What Folks Say
Courage has provided a beautiful, intentional community to explore experiences of and responses to injustice in our world. Centered on better understanding and healing our own traumas, this program creates a space for deep self care that leads to transformation. Courage is exactly what we need to see and hear one another; its philosophy works in direct opposition to the emerging 'Cancel Culture' that shuts people out for not being on the same page or holding the same beliefs as one another. Weekly meditations, check ins, reflection prompts, and resources support members through a year-long journey of healing and hope. I'm incredibly grateful to know and walk alongside the wonderful individuals who created and participate in this program.
When I came to Courage a year ago, I was struggling to find the energy I needed to keep doing my work in providing care and support for others in need. In all my fighting for social justice, giving compassion and empathy for others, I somehow had forgotten how to give that to myself.
As a healer, healthcare worker, and educator, how could I give others something that I myself did not have?
Courage allowed me the space, time, tools, and support I needed to come home again, and to come back stronger in support of the just and sustainable community that we are all co-creating.
As a young person of color, Courage trainings have provided me with the capacity to honor my lineage through love, compassion, and social transformation. The guided meditations and open discussions have allowed me drop into a space where I can genuinely show up to the complexities of my experience. Though we are living in a world dominated by interlocking systems of oppression, the summer intensive helped me understand how to deconstruct these systems while also attending to my own personal healing. I am deeply grateful for the chance to engage in such restorative work and am excited to shift the paradigm.
Without question, being a part of the Courage community has been one of the two or three most important experiences I’ve had at the intersection of the personal and professional realms. I feel a deeper sense of peace and resolve in my work as a parent, a teacher, and someone fighting injustice.
I said that I was going to work on being honest about my feelings and it took so much out of me. Who knew that healing was going to be a gut wrenching process cause I sure didn't. I wish healing upon everyone that needs it because it is beautiful. Team Courage encouraged us to dig deep and for that I am so grateful, granted it made me open up it also allowed me me to be genuine with everything. Everyone in my homeroom was fantastic and the infinity rooms were amazing and definitely needed! I wish nothing but the best for everyone from fellows to the wise elders, to Team Courage, and everyone else that was part of the summer intensive. There is so much to learn every single day and life is always about learning. Nothing should ever stop us from protecting our space either. That's something I never even thought about, but here we are! Thank you so much!
This week, I’ve been able to reflect on simple ways that I can make the world better through relationship building. Though that remains my goal as a leader in my community, my colleagues have shown me that it is important to be able to prioritize myself. At the core of leadership, I see love, so moving forward, I want to make sure that I extend the same love to others that I should for myself. This week, I also focused on trust. Because this was a completely new community to experience, I definitely held some hesitations around being vulnerable, but I’ve been able to realize how a lack of trust in my community can actually impose harm on what I’m trying to achieve. With the start of school being right around the corner, I plan to be very intentional about taking care of myself and practicing in ongoing healing so that when I am met with the demands of leadership at a PWI, I can function with the habit of my own care and trust.
