To Connect and Transform

The year begins with spring – an ideal time for renewal and transformation. Kadoorie Earth Programme is holding a weekend retreat in nature this March for you to empty your mind in order to reconnect with yourself, with others and with the natural world, using all five senses.

 Content

 The "We are Nature" residential retreat is designed for people looking for a reflective pause, or for those who wish to enjoy creative moments in nature with like-minded souls. Mindful that the tranquillity of nature has the ability to soothe fatigued minds, we invite you to embrace the interaction with Mother Earth and benefit from the richness of contemplation alongside your co-learners.

 The retreat offers a variety of opportunities for participants to interact with and learn from nature. You will encounter moments of ''We are Nature'' through experiential activities, guided sessions and facilitated dialogues, leading you to reflect on and cultivate a new way of understanding nature and how to bring these insights into everyday life. Learn about living sustainably by connecting with food from field to table; open your heart and reconnect through forest bathing at dusk – a solitary time in nature; co-learn and co-create; reflect and meditate. 

 The retreat is held in the sustainable and beautiful landscape of KFBG and the Green Hub, a heritage building in Tai Po. Join us in this unique opportunity to both learn and unlearn, on the path towards more creative and sustainable ways of living.

Juliana has been a close affiliate with Schumacher College for the past decade, having graduated with Masters in Holistic Science and worked as a facilitator alongside experts in different areas such as Stephan Harding, David Abram, Vandana Shiva and Satish Kumar. In 2013, she founded an educational enterprise in Brazil experimenting with more participatory ways of organising. Beyond leading the organisation, she has taught and facilitated holistic thinking through numerous groups with highly diverse backgrounds. She is now a collaborator of educational initiatives in Brazil and around the world through mentoring, consulting and teaching, as well as conducting a PhD as a researcher with the Schumacher Society.

Ying has been in the front line of holistic learning and eco-community in China since graduating from Schumacher College (UK) with Masters in Economics for Transition. In 2018, she co-founded Schumi Learning Garden in a traditional Hakka village which has now become one of the pioneers in demonstrating alternative ways of rural revitalization. Since 2021, she has reoriented herself from leading the on-site centre to orchestrating and facilitating long-term online courses in the themes of re-wilding human nature and regenerative economics, together with teachers who have taught at Schumacher College, as well as being a collaborator of other education initiatives and a consultant and mentor of eco-communities.

1. Date / Time

10th - 12th March, 2023 (Friday to Sunday)

Time
10th March, 12:00 to 21:00 (overnight)
11th March, 07:30 to 21:00 (overnight)
12th March, 07:30 to 14:00

Participants are expected to be residential and participate fully in every session. Part of the residential experience is to take part in a community of learners together with nature and the shared space.

2. Venue

Green Hub, Tai Po (accommodation and workshops)
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (experiential activities)

3. Language

Cantonese, with some sessions in English

4. Target group / No. of Participants

Aged 18 or above
Maximum 20 participants
Participants will be accepted for this retreat on a first-come-first-served basis

5. Fee

Course Fee# HK$2,600 per person + Accommodation Fee
KFBG Member will enjoy a 10% discount on this retreat

#including guided and facilitated sessions and activities, vegetarian meals, outing arrangement and shuttle bus service between Green Hub and KFBG during the workshop
+Accommodation Fee (depends on the room type) Per-bed/ person:

- Since the room number is limited, rooms can be booked on a first-come-first-served basis.
- For more information about the rooms, please visit https://www.greenhub.hk/en/eco-guesthouse/residential-experience/

6. Application

Click here to apply by 26th Feb 2023.

Upon receipt of the application form and the payment, a confirmation letter will be sent to you by email within 5 working days.
Payment is not refundable after acceptance, unless the retreat gets cancelled due to inclement weather.

7. Enquiry

Iris Chung (Education Department) at 2483 7109 or email to iris.chung@kfbg.org
Natalie Ng (Education Department) at 2483 7110 or email to natalie.ng@kfbg.org

8. Terms & Conditions

Upon submission of your application and payment, you are deemed to have accepted all Terms and Regulations of this retreat, and the guidelines below:

Green Hub Visitor Guidelines
(https://www.greenhub.hk/en/visit/visitors-guidelines/)

Green Hub Resident Guidelines
(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R48WUA90_ffTzQXpRw7w2oNoECcPhKkf/view?usp=sharing)

KFBG Visitor Guidelines
(https://www.kfbg.org/en/announcements/visitors-guidelines)

In case of any dispute, the Organiser has the right to the final decision on the acceptance of application. If your application is denied, full payment will be refunded.

 About the Kadoorie Earth Programme

This experience is brought to you by the Kadoorie Earth Programme (KEP).

Kadoorie Earth Programme is being co-created by KFBG and its network of collaborators and volunteers. By integrating the various strands of KFBG’s nature conservation, sustainable living and holistic education programmes, it provides life-transforming learning experiences that reconnect people with themselves, each other and the rest of nature and enable them to cultivate resilience in the face of climate change, economic uncertainty and other related challenges. Facilitated by leading educators, KEP guides participants to experience a paradigm shift, to let go of the same way of thinking that created the problems and open their hearts to new ways of knowing and acting. We invite you to be part of this unfolding initiative, to make a difference together in this world.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them.”
 Albert Einstein