This year’s Art of Communication Festival weekend is back in person!

https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=330939618307

(At least for one of the two days!)

Saturday’s online offerings include: an Intro, a session for BIPOC community, Decentering/Dropping the Defense for White-Bodied Folx, NVC for Men, Letting Go of Resentments, Self-Compassion ~ a practice, Becoming Better Listeners, and a workshop on procrastination and the inner critic. So much variety!

Sunday’s workshops will be held outdoors in person at Friendship Garden, located in Harvey West Park, Santa Cruz, CA. Options include a parenting workshop, an LGBTQIA+ community building session, GROK empathy poker, a session on play as part of our human experience, NVC & mindfulness, opportunities for lunch with affinity groups or new friends, and more! Please bring your own lawn chair and/or cushion to ensure your comfort. There are picnic benches, accessible bathrooms, and close parking for those with placards.

Any 3 workshops: $45-120

Access to whole weekend: $75-300

Scholarships generously available. Email info@nvcSantaCruz.org for a full or partial scholarship.

Facilitators include: Caren Camblin, Jessica Escobedo, Michelle Leah Gomez, Rick Longinotti, and Mika Maniwa, Kristin Masters, Kadijah Means, and Jean Morrison.

Full schedule below

SUNDAY

10:30- 11:30 Without Coercion, Force, Bribery or Even Praise: An Introduction to NVC Parenting with Michelle Leah Gomez. Would you be willing to consider your child whole from birth – not needing to be fixed through force, coercion, bribery or even simple praise? A family where everyone’s needs matter? This participatory session is not about teeth brushing, bedtime and homework strategies. It is about building connection and trust – and the vast possibilities that flow forth.

11:45 am – 1:15 pm NVC-Q with Kristin Masters. Live gathering in circle for LGBTQ+, with some structure for meeting, growing our trust/connection so we can use what NVC has to offer to support one another. Plenty of choice in how to participate!

11:45 am – 1:15 pm Group Grok (aka Empathy Poker) with Jean Morrison. For self-expression, empathy, and self-empathy. Using decks of Feelings and Needs cards from the GROK game, participants will each have the opportunity to volunteer to share ’something up’ for them while the other group members guess the speaker’s NEEDS in order to get to the heart of what matters most to them. And there’s more! Come play with us!

1:15 – 2 pm BREAK Bring your own lunch to eat in the park with affinity groups or with new and old friends. Or head downtown for a quick bite.

2 – 3:30 pm Play is a…- need? feeling? experience? with Kristin Masters. However you relate, you might know it meets a lot of other needs as it leads our nervous system into social engagement, joy and delight. Yet, most of us have blocks, so we’ll meet those blocks with acknowledgement and resonance as we choicefully elicit play in a myriad of ways.

2 pm – 3:30 Mindful Movement for Self-Connection with Caren Camblin. What needs does a mindfulness practice meet? How can NVC distinctions help us access more mindfulness? Guided meditation, gentle movement, and soaking up the natural elements will be woven into this inquiry and practice of self-connection. Bring a yoga mat or blanket.

3:45 – 4 pm Harvesting/Closing with Kristin Masters & Caren Camblin