a long weekend
at Quaker Center (in person)

with Thistle Hofvendahl and Nora Lisette
February 16 to 19, 2024

Over the long Presidents Day weekend, join other young adults for a low-cost retreat to build community, connect with creation, and reflect on how we build active hope and resilience in uncertain times. During the retreat, we will be guided through spaces for holding our grief, naming our gifts, and being faithful to our individual and collective callings.

This program has been made possible with the support and collaboration of the Pacific Yearly Meeting Youth Programs Fund.

click here to register!

About the program

Join other young adult Friends (YAFs*) to build community, connect with creation, and reflect on how we build active hope and resilience in uncertain times. Over the long weekend we will be guided through spaces for holding our grief, naming our gifts, and being faithful to our individual and collective callings. We will have time for experiential activities including building our emotional resilience toolkits, learning about composting, and connecting in small groups.

As with other young adult events at Quaker Center, we’ll be cooking volunteer-led meals. If you feel excited about leading a meal, please let us know – there’s be an opportunity to indicate that on the registration page. You’d have recipes and detailed instructions provided for you, and other Friends helping out on the prep crew. 

Program costs

This program is supported by the Pacific Yearly Meeting Youth Programs Fund, which we hope will further remove any barriers to you deciding to come! This and all programs held at Quaker Center are Pay-As-Led, which means that participants are encouraged to pay an amount that they can afford. We hope that this will prevent financial concerns from standing in the way of your coming. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Some suggested amounts are below, but folks should discern an amount that works for them. Questions? Send an email to nico@quakercenter.org.

Reduced rate: $100 for the weekend
Standard rate: $200
Supporter rate: $300

Some things to bring

• A journal
• Musical instruments
• Clothes for clothing swap (On Saturday evening we will also be having a clothing swap to support a gift economy, so please bring any clothes you’d like to exchange)
• We’ll be doing sit spots (times to find a place in the woods to come back to and be present with throughout the weekend) so feel free to bring art supplies, a camp chair, warm jacket, or any other materials to help you engage
• Rain gear, an umbrella

*What and who are Young Adult Friends? Please note: “Young Adult Friends” typically refers to those ages 18-35. We’re happy to include Friends who are a little older who feel called to this workshop. However, we plan to focus on some of the big questions that come up during young adulthood such as discernment around what kinds of work we feel called to do, exploring what we need from our communities to sustain us, etc. If you are curious whether the workshop would be a fit for you, you are welcome to email us with any questions at thistle.a.h@gmail.com and noralisette0@gmail.com 

About the presenters

Nora Lisette is a member of Grass Valley Friends Meeting. Her ministry involves attending to and healing the rivers of intergenerational trauma that flow through us – individually, in our families, and societally. Professionally, Nora has a background in postpartum doula work and coaching. She is currently preparing to welcome her first child this Spring. 

Thistle Hofvendahl is a member of Redwood Forest Friends Meeting in Santa Rosa. They currently live at Ben Lomond Quaker Center and attend Santa Cruz Monthly Meeting. Thistle is a clinical social worker and has experience as a therapist supporting young people with climate anxiety, among other concerns. 

Nora and Thistle both grew up in Pacific Yearly Meeting. They are both graduates of the Woolman Semester School and more recently of the Climate Psychology certificate program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).

click here to register

This is a time of global exploration of how to show up wholeheartedly and find meaningful ways of taking action in the face of the climate crisis. Nora and Thistle feel called to work together to hold space for individuals and communities around climate change grief and empowerment.