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The Compassionate Listening Project's
5th Annual Summer Gathering
August 1-3, 2008

Dear Friends,
The Compassionate Listening Project warmly invites you to our 5th Annual Summer Gathering.

Who: All are welcome - no prior experience with The Compassionate Listening Project is necessary.

What: This is an opportunity to come together, drink from the well of spirit and community, and deepen our practices to cultivate compassion in our daily lives. Newcomers are especially welcome. Each year we offer a short experiential session for those wanting an introduction to Compassionate Listening.

When: August 1-3, 2008 beginning Friday at noon and ending Sunday at 3:00. Day rates are available for one or more days for those who cannot attend the whole Gathering or do not need on-site sleeping accommodations. Last year we filled up so we do encourage you to register soon.

Where: Camp Brotherhood, a beautiful 200-acre retreat center one hour north of Seattle, Washington.

"Thank you all for the wonderful sense of camaraderie,
friendship and open-heartedness that pervaded the whole weekend"
- 2007 participant

"The Gathering was a high point of my summer.
Thank you for providing this wonderful space and for your amazing work in the world."
- 2007 participant

Gathering Schedule:

We begin with lunch together in the dining hall at noon, followed by the Opening Circle at 1:30 in the meadow. We then spend the afternoon in listening circles and other experiential processes. Friday evening we come together for special performances or group activities planned by participants - stay tuned!

Saturday and Sunday:

With the elegant, self-organizing structure of Open Space, we co-create our very own schedule of concurrent sessions designed to deepen our skills and practices. Everyone who comes to the Gathering is invited to convene circles to share their own practices, projects, or areas of expertise, or ask for facilitation for a topic you'd like to explore. For those new to Open Space, here is a brief quote from a long-time practitioner:

Open Space operates under four principles and one law. The four principles are:

• Whoever comes to a session are the right people
• Whatever happens in the session is the only thing that could have happened
• When it starts is the right time
• When it's over it's over

Our facilitators are available to offer practice sessions and circles for Compassionate Listening with youth, couples, schools, world-work, practice groups, etc. People who have been using Compassionate Listening in their work, programs or projects are invited to share their learnings as well.

Beverley Neff, who comes to us from a peaceful island in British Columbia, and Susan Partnow, co-founder of Conversation Cafes and Let's Talk America, will guide us in the Open Space process throughout the weekend. We invite you to join our wonderful learning community, and build our collective wisdom to create a more compassionate world.

Saturday evening: enjoy wine, chocolate, and our fifth-annual "Fun-Raising" auction with our own Brian Berman, auctioneer! Everyone who attends the Gathering is asked to bring a treasured piece/s from home: art, jewelry, collectibles, a service; (Fine Artists are encouraged to bring pieces to auction for a 50% split in proceeds.) A portion of the funds raised will create a scholarship fund for youth and low-income participants and widen our Compassionate Listening community.

Sunday: Open Space sessions will continue during the morning and early-afternoon. We will end at 3:00, after a closing circle.

COST for registration:

$200 for camping or trailer camping;

$250 for beautiful, double-occupancy lodge rooms or cottages with private bathrooms;

$70 per day without sleeping accommodations (sign up for 1, 2 or 3 days);

rates include 7 buffet-style meals with organic and vegetarian offerings. We have a scholarship fund for youth from low-income families. Please ask!

We look forward to celebrating the abundance of life with you this summer!
Secure on-line registration

Camp Brotherhood is a beautiful retreat center located on over 200 acres north of Seattle, Washington in Mt. Vernon. The grounds include beautiful trails, farm animals and a swimming pool, with swimming lakes minutes away. Camp Brotherhood was founded by Father William Treacy and Rabbi Rafael Levine to "provide a beautiful setting in which to foster better understanding and harmony between and among religious faiths, families and individuals. The vision was a world in which prejudices, disintegration and alienation would be eliminated..."