New Seneca Village
Questions + Answers

A: New Seneca Village offers a restorative residency experience that invites leaders and healers to access expansive resources (time, space, access to nature, restorative practices, intentional community and higher consciousness) for the sake of nourishing and sustaining their collective visioning for a just future. We believe that sovereign leaders are essential to the strength and longevity of our change movements. Centering restoration, connection and visioning (however each leader defines these elements for themselves) is vital for our leaders to continue creating impactful change in their communities and beyond. The Village Restorative Residency Experience is an intentional and immersive experience designed to accompany leaders and healers in their restorative journey, both personally and professionally. The restorative residency experience is made up of five gatherings including: 3 online Restorative Vision Circles; 1 week in person Restorative Connection Gathering; and 1 post gathering online Restorative Integration Circle Upon completion of the residency experience, Villagers gain access to a growing community and ongoing Village offerings that center restoration, connection and collective visioning within our intentional community. At New Seneca Village, we embrace a culture of abundance — across social, environmental, collective, individual and intuitive realms. Our values are not just ideals but active commitments, shaping the agreements and practices that define this sacred and transformative practice space. Through this experience, we honor leaders’ humanity, sovereignty and the essential role they play in building a more just and equitable future.

A: There are three main elements of the Village restorative residency experience. The Restorative Vision Circle Series is a foundational part of the New Seneca Village Restorative Residency Experience. This three-session series offers Villagers the time and space to ground themselves as they step into the restorative residency experience — exploring their personal stories, beliefs and patterns around restoration and restorative practices. Through guided reflection and intentional dialogue, Villagers are invited to explore their current practices and identify their intentions for integrating restorative practices in their leadership in life and work. The weeklong in-person Restorative Connection Gathering is a deeply nourishing and transformative experience — a practice space for Villagers to step away from the demands of daily life and immerse themselves in centering restoration, connection and visioning within intentional community. The Connection Gathering offers a range of curated restorative practices led by experienced healers, nourishing and delicious meals prepared with care each day and abundant opportunities for Villagers to connect — with themselves, with the natural world and with the community of fellow Villagers. Post the in-person gathering, the Restorative Integration Circle offers a dedicated space for Villagers to pause and to reflect on the practices that are essential to their ability to continue to weave restoration, connection and visioning into leadership in life and work long after the restorative residency experience.

A. All Villagers (leaders and healers) must participate in all of the elements of the Village experience. This includes attending all three sessions of the Restorative Vision Circle series, the entire in-person Restorative Connection Gathering* and the post gathering Restorative Integration Circle session. * The in-person gathering is a 6 night immersive experience intentionally designed to foster deep restoration connection and visioning. We ask each Villager to commit to the full duration of the gathering to honor not only their own restorative journey but also the collective experience, including opening and closing the gathering as a community.

A: Participation in the New Seneca Village Restorative Residency Experience is completely complimentary. There is no financial cost for leaders and healers to take part in this experience. We fully cover the costs of restorative offerings, accommodations, nourishing meals and "final mile" transportation from the nearest airport to the in-person gathering venue. In addition, we offer grants to Villagers designed to remove barriers to participation and support Villagers’ ability to be fully present. These include: Transportation Grants to assist with individual travel costs to and from the in-person gathering venue. [Note, the Village Team does not directly purchase travel tickets]. Back Home Grants to help cover elder care, child care, pet care, and lost wages during the restorative residency experience. Our commitment is to ensure that every Villager has the resources they need to fully engage in this restorative experience. In the spirit of a thriving community, leaders who do not need these grants are invited to pass on accepting them, so that those who need them can receive them. For more details, please visit the New Seneca Village Grants page.

A: At New Seneca Village, we recognize leaders as organizers, activists, advocates, artists, academics, researchers, systems agitators, and more. Leaders can be front-line organizers driving large-scale movements in the world, as well as internal organizers advancing change within organizations and structures. New Seneca Village leaders embody the following qualities. They are committed to their own restorative journeys They are open to co-creating intentional and restorative community with others; They commit fully to the New Seneca Village Restorative Residency Experience, which includes five gatherings and two ongoing engagements within the Village ecosystem space (see Leader Offering page): 3 online Restorative Vision Circles 1 week in person Restorative Connection Gathering 1 online Restorative Integration Circle Providing feedback on the Restorative Residency Experience; and Participating in Village Exchange and Ecosystem Engagements They maintain healthy relationships with their own mental health and take accountability for their own well-being. Priority consideration is given to individuals working in the nonprofit sector and on the front-line. Additionally, preference is extended to those who identify as Black, Indigenous, trans, elders and those from low-income backgrounds. For further details, please refer to our Founding Commitments. Visit the Leader Offering page for more details about this opportunity.

