Workshops
Workshops offer Gathering adults and high school participants the opportunity to be immersed in a topic with other interested Friends. Friends stay in the same workshop throughout the week, forming a small community within the Gathering. Each workshop meets from 9:00 to 11:45AM, Monday-Friday during Gathering. Most workshops include daily worship or worship sharing.
Frequently Asked Questions about workshops
- If I register early, will I be guaranteed my first workshop choice? (Short answer: No)
- Which workshops include half-Gathering and part-time participants?
- How do I submit a workshop proposal for 2020?
- How do I change my workshop?
2019 Workshop Descriptions
Click on the workshop title to read a detailed description. Use the filter tools to display workshop by audience type (age group), or by keyword. Workshops marked with * are for different levels of experience - learn more about anti-racism workshop levels. Workshops leaders will be adding more details to their workshop pages over the winter. You can sign up on the Gathering email list to be notified when the expanded descriptions are available.
NOTE : Workshops are listed ten per page. Please scroll to the bottom and click on a page number or "next" to view more workshops, or to view all the workshops at once, select "all" under "Items per page" in the filter box.
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An interactive workshop to help us increase the impact of our campaigns and movements through exploration of the why, what, and how of active nonviolence, including spiritual and practical grounding for our actions, awareness of racism and privilege, and the meaning and use of civil disobedience.
We’ll de-construct trauma to understand its effects on us and on our work for social change. Using movement and play from a popular education approach, participants learn ways to build the resilience needed for life-long activism. From wholeness and compassion, we can work passionately for peace with justice for all.
Workshop participants will explore the ancient spiritual sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga as tools for maintaining balance during difficult times. These traditions use five-element theory and mindfulness practices, maximizing understanding of self, others and our environment to support us in remaining grounded and clear in times of challenge and change.
The prophet Micah declares that God requires from us justice, kindness and humility, qualities needed in current times. Listening to Biblical and Quaker prophets, we will help one another discern what God's voice within us is calling us to.
We will seek God and a sense of each other as we explore central Iowa on our bicycles. We will ride at least 10 miles a day.
Enrich your silent worship with new skills and gain tools to share them with children, adults, or multi-age groups. Simple cooperative games and relaxation experiences will prepare us to use guided imagery in silent worship. Hands-on learning, brief explanations, interactive discussion. Bring your full self! Take home Gathered Meeting energy.
Friends will build a grassroots campaign based upon their leadings for specific legislative change with the support of Friends Committee on National Legislation staff members. Participants will hone a new set of advocacy skills, from how-to-build-a-local-community-of-advocates, how-to-lobby, to how-to-interact-with-the-media.
Many Friends yearn for vibrant, intergenerational meetings, but it's often difficult to see how our Quaker culture can get in the way. We'll examine ten cultural barriers to multiage inclusion and how we can flip them. Come prepared to talk, play, move, write, and draw our way through this work!
An advanced workshop for Friends actively engaged in racial justice work. We will share successful approaches to addressing White Supremacy and colonialism that will enhance our techniques for challenging racial and ethnic divisions. Participants must write a statement about their work and facilitate an exercise with the group.
This workshop will explore the pervasiveness of militarism in our culture, building spiritual resiliency ourselves and in our families, and methods of nurturing increased focus on peacebuilding within our society. This workshop will maintain a welcoming atmosphere for all, including for those with military experience personally and/or in their families.
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