Renaissance Lawyer Kim Wright has a few bunks left for Summer Peace Camp. If I had a week, a bottle of bug spray, and extra frequent flyer miles, I'd join them....
The Role of the Peacemaker in Healing Polarization
Summer Peace Camp for Lawyers
July 28-31, 2005
Black Mountain, North Carolina (NC CLE Credit Applied For)
$100-$500 Sliding Scale
After the last election, are you careful about raising political issues in public places? Do you find that those attempts seem to be met with discussion with one group on one side of the discussion and others on the opposite? Do you have a lingering sense of anger at the inability to seeming bridge the gap of polarization? Do you find that you have few opportunities to engage in constructive dialogue with the other end of the spectrum? Are you wondering how you can be a peacemaker in this polarized country when you're having a hard time applying what you know and believe about being a peacemaker to your own political life?
Or have you figured out how to live inside the polarization? Better yet, have you found ways to cross the great divide? In these strained political times, some are questioning their beliefs about how transformation of conflict really is possible. Some of us are wondering how we can be peacemakers in a polarized country (when we're drawn into the polarization). Others are wondering about when to stand up and fight and when to just keep our mouths shut. How do we manage our anger at the injustices we perceive in the world? Where are the wise leaders who can help us to find the common ground? We wonder what tools might be useful in approaching these polarized political situations, whether it is possible for us to be voices of peacemaking and healing. As you can see, we have lots of questions! If you have answers, please join us. If you share our questions, please come inquire and explore with us!
If this conversation intrigues you, the Board of Directors of the Renaissance Lawyer Society invites you to head for the hills with us...the mountains of western North Carolina for a powerful conversation and exploration.
As we notice the political polarization, we realize that these questions are not so different from the polarization of parties that we face as lawyers every day. What are the most effective tools to bridge the distance between polarized parties? How do we bring reconciliation and restore connection? We need connection not only for our clients but for our own well-being and balance. We've learned that being at one pole in any dispute leaves us feeling out of balance, disconnected.
We're inviting lawyers, educators, and peacemakers who are already working on the cutting edge: mindful lawyers, holistic lawyers, collaborative lawyers, humanizing legal educators, and practitioners in restorative justice, therapeutic jurisprudence, transformative mediation, peacemaking, etc. from across the country. We're gathering with the experts at resolving conflict peacefully, bringing healing and connection where there has been anger and resentment. We intend that the event be transformational, that everyone goes home with new possibilities for peacemaking in their lives, their practices, and their communities.
We'll explore peacemaking, healing ways of approaching and resolving conflict. We'll look at new models of practicing law from a commitment to creating connection rather than disconnection between parties.
The event will be an opportunity for sharing and cross-training of many different approaches and models. We'll explore our own reactions to conflict and share approaches that work in resolving or moving through it. We'll use a combination of planned programming and open space technology to fill the retreat with powerful and valuable content. Rather than war stories, we're inviting participants to bring their "peace stories" to share with us.
About Our Sliding Scale:
We know that many lawyers have consciously chosen to spend more time on pro bono work, with family, or in peacemaking practices that are not as financially remunerative as other lawyers. We also know that new practices, solo practitioners, and others sometimes have cash flow challenges. Other lawyers have established successful practices that support them and allow them to generously contribute to the community.
Because we know this, we are committed to offering our programs at affordable rates. Conference registration will be from $100 to $500, you set the fee. Room and meal packages are as low as $197 for the entire weekend, double occupancy. (We'll assign you a roommate if you don't have one.)
Our sliding scale policy is that you get to set your own conference fee based on your own sense of affordability, the value that you see this program will bring you and your commitment to innovation and transformation in the legal profession.
Renaissance Lawyer Society is a non-profit organization operated completely by volunteers, all of whom are busy lawyers or educators. Each of us contributes many hours of our time to promoting the mission and vision of the organization. While it is never as much as any of us would like to contribute, we're proud that our web site has been visited by more than 100,000 individuals, our members are widely published and celebrated in the media as creating a new paradigm of the law, and we are available for email and telephone support and inspiration to lawyers around the world. This event is one of our fund-raisers for the year which will help to support the RLS web site, its updates, and additional programs and services for lawyers and the legal community.
Bele Chere & Asheville--Bring the Family!
July 29 through 31st is the Bele Chere festival in Asheville. Sunshine Artist Magazine recently named Bele Chere the 52nd Best Fine Art Show in the nation. With some 140 artists from across the region exhibiting and selling their paintings, photographs, pots, jewelry, fiber arts, sculpture and other wares, Bele Chere is making a name for itself as an arts event.
Master artists featured at Bele Chere include photographers, painters and sculptors that have been collectively displaying their designs for years. Visitors are given the opportunity to peruse the magnificent exhibitions that range from fibrous creations of fine wool to metalworking and watercolors.
Ranked among the top 25 cities nationwide, Asheville is known for the rich array of cultural activities. ..not to mention the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Asheville boasts a lively downtown filled with one of the country's finest regional fine art theaters on Biltmore Avenue and an impressive collection of regional art at the Folk Art Center off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Appalachian Arts & Crafts will be prominently featured at the festival, where visitors will find a wide assortment of handmade specialty items on just about every corner. The festival will feature the top 60 artists selected by a prestigious jury in Arts Park located in the Asheville Savings Bank and Drhumor Parking lots off of Patton Avenue. Resting in the tranquil shade, the ambiance of the Arts Park will embody an oasis of art and sculpture. Additional displays will feature oil and acrylic paintings, pottery, photography, mixed media and blown glass. For more information about Bele Chere, contact the Asheville Parks & Recreation at 828-259-5800 or visit www.belechere.com .
For more information or to register, please visit:
http://renaissancelawyer.org/SummerCamp/home.htm
Or contact Conference Organizer, Kim Wright, at 828 253 3355 or jkimwright@renaissancelawyer.com
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