WFWPI Young Leader's Retreat 2022

After a 2 year hiatus of in-person gatherings, the WFWPI Office for UN Relations in New York held an international Young Leader's Retreat in Barrytown, New York, from August 4 to 7. The purpose of the retreat was to create a space in which young socially minded women come together to discover and commit their passions for the sake of world peace, centered on WFWPI’s feminine leadership paradigm, under the theme of "Spread Your Wings: Using your gift to transform the world.” A total of 15 young women from 11 different countries traveled across the world to participate in this impactful program.

On the arrival day, participants flew into New York City and were transported up to the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York. After dinner, the ladies were welcomed by Mrs. Merly Barlaan, Deputy Director of the WFWPI Office for UN Relations in New York, who joined the retreat virtually. Next, Mrs. Alexa Ward, former Deputy Director of the WFWPI Office for UN Relations in New York, greeted each participant with a shaking of hands because “we are all one family.” Mrs. Ward gave historical background about the Massena House, which was the summer home visited by former President Theodore Roosevelt in his youth.

The first full day was divided into three sessions. In Session 1: "Envisioning a World and Person of Peace," Grace Kellett gave a powerful message which spoke about how in order to bring about a world of peace we need to have a clear vision of what that is, and how we can get there. In this session, participants were asked to explore what comes up for them and what they think of an ideal world. From there, they tied the qualities they identified to the qualities individuals who make up such a world would need to embody. Finally, they were asked to reflect upon themselves, and whether they embody those qualities themselves.

Session 2: "Challenges of Becoming True Women Leaders" was given by Katarina Connery, Vice President of WFWP USA. Her session dived deep into the inequality that women faced historically, and discussed the history and current situation of the feminist movement. Katarina then explained that when each one of us is able to realize our true value, then instead of blaming and accusing others, we are able to have compassion and healing in our own lives. The session culminated in a meditation, which left the participants feeling more grounded and present.

In the final Session 3: "Becoming True Women Leaders," Mako Mori opened the session by sharing her personal background of being an “activist” during her university years. In those years, she often felt burnt out and hopeless, always believing that the world would be a better place when “other people change.” It was not until she realized that she herself, only had the power to change herself and had to learn to love others with different perspectives. Mako then posed the question to the audience: "what are the changes you wish to see in this world?" The participants wrote touching words such as “empathy, kindness, equality and love.” Next, she asked, "Do we embody these changes we wish to see in the world?” It is much easier said than done. It was a reflective time that looked deeper into how we must become the change we wish to see in the world.

The day culminated with a Spa Night. The ladies spent the evening bonding, applying face masks on each other and watching the movie "Moana," a powerful movie which is about a brave warrior Moana, who ventures out to restore the heart of Te Fiti to save her people.

The theme of Day 2 was “Cultivating our Hearts, Unlocking our Creativity.” To begin the day on creating sustainable projects, the morning session by Grace Kellett aimed to disrupt the narrative some of us tell ourselves that we aren't creative. It also aimed to point out that because we are all uniquely creative, we need one another to go further. Finally, the session builds upon the final session of the previous day on how overcoming our personal limitations, such as concepts about ourselves or others or underdeveloped parts of our hearts, through healing and cultivating our vessel of love and embrace (the feminine divine one could say) toward ourselves and others, can unlock and elevate our potential as co-creative beings. It was an empowering session that enabled the women leaders to feel confident in what they bring to the table.

The second part of the day was led by Merly Barlaan, and centered around “Planning Your Sustainable Project.” All the way up until dinner, the ladies learned from Merly, how to plan and create sustainable projects for the different needs in each of the young leader