The Ojai Foundation

#ICYMI If you are not signed up to receive our e-news, you missed this update in November: The Foundations in Resilience Education (FIRE) Fellowship has launched! The FIRE Fellowship is a pay-it-forward, immersive learning journey designed to weave together spirituality, social justice, nature connection, and leadership. FIRE found its shape in the ashes of the Thomas Fire and in partnership with Youth Passageways; it emphasizes resilience training for a small cohort of emerg...ing young leaders with a demonstrated commitment to serving the social and ecological movements of our time. After an extensive review of many inspiring and heartfelt applications, we selected the inaugural FIRE Fellowship cohort. We are so excited to be underway with our inaugural cohort. This year, 13 young leaders organizers, activists, artists, healers have come together to build with one another to gain practices for long-term transformation and healing, and provide meaningful service in their communities. In a collaborative design process, the FIRE Guide team, Guardians, and fellows are continuing to adapt the curriculum and design to meet the ongoing changes brought by Covid, social uprisings, and more, with creativity, relevance, and meaningful action. To learn more about the FIRE Fellowship, visit www.ojaifoundation.org/fire To sign up for e-news, visit www.ojaifoundation.org

#ICYMI If you are not signed up to receive our e-news, you missed this message from the Executive Stewardship Circle yesterday: Greetings, After nearly twenty years of service to The Ojai Foundation, Laura Whitney is transitioning out of her role. We are deeply grateful for her dedication, generosity, and support. Please see the video, with a brief, parting message from Laura.... https://vimeo.com/494195418 With gratitude and humility, The Executive Stewardship Circle Brendan Clarke & Sharon Shay Sloan, Co-Directors David Bryan, Board Co-Chair To sign up for e-news visit ojaifoundation.org

#ICYMI If you are not signed up to receive our e-news, you missed this update from the Executive Stewardship Circle last month: Greetings from Ojai, This past March, The Ojai Foundation (TOF) was poised to reopen for day use after several years of deep recovery and reimagination after the Thomas Fire. As fate would have it, the Covid-19 lockdown struck at exactly that moment. Since then, we have been in a deep process of listening and reconfiguring, both internally and with V...entura County. Thus, it has been a while since our last newsletter, and meanwhile, the world continues to change. Thank you for your patience. We are excited to share some updates with you now. First, we are thrilled to announce that after more than two and a half years of work with the county, we have recently received approval to operate programs onsite at our land sanctuary. This comes with a number of post-fire and Covid-19 changes. Nevertheless, we look forward to welcoming you back to the land in the times ahead. Suffice to say, this moment is not one we take for granted, as there have been many twists, turns, hiccups, and uncertainties along the way. We wish to extend our deep gratitude to all those who have helped us overcome these obstacles as we begin anew. Alongside this legal/logistical work, we have also been in a deep internal process regarding the social justice movements that have ignited in response to recent (and long-standing) acts of police brutality and other forms of oppression. We have written a solidarity statement (https://ojaifoundation.org/about/justice-equity/) outlining some of our response, and simultaneously have been engaging in real action and taking real steps to address the needs in front of us and do what we can to support healing and positive change. And, there is much still to do. The remainder of this newsletter is dedicated to updates regarding the work on the land, program offerings and projects, and some of our key partnerships in these times. For a published version of some of the story of this last fiscal year, photos, and more, please see our 2019-2020 Annual Report. (https://ojaifoundation.org/annual-re/annual-report-2019-20/) As we continue to navigate these times of deep global and personal change, we are continually listening for how best to serve the mission and vision of TOF, and how the mission and vision of TOF can continue to serve the times. Thank you for being with us on this journey. With gratitude and humility, The Executive Stewardship Circle Brendan Clarke & Sharon Shay Sloan, Co-Directors David Bryan, Board Co-Chair To sign up for e-news, visit www.ojaifoundation.org

TOF is partnering with Bioneers to convene a series of council circles at this year’s online Bioneers conference: Beyond the Great Unraveling; Weaving the World Anew, from December 5-6 and 12-13. We have convened a team of incredible circle practitioners from diverse communities to explore the central theme: How do we respond now, in these times, with our continued prayer and action to engage in the healing of ourselves, our relations with others, and this Earth? Join us! Note: In order to sign up for the council circle sessions, you will have to register for the plenary. Scholarships are available to any in need. Visit: https://conference.bioneers.org/