EVENT: UWA Staff Quiet Day

Set on a lovely bush block in Mundaring (Nathanael’s Rest Retreat Centre) this Quiet Day provides space to 'be alone' in the company of other UWA academics and professional staff with the intention of marking out some good quality thinking/reflection time.

There are no formal presentations and no flip charts or power-points! Rather we seek to create an environment of quiet, trust and collegiality in which things become clearer and creative new ideas can emerge. This involves a combination of small group reflection on poetry (which helps slow down the pace and takes us into a deeper level of contemplation) and an extended period of individual silence, in which participants can rest and reflect. ‘We do less in order to achieve more’. This may include walking, sitting, reading, resting, journalling. This is not a religious event.

The retreat is a ‘technology free zone’ (no phones or lap tops)

The principles underpinning the Quiet Day are based on the work of Parker J Palmer (The Courage to Teach; The Heart of Higher Education), more of which can be found at: www.couragerenewal.org

Cost: $60 including lunch, morning and afternoon teas (you may be able to claim this as a professional development activity).

A registration form can be obtained by emailing [email protected] or phone Michael for more information on 0435 065326

Registration and payment is needed by Friday 8th April.

Previous participants have said:

"this retreat provided a rare opportunity to quietly reflect on what's going on for me internally as a teacher, helped by excellent facilitators and a wonderful peaceful location"

"the benefits of this retreat to my personal and professional life have been immense"

“Thank you for the retreat - I found it really useful, have a sense of focus, realised I was missing an important work goal and came home and wrote a research paper that has been bugging me for some time” (from unsolicited email)

“it is good because it forces you to disengage in order to more fully engage – well done and many thanks”

“useful, health-giving and creative time”

“definitely go!”

“The best thing about the day was the space to think (but the whole deal was great) – yes, go. Important opportunity to reflect. Thank you to the organisers. I feel positively that UWA supported this”.