NewStories is delighted to be able to offer two ZOOM dialogues for Resilient Napa during Mental Health Month. In this time of concern and confusion we need to come together to make sense and find meaning in these uncertain times. 

• On May 20th from 6:30-8:00pm we will explore how we might live our lives in this next now. Please Register Here.
• On May 27th from 11am-1pm we will explore how we can welcome the grief so present in these times. Please Register Here.

May 20th

Our first session will be with NewStories Founder and President Bob Stilger. He’s the author of AfterNow: When We Cannot See the Future, Where Do We Begin? The book is the story of his six years of work with communities in Japan. There is a way forward after disaster. We can find that path and walk it together. In fact, we can only find it and walk it TOGETHER. Visit www.AfterNow.Today and download the eBook version, compliments of NewStories. You can also buy a softcover copy (which will not get to you before the session). Available also on Amazon for purchase and on Kindle Unlimited.

Bob has been supporting people in the fire affected counties of Northern California since early 2018. Since the mid-seventies he has been helping communities in many parts of the US and throughout the world reimagine themselves as healthy and resilient communities. He’s an activist and a scholar, having completed his PhD at the California Institute of Integral Studies in Learning and Change in Human Systems.

May 27th

With the pandemic creating waves of uncertainty that will wash over us in the coming months, and likely years, we might ask ourselves, what is the role of grief in this time of complex change? How might we make a seat at the table for our grief, instead of closing the door to it? And what supports our ability to access the generative wisdom, creativity and vitality of our grieving? Through gentle experiential practices, and supported with key insights from grief work, somatic therapy and the Work that Reconnects, our second session will nurture our capacity to turn towards our experiences of heartache and loss with skillfulness and compassion. NewStories friends Olive Dempsey and Erica Crawford will lead us this rich exploration.

Olive Dempsey is a process designer, facilitator and strategist who supports individuals, teams and organizations to skillfully navigate complexity and change. She has led environmental leadership programs, designed award-winning community engagement processes, and provides organizational development and leadership training for public sector, non-profit and advocacy organizations across Canada. In addition to an MA in environmental education – in which she researched the psychosocial dimensions of environmental leadership – Olive has professional certifications in Co-Active Coaching, Authentic Leadership and Human Systems Dynamics. She regularly facilitates workshops and speaks on questions of psychological resilience and wellbeing in times of climate and environmental crisis.

Erica Crawford is a community planner, facilitator and counsellor specializing in collaborative processes for building community resilience and climate change adaptation strategies. She focuses on awareness and capacity-building through multi-stakeholder planning processes. Erica’s work in climate change adaptation led her to pursue training in somatic therapy, as she recognized the importance of addressing  psycho-social dimensions of dealing with uncertainty and change, incorporating body-based methods. She has a Masters in Community and Regional Planning, is a dedicated student of embodiment and grief work, and is a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor.