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The Naramata Centre Society Board of Directors met September 16-18 at Naramata Centre to tackle a busy agenda that included: welcoming new Board members, reviewing Summer 2016 evaluations and deciding about next year, and discussing revisions to the draft business plan based on our experience from May to September.
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Announcement!
The Board is pleased to announce that we had a successful summer season at Naramata Centre this year and that we will open again from May to October 2017!
We thank B.C. Conference of the United Church of Canada for supporting the Board in opening for the summer of 2016, as we work through our long-term planning for the future of the Centre.
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Summer season 2016
As many of you will recall, we spent the fall of 2015 consulting with past Centre participants in B.C. and Alberta to collect their ideas about the Centre's future. Many of you told us the Centre should continue to be a place of spiritual nurture, growth and transformation; and a caring community which creates the space for growth by being a physically and emotionally safe place for children, youth and adults to risk and grow. With this in mind we started planning for the summer of 2016.
After two years of not offering programs or the opportunity to stay at the Centre, Naramata Centre opened this spring, welcoming back both past participants and people new to the Centre.
This year, the Board decided to take a different approach from previous years, including these key changes:
- Operating under a different model, primarily using volunteers for everything from grounds maintenance to hosting our guests.
- Working in partnership with program leaders to plan, market and run programs.
- Allowing people to stay at the Centre without taking a program.
We had 1,060 people stay on site with us this year. In addition, some people from the local area joined in for programs, resulting in 399 people participating in a wide variety of programming, ranging from a course on Spiritual Eldering to intergenerational art, yoga, children's programs and much more! Music and choirs were very popular as well.
We heard many times how happy people were to be back at the Centre and how much they missed this place that has been so important to them. We also heard that people enjoyed the more relaxed approach with the chance to participate and create community, whether they signed up for a program or not.
Robin and John Robertson of RCR Consulting did a great job of managing our accommodations for us this year and we thank them! We could not have opened this summer without them! We will be looking for help next year running accommodations and supporting programming. Stay tuned for more on this opportunity.
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A BIG THANK YOU to all our volunteers
This summer we worked with a wonderful group of volunteers: Community Spirit Facilitators who provided spiritual nurture and helped create community life, and Program Hosts who worked with and supported the program leaders. From all reports this approach worked very well and, based on feedback from these volunteers, we will refine this approach and use it again next year.
Many others volunteered, both during the spring work week and throughout the summer, to clean up and repair the Centre so we could welcome people back. We also have local, ongoing volunteers who work continuously throughout the year to maintain the grounds, as well as people who volunteered while they were staying at the Centre this summer season.
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Want to help out?
One of the ways you can help is to be a link to your community, by letting people know what is happening at the Centre. Volunteer to keep your congregation informed or regularly connect with your friends who have attended the Centre. We will provide the information; we will ask that you share it. If you are interested in being involved in this way, contact Barb Green.
Volunteer this fall during our "Hearts and Hands" volunteer service event from October 21 to 30. We invite you to come to the Centre and contribute through body, mind and spirit. Join us for one of the weekends, the week in between or the entire 10 days! We ask that you come willing to volunteer five-to-six hours daily, while you are here. Accommodations will be provided at no cost and cooking facilities will be available. There will also be opportunities for spiritual nurture, community building, shared meals, music and discussion. For more information, click here.
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Ways to Stay Connected
- If you haven't already done so, become a Naramata Centre member to support the work of the Board.
- Watch for our monthly emailed newsletter to stay informed about Centre activities and Board plans as they unfold.
- Follow us on Facebook, and if you "Like" our page and share our updates, you will help spread the word about Naramata Centre.
- Check out our Board members' summer blog posts.
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The Naramata Centre Society Board of Directors is very grateful for your support as we continue our work to make the Centre thrive once again!
Doug Woollard
Chair, Naramata Centre Society Board of Directors
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