Practicing the
Future Now:
A paradigm shift in how
we create change.
New Seneca Village hosted a half-day Convening
where we explored, expanded and deepened our understanding of, and connection to
practices for restorative liberation.
For the past 3.5 years, New Seneca Village has been co-creating a container with and for leaders and healers
who are at the forefront of advancing change.
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We are an organization founded in the belief that our inner worlds create our outer world
and that how we do our work is as important as the work we are doing.
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We are grounded in curiosity and experimentation and were excited to gather in October to share what we have learned,
to hear what philanthropy knows about calling in the future and to continue to highlight (and fund)
this kind of relational and liberatory leadership work in the world.​
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Practicing the Future Now Convening
We hosted three gatherings within our half-day online convening.
Each gathering was designed to provide a taste of the New Seneca Village experience
and an opportunity to explore how this work expands and deepens pathways
for community, nonprofit and philanthropic work.
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Please see below for overarching reflections from the convening.
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You can find more Villagers shares in our Year Three Update and in our Village Funding Guide.
Being the Field:
A Restorative Practice Offering
At New Seneca Village, we always begin with a pause.
Our first convening gathering, Being the Field: A Restorative Practice Offering featured Raj Escondo, a healing justice facilitator, coach, and mediator offering a restorative practice session that encouraged those gathered to arrive in the present moment and connect with themselves and each other.
Raj introducing a series of Qigong stretches and acupressure points [8M]
Raj led us through various body movement and self-massage techniques, as well as a guided meditation designed to induce presence, self-care, and energy as we embodied creating a field of natural beauty.
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This session was a lovely opportunity to pause and ground in advance of the broader convening and the field of work that the Village is part of creating.
Open House:
A Village Q + A
We hosted a Village Open House following our Village Gathering for funders, donors and philanthropy connectors interested in diving deeper into the statistics, logistics and funding required for our work.
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There is no video from this gathering.
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If you are interested in learning more about the details of this work, please visit our Village Funding Guide.
Practicing the Future Now
A Village Gathering
With the issues of the world increasing in urgency and complexity, how do we practice the future
we want now so that it arrives aligned with our deepest visions and values?​​
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In this session, we explored Village perspectives and practices for cultivating nourished and sustained leadership in the present as we shape a more intentional and aligned future.
Reflections from Practicing the Future Now
Anisha Desai, a member of the Advisory Board and a community facilitator, shared her experience with New Seneca village. She emphasized the transformative power of the residency, where individuals and communities can experience growth and change.
Anisha then invited the participants to reflect on their own leadership, asking them to consider where they draw their energy, inspiration, and motivation from, and how they adapt to increasing complexity and urgency in the world. [2M]
Ain Bailey, founder and Co-ED of New Seneca Village shared about the need to support leaders and healers as a path to the future we want to create.
She shared about the Village invitation to replace expertise with curiosity and to source our leadership from our own inner voices and not in constant response to the imaginations and expectations of others. These practices of making space for each leaders unique vision is part of how we create the future now. [3M]
Taina Jones Co-Executive Director of New Seneca Village shared details about the village's restorative residence experience, which is a 2 to 4 month program designed to support leaders and healers to nourish and sustain their leadership.
She outlined the residency which consists of four gatherings, including three online sessions and one in-person gathering, all with a focus on restoration, connection, and visioning. [5M]
When I stand alone I am big, but when I stand in the ecosystem of us I am ginormous. We are ginormous. We can create change, and it's in our rest and our sacred conversations, and our sacred pauses, and our rocking in the rocking chair in front of the house, having little cackles and things that brings us closer to the work and closer to change.
DejaJoelle, Body Prayers
Village Voices
Learn more about our work through the reflections and thoughts of Villagers.
