HOLDING
SPACE FOR
TRANSFORMATION
Below you will find information on how to prepare for Holding Space for Transformation taking place at Lone Rock Retreat in Bailey, Colorado. Additionally, please review Pahara’s health and safety protocols for in-person gatherings during your time at Lone Rock Retreat:
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HOLDING SPACE FOR TRANSFORMATION IS A CHANCE TO:
Understand best practices in moderating text-based discussions for diverse audiences
Practice moderating text-based discussions, receive coaching, and learn more about the Pahara-style of moderating
Experience a Pahara seminar-like experience with additional Pahara Fellows
Understand tools and strategies to center, ground, and source one’s resilience when holding space for others
TRAVEL LOGISTICS & INFORMATION
Participation in this program consists of a required two-hour virtual session and a four-day in-person session at Lone Rock Retreat in Colorado. Attendance at both the virtual session and the in-person experience are required to take part in the program. An additional hour-long small group coaching call is also offered; this coaching call is highly encouraged, but not required.
Please hold the following dates on your calendar:
REQUIRED VIRTUAL SESSION:​
Thursday, December 12, 2024
11:30am-1:30pm PT / 2:30pm-4:30pm ET
SMALL GROUP COACHING CALL
(highly encouraged, not required):​
Coaching calls will be held on January 22nd, 23rd, or 24th. We will confirm the specific date/time for the coaching call when we assign your reading in December. We will also record the call if you are unable to make it.
Please note: While attending Holding Space for Transformation can be, for some, the beginning of a conversation about moderating for Pahara programming, we encourage participation in this offering to support your moderation practice in your context and do not guarantee placement or further follow-up regarding moderating for Pahara.
LOCATION & DATE
Location
Lone Rock Retreat
64797 US HWY 285
Bailey, CO 80421
In-Person Session
Start: Sunday, February 23, 2025, 4:15pm, Reception, Programming & Dinner
End: Wednesday, February 26, 2025 12:00pm, Lunch (to go)
PRIMARY CONTACT
Prior to the seminar, please direct all logistical questions to Mindy Flach at network@pahara.org.
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NOMINATIONNominations are accepted on a rolling basis and, while they are not required for entry into the Fellowship, they are critical to our ability to identify exceptional leaders from across the education ecosystem. Ideally, a nominator knows enough about the leader’s work to share their thoughts on why they would be an excellent choice for the Fellowship. Each nominee is notified and invited to submit an application for consideration. We believe that a broad, diverse coalition is needed to reimagine the role and manner of education in society. While the Fellowship is open to all education leaders who meet our selection criteria, we are particularly seeking to identify innovative leaders of nonprofit schools and from organizations serving nonprofit schools, and leaders bringing perspectives from across the political spectrum. We are sensitive to the ways sponsorship practices can disadvantage women and Black, Indigenous and leaders of color who are less likely to have sponsors. When thinking of incredible changemakers to bring to our attention, we encourage nominators to consider leaders from within and outside of their close circles.
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APPLICATIONLeaders who meet our program criteria are welcome to apply to the Fellowship, with or without a nomination. The application is an essential and required part of the process, and allows candidates to share information about their work and leadership, alignment with our selection criteria, and how they most hope to benefit from participation in this powerful development experience. For applicants advancing beyond this stage, this information serves as rich background information on which to base deep, reflective dialogue during interviews taking place during candidate consideration. While the Fellowship is open to all education leaders who meet our selection criteria, we are particularly seeking to identify innovative leaders of nonprofit schools and from organizations serving nonprofit schools, and leaders bringing perspectives from across the political spectrum.
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CANDIDATE CONSIDERATIONDuring this stage, we seek to understand candidates’ motivations and challenges, learn more about their background and leadership journey, and determine candidates’ willingness and ability to negotiate the multiple domains of difference that contribute to the tapestry of Pahara cohorts. Candidates participate in a 90-minute virtual interview with a Pahara Fellow or a member of Pahara staff via Zoom. This conversation also provides candidates an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the Fellowship. The interview is followed by referencing carried out by our team. This includes reviewing feedback provided by the three references named by the candidate, and checking for potential conflicts of interest amongst candidates being selected into the same cohort. We may also reach out to Fellows in our community who are familiar with a candidate’s work to understand the full scope of their leadership. Given the degree of openness and vulnerability expected in this phase of our process, information shared with us by candidates or in the reference process is held with the highest degree of confidentiality.
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COHORT CURATIONOnce we have identified a pool of values-driven leaders who have demonstrated readiness throughout the selection process, we begin the careful, complex process of curating cohorts. We aim for cohorts that are inclusive of the breadth of our humanity across multiple domains of difference, including socioeconomic background, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, religious affiliation, and political ideology. Cohorts are also distinctive in their inclusion of leaders from various organization models, multiple sectors in education, different geographic regions, and various leadership roles. This careful cohort curation is critical, as the cohort is the container within which the personal and professional transformation Pahara is most known for occurs. Cohort dialogue is confidential and both professional and personal in nature. We seek to foster an environment that celebrates the lived experiences of all of our Fellows.
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SELECTIONWe strongly believe curating a myriad of perspectives in each group is a vital component of the program’s value and impact on participants. We receive many more nominations and applications than we have available seats in each cohort, and because of this level of demand, we are sometimes unable to select leaders who meet our selection criteria. When a candidate meets the selection criteria but is not placed, we encourage them to opt-in to be considered for a future cohort, which can take time. It is not uncommon for a Pahara Fellowship candidate to be considered for a few years before being selected or released.