There is an Inner Life of Extension Education Cohort Experience open to any dedicated Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) educator interested in renewing and sustaining personal identity and professional integrity with others in a trustworthy setting.
The application for the 2021-22 CCE cohort is now closed.
About the Inner Life of Extension Education Cohort Experience
It’s a challenging time in CCE. In our busy lives we can sometimes lose touch with that which is most important to us and during this season of uncertainty, new stressors have arisen. Questions preoccupy us: how can I possibly complete everything I’m juggling? Why, or for what purpose, am I engaged in this work, anyway? Seldom, however, do we reflect with others: how can I be renewed as I work with and relate to others? With a renewed sense of vitality, how can I discover my strengths and work toward the common good in Extension?
The Inner Life of Extension Education Circle of Trust® cohort experience fosters ways to sustain and renew personal identity and professional integrity. The nearly year-long experience is for a diverse and committed group of Extension professionals who find that work and life can sometimes pull us away from what matters most. Participants are invited to explore the ways in which their inner life and outer work are connected; how they can bring their gifts and skills to their work; how to fully engage in their work while remaining true to themselves. Drawing on the work of the Center for Courage & Renewal, facilitator Marcia Eames-Sheavly generates a unique retreat-based cohort approach to renewing personal identity, professional integrity and vocational vitality.
This approach encourages us to consider the human dimensions of life in Extension, what it is to honor the variations and complexities of human experience, and how to embrace the heart of our work. With time, we probe how this deeper exploration translates into positive action.
Meetings are held monthly via Zoom, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., September to May, with an initial formation experience in August, to allow time to build a strong and dynamic community of support. Reflective practices integrate the approach into one’s personal and professional life between meetings. In large-group, small-group and solitary settings, we will explore this journey through story, poetry, teaching from diverse wisdom traditions, and through nature and seasonal metaphor. The timeframe has ‘interior’ and ‘exterior components,’ beginning with self-renewal, and moving into how this can positively impact those around us.
Extension professionals who participate in an Inner Life cohort experience have an opportunity to…
- Form long-term trustworthy relationships outside the usual meeting or workshop format, which can foster the increased dignity, respect and fairness named in our core Cornell University values.
- Be a part of creating and benefiting from safe space for reflection and meaningful conversation aimed at learning to trust inner wisdom, and align this wisdom with our outer work in the world – offering the chance to encourage in one another ‘unpredicted lines of thinking’ and creativity which is often only tapped in spaces for reflection.
- Engage in conversations that form the foundation for the clarity and courage to re-connect with the longings and passions that brought them here. Learn principles and practices for deeper listening and wholehearted decision-making.
- Discover an inner capacity to lead a more authentic, meaningful and resilient life, renewing the commitment to positive action and courage to act with integrity here at the university and beyond.
- Discern deep change which comes not from an administrative mandate, but one that arises in the energized space between caring and thoughtful colleagues.
- Engage in mutual attentiveness to the new and unexpected creative work and broad inquiry at the heart of our university mission.
What participants say about this cohort
“The Inner Life of Extension cohort experience was sometimes surprising, often challenging, and always rewarding! I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to cultivate more intentionality and authenticity in their work and workplace relationships. It is also a great opportunity to build meaningful relationships with colleagues that you might not get to know otherwise.”