Self-development retreat, February 15-16, 2025
Written by: Janean Shedd
At almost 8am exactly we rolled up to the first house. Kaydence quickly came out of her house and climbed into the van. One by one we gathered the rest of the girls and then headed south to the barn for some breakfast, to gather gear, and from there it was on to the outdoors!
Months prior, the girls had asked for their winter retreat to be an outdoor adventure where they could learn to ski. Saturday, February 15th, was when everything fell into place. It was a slightly shorter trip due to conflicting sports schedules, but it was jam-packed nonetheless. Once at the Cumming Nature Center we rented cross country skis and set off on the trail. The girls opted to hit the trail right away, and one by one they quickly showed mastery of this new skill. Hesitant skis steps became more confident, with poles flashing and knees bent a bit as they raced through the woods. Every intersection was a chance to practice map reading and negotiating skills as they talked through which trails to take/how long of a ski they would take. Every downhill run was a chance to practice gliding and controlling speed (and, naturally, falling!). Though a couple of the girls were exhausted at a possible turn-around spot, they chose to stay together as a group, taking the long way around together back to the center. A trailside hot cocoa break renewed spirits of those who were more tired, and gave everyone the energy to finish the journey.
After a break inside the center to rest/breathe (and hit up the gift shop!) they were ready to move into the Airbnb, change, and make some lunch. The girls quickly navigated sleeping arrangements and lunch, and were ready to jump into the retreat-portion of the weekend before long. The rest of the afternoon was spent together in the living room; talking and reflecting through concentric circles, paired conversations, and solo journal time. Everything centered around their values, what their hopes are for the rest of high school, and what they want life to look like after the graduate high school.
By early evening, all of the physical work, deep thinking, and emotional navigation had taken a toll – the girls were exhausted! For dinner, they chose to repurpose the burger that had been bought for tacos, and opted to make hamburgers, using the taco-designated lettuce for buns. Our evening burger chef (Kaydence) had never cooked burgers before, but she was game to try! Meanwhile, a slightly improvised buffalo chicken dip was concocted by Hailey, Phoenix worked on baking a cake and Maggie chose to hand whip the cream originally planned for an Alfredo sauce into butter – a first time experience for her! The conversations, improvisations, and collaborations in the kitchen were exactly what we’d hoped to cultivate!
After dinner, mentally and physically exhausted, the girls decided that just hanging out together was enough activity, and then elected to go to bed pretty early!
The next morning we could see all the snow the previous afternoon had thrown our way, and so the undeniable post-pancake plan was to go sledding in the backyard! Our checkout time was 11, and the girls did a great job making sure we were out on time. Back at the barn we did a quick values vs time spent comparative before a second breakfast and some time climbing/ letting Eliza practice belaying skills on the rock wall. The girls were clearly exhausted, so we gave them the choice of one last activity or to head home early. They chose the activity, and ended their trip with an art activity that Kenna (a former volunteer) had introduced to us two summers ago. Some challenging communication, giggles, and watercolor strokes later, their masterpieces were finished – two representations of what balance looks like. These young women did a phenomenal job holding focus in their tired states, but when we climbed into the van they quickly wriggled into post-trip nap positions.
We are looking forward to building on their new confidence, conflict resolution, communication and self awareness skills in the coming weeks, months, and years!