group discussion and presenter reflection, Fellows were also encouraged to apply the process and specific discussion content to their own experiences. Based on positive feedback, we will incorporate Problems of Practice discussions with Fellows into our ongoing programming.

• Meditation & Body Scan (with 2020 AmeriCorps Alums Segal Fellow Robyn Pratt)

During this session Fellows were invited to a mindfulness meditation practice that involves scanning your body for pain, tension, or anything out of the ordinary. It is a form of mindfulness meditation where instead of focusing primarily on your breath, you focus on the sensations in your body by directing your attention to how each part of your body feels. This meditation involved breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind. Excerpt read during this session is available in the retreat report. 

• Our Own Journeys as Civic & Community Leaders (Facilitated by Emerald Anderson-Ford)

Each Segal Fellow is on their own unique journey as a person and a leader, including adversities and moments of perseverance. The session referenced the “River Story” model of reflecting on our past and future journeys (River Story guidelines). Our Equity Consultant and longtime partner Emerald Anderson-Ford highlighted key elements of how we can care for and support ourselves as leaders and shared about her own personal journey.

Workshop Block 1: “Reflecting On & Empowering Our Career Journeys”

We heard from Fellows about their career journeys, discussed hot topics within each career stage breakout group, and reflected together across all Fellows. We split into breakout groups, where Fellows chose the following groups that appealed most to them.

• Early Career Group (0-5 years of professional experience): Facilitator Lindsey Johnson; Panelists Justus Davis, Gabriel Fontes, and Mariela Martinez.

• Mid Career Group (5-12 years of professional experience): Facilitator Edith Suarez; Panelists Bernice Appiah, Marisa Lovaincy, and Cali Moore.
• Later Career Group (12+ years of professional experience): Facilitator Jordan Rothman; Panelists: Jimmy Duong, Jess Kent, and Anita Yip.

Within each group, panelists shared some key issues/opportunities/challenges/learnings that came up as they’ve navigated their career phase. Facilitators moderated group discussion on raised themes, while keeping in mind the questions: “How do we sustain ourselves in mission-driven work across career phases?” and “How do we bring our authentic selves to our work and leadership?”
For the last half hour, 2008 Brandeis Segal Fellow Jess Kent facilitated an all-Fellow group discussion to share learnings and look forward across career stages.

• Finding Your Moment(um): Community Rest & Rejuvenation (Facilitated by Emerald Anderson-Ford)

Uplifting the importance and empowerment of making space and time for rest and rejuvenation in our lives, Emerald highlighted many different ways we might find rest and kicked off a session of community rest. This session had two breakout rooms: (1) a quiet meditative space with yoga matts and soft music playing, and (2) an interactive space with art supplies, board games, and affirmations/kudos writing station.

Workshop Block 2: Skill & Knowledge Development

• “Reflect, Grow, Thrive: The Magic of Self-Reflection,” with Fellows Edith Suarez & Gabyliz Machado 

Giving yourself the gift of protected time for rest to reconnect with yourself and others through breathing, reflection, and movement.

• “My Life of Service: My Vision and My Question,” with Max Klau of New Politics

This session included two elements: First, Fellows were invited to spend some time reflecting on an ideal day in the future in which they have found a way to serve in personally meaningful ways. It was a chance to connect with a personal vision regarding what it means to live a life of service. Second, Max covered the “Question Finding Process” that is central to the Answering the Call program; this invited participants to connect with a question, as they thought about finding their path of continued service.

• “Navigating Life’s Big Changes,” with Laura Gassner Otting, Author/Speaker/Segal Founder

"In this session, Laura brought together 30 years of stewarding leaders through massive moments of career shift and organizational disruption, and taught us how to ignore the rules that created our limits, align our energies and our actions, and do work that really matters so that we can live our best lives.
We discussed how to understand what truly excites you about the work you do and become more engaged, more passionate, and more productive; learn how to find what makes you special, and bring the fullest versions of yourselves to the work you do every day; connect to what you really love about what you do, and develop contagious confidence; and create a support system of like-minded achievers and accountability partners who help us to achieve what really matters to our community, our company, and our country." - Laura Gassner Otting

We focused on the ways that we want to connect and make change with one another in our passion areas/communities and within the Segal Program.

• Real World Action Break Out Groups/Issue-Based Relationship Building

These group discussions invited Fellows to convene by self-selected groups to build connections and plan for action around specific topics.

Climate Justice (Fellow Lindsey Johnson, facilitator)
Education/Youth Development (Mora Segal, facilitator)
Changing Community Narratives (Fellow Anita Yip, facilitator)
Open Dialogue on War in Israel/Palestine (Susie Flug-Silva, facilitator)

• Building Our Segal Program/Fellow Future & Expanding The Segal Program

We heard ideas and feedback on ways we can stay connected and support one another after the 2023 Retreat experience. In addition, we allocated time to breakout into groups to share Fellow feedback on updated core competencies/program values.