Dear Friends,
Heartfelt greetings! We are delighted to share what has been unfolding with the Gender Equity and Reconciliation International (GERI) project and community this year. What a whirlwind of a year it has been!
One of the sweetest gifts of this year has been a deeper connection in community with our sisters, brothers, and friends worldwide. This has come from moving all our GERI programs online. Our GERI facilitators across the globe had heard about each other over the years, but due to geographic distance many had never met. Now, they are all working together –– and loving this newfound opportunity to co-facilitate the GERI online courses as cross-cultural teams – spanning Australia, Colombia, India, Kenya, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States.
When Covid struck eight months ago, we entered super-speed mode to move the GERI programs and training online. We are very fortunate and thankful that Garrett Evans, GERI International Program Officer, had the skills to quickly learn and implement the nuances of Zoom, so that we could successfully offer our highly experiential process online. With creative development and testing, we were able to adapt much of our in-person workshop process to an online format while still maintaining the powerful and transformative impact GERI brings to people’s lives.
Highlights of GERI accomplishments this year:
- Launched and refined the GERI online programs;
- Conducted nine GERI online course and trainings with over 200 participants from nearly 20 countries;
- Provided upskilling training to 24 certified GERI facilitators preparing them to deliver the program online;
- Began an intensive professional training with 17 new trainees who are currently in the process to become certified online GERI facilitators;
- Began next level training of five senior certified GERI facilitators to become GERI Trainers for the online intensive professional training;
- Translated the GERI online materials into Spanish. Thank you Silvia Araya-Villalobos for your excellent work!;
- Delivered GERI in two languages –– English and Spanish, with a course in Hindi soon to come;
We have been pleasantly surprised to discover that a remarkable degree of complex and delicate psychological transformative work is feasible virtually, and that the GERI online format naturally lends itself to rich cross-cultural sharing and deepening of community connection.
Another wonderful blessing is that in many cases, the online format gives greater access and removes geographic and economic barriers, allowing more people to come into GERI courses and experience this transformative work.
As we sit in different time-zones and countries, oceans away, we are still deeply present and connected. The heart bridges the gaps the mind creates, and we can still enter into that liminal, transformative space where deep sharings and mutual healing flow forth.
“Love rejoices with the truth,” and in deepening truth-telling, a reciprocal heart-opening takes place: a natural impulse to express appreciation and honoring, celebrating one another and each person’s courage to step into this process together. Thank you to everyone who has joined these forums thus far, and deep gratitude to all the GERI trainers, facilitators, and companions who have so beautifully held the space.
To support continued online expansion of GERI, we are implementing a new initiative that includes: building new infrastructure, expanding organizational capacity, training new facilitators, expanding GERI course offerings, offering continued meet-up and learning groups, and developing specialized forms of the work to serve specific needs and communities in gender healing.
We do hope that you’ll join us!
With blessings,
Cynthia and Will