A: The New Seneca Village Restorative Residency Experience is designed for leaders to center their restorative practices and their purpose and their visions within an internal container of time, space, access to nature, restorative practices, intentional community and higher consciousness. We invite leaders into a space of Being not Doing and encourage them to follow their own rhythm and flow in support of their ability to connect with and listen to their inner wisdom. To support leaders' ability to realize this invitation, leaders are expected to fully participate in the entirety of the Village experience which includes; three online Restorative Vision Circle sessions one Weeklong in-person Restorative Connection Gathering one Village Restorative Integration Circle, post gathering. New Seneca Village is a complimentary restorative residency experience. In addition to full participation in the five gatherings outlined above, we ask leaders to support the intentional Village community in the following ways. Participate in the Village Exchange: Commit at least 12 hours in the year following their residency experience to connect and engage with other Villagers around shared personal or professional interests and inquiries. Provide Reflective Feedback: Help shape the co-created and evolving design of the New Seneca Village restorative residency experience. We value collective input and use feedback to adapt and expand our offerings in alignment with our community’s needs. Visit the Leader Offering page for more information about our leaders’ offerings.

A: At New Seneca Village, we embrace an expansive definition of healers. A New Seneca Village healer is someone who nurtures collective restoration and community care through their unique practices, offerings and presence. A New Seneca Village healer is… Practicing across various modes of restorative practices, including body workers, energy workers, somatic practitioners, spiritual leaders, coaches and artists who assist others in accessing their creativity, self-expression, liberation and joy; Providing for communities and the collective through individual, small group and large group work centering restoration, and in alignment with co-creating intentional and restorative community; Able to commit to and fully engage in the Village restorative residency experience and align with our Healer Philosophy (see healer offering); In healthy relationships with, and accountable for, their own mental health. Priority consideration is given to individuals working in the nonprofit sector and on the front-line. Additionally, preference is extended to those who identify as Black, Indigenous, trans, elders and those from low-income backgrounds. For further details, please refer to our Founding Commitments.

A: At New Seneca Village, healers are an extension of our container of restorative care and expansive resources. Invited healers are expected to co-create a transformative and intentional community and practice space offering restorative practices centering restoration, connection and visioning. As part of the in-person Restorative Connection Gathering, healers provide individual, small and large group restorative offerings, while holding the container of the Village alongside other healers and the Village team. Together, they cultivate an environment of care and expansion that nourishes both the individual and collective journey. New Seneca Village healers embody the following qualities: Commitment to Restoration: They center restoration, connection and visioning in their lives and work. Willingness to Co-Create: They are open to building intentional and restorative community in partnership with others. Full Engagement: They commit fully to the New Seneca Village Restorative Residency Experience, which includes: Three online Restorative Vision Circles One-week in-person Restorative Connection Gathering One online Restorative Integration Circle Three Healer Planning Sessions Providing thoughtful feedback to support the evolving and co-created design of the Village experience; and Participating in Village Exchange and Ecosystem Engagements Personal Accountability: They maintain healthy relationships with their own mental health and well-being and take responsibility for their continued care. Visit the Healer Offering page for more details about this opportunity.

A: New Seneca Village centers Black, Indigenous, women of color working toward justice and is intentionally inclusive of trans, gender expansive and queer folks of color within our broader community. We welcome healers who: Are skilled in holding space for and supporting leaders of color working toward justice; Have established practices that can be adapted for both individual, small groups and large group offerings; Are eager to deepen their own restorative practices and integrate restoration into their life and work; are able and willing to hold a container - with the Village team - of restoration, connection and visioning. If you are interested in being a New Seneca Village healer, please check out the Healer Offering page for more information.

A: The New Seneca Village Healer Philosophy guides how we co-hold the energetic container of restoration, connection and visioning during the restorative residency experience. It is rooted in respect, trust and a deep belief in each Villager’s wholeness and wisdom. Our philosophy: Honoring individual healing journeys: Each Villager is on their own healing journey, sometimes explicit and sometimes implicit. ​ Affirming wholeness: The power and ability to heal is alive and well with each Villager (there is nothing to fix, nothing broken, nor missing). ​ Creating space for reflection and expansion: Each healer is offering Villagers the opportunity to connect, feel, observe, encounter themselves and to pause, reflect and grow. ​ Shared responsibility: Each healer is responsible for the consequences of their intervention, modality, and technique and each Villager is responsible for their own healing process. For more details on this approach, check out the Healer Offering page.