“念力 is really about examining what's at the core of our humanity and taking time to appreciate the beauty of life and nature, but also examining other ways of life, 太,” 牧师Alex Hernandez-Siegel.
The Chaplains' Office offered a new fall retreat opportunity, 对学生免费, 道, 新墨西哥, 在第二个block break期间. The program was offered in conjunction with the Taos Initiative for Life Together, a Mennonite-created center that emphasizes social change through cross-cultural examination, 变革经济, 社会正义, innovative outdoor and social education, and shared community practices that also connect nature and spirituality. Nine students had an opportunity to engage in self-reflection, 跨文化对话, and spiritual exploration as they learned about engaging the world and our environment in a proactive way.
This block break opportunity aligns with one of the charges of 科罗拉多大学's strategic plan, 即, that mindfulness and reflection are important aspects of the educational experience, particularly given the intensity of life on the Block Plan. The college is actively seeking ways to deepen and expand students' educations, help them explore their passions without overextending themselves, and increase the meaningfulness and potential of their experience at CC. To help student integrate the parts of their academic experience, CC is also helping students reflect on and integrate what they learn across blocks and semesters.
“念力, 至少我是这么理解的, might be something like being able to feel comfortable and at ease with the people you're with in a given moment And at CC it's really hard sometimes, especially when you have a lot going on,” 艾莉森·贝尔德，19岁， who participated in the TiLT retreat.
学生 explored the spiritual connections between sustainability and the cultures of the Southwest. 等, they talked with local resident Angie Fernandez about her tiny home in a rural part of 新墨西哥 where she lives in a 160-square foot space with no running water and solar heat.
"She tries to lead this zero-waste lifestyle,” 乌拉·亚当斯卡，20岁 她从费尔南德斯那里学到了什么. “我真的很受鼓舞. I don't know if I'll be able to lead such a life, 但也许我可以做些类似的事情, maybe I can adopt some of her practices."
"We're really teaching students to be citizens in a variety of ways,埃尔南德斯-西格尔说. "We were able to recruit a diverse group of students who could learn from each other and their different backgrounds, and learn the things of 'what are our responsibilities, 就人类而言?'"
The program was a combination of engagement, reflection, and rest. 托德Wynward, TiLT的导演, created a retreat which helped students see how to be allies of caring for the earth and its limited resources, 向当地学习, 土著, and Latinx leaders and their cultural traditions.
"I hope that our CC students learn from this history and examine it with a 社会正义 lens as our future leaders,埃尔南德斯-西格尔说.