July 4, 2023
Dear Friends, Family, and Colleagues,
Welcome to the second Riverstone Consulting Newsletter (the first newsletter is located here)!
My heart is feeling very full. In June, I attended the first Cultivating Safe Spaces Training Conference. It was so amazing to finally meet Elaine Alec, her team at Naqsmist, and my fellow facilitators. After 18 months of meeting on Zoom, it was a bit of a shock to be in the same space to listen, cry, eat, share, hug, and be present with each other.
Elaine Alec and Theresa Crow Spreading His Wings (see photos below) opened up the conference and all the trained facilitators presented on a variety of topics (grants, yoga, business, creativity, education, finance, mental well-being, human resources, and reclamation of women bundles) all using the framework of Cultivating Safe Spaces.
I presented on “Cultivating CREATIVE Safe Spaces for Artists and Creatives” with Catherine Ruddell. We explored the Cultivating Safe Spaces framework through our heart (understanding ourselves), body (exploring different perspectives), and mind (knowing our trauma and triggers). Here are some photos!
Photo at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers by Motif Photography
Elaine Alec opening up the Cultivating Safe Spaces Training Conference with so much inspiration.
Theresa Crow Spreading His Wings sharing a story about a raven trying to be an eagle and not recognizing their own gifts.
Catherine Ruddell and I facilitating a session on “Cultivating Creative Safe Spaces for Artists and Creatives” with lots of curiosity and creativity.
CSS facilitators enjoying a final meal to celebrate our time together with so much gratitude and love in our hearts.
This was my first time presenting on the Cultivating Safe Spaces framework and it is now helping me prepare the content for the “Decolonizing Spaces” webinar which I will begin to facilitate in September 2023.
Speaking of which, I want to let you know that if you register before August 31st, you will receive 50% off the registration fee (discount code is EARLY100). Please see below and on my Riverstone Consulting website for more details about content, dates, registration, and cost.
The Decolonizing Spaces webinar provides confidence in understanding what decolonizing looks like in practice, confidence in promoting inclusion and belonging in spaces, and confidence in moving towards meaningful reconciliation and relationship building from a place of love, patience, and discipline.
Follow me on IG for more information about the webinar and reasons to register. And help me spread the word!!
FEATURE
In every newsletter, I will be highlighting Indigenous individuals / organizations because they see the pathway forward in decolonization.
Elaine Alec self-published her book “Calling My Spirit Back” in 2021. In the book, Elaine shares how she returned to the teachings of her Tema (grandmother) and ancestors in order to heal and call her spirit back. She shares this with all of us so that we can also heal ourselves from colonization. Since then she has been offering the “Cultivating Safe Spaces” program and training other facilitators to teach the program as well. She is also working on her second book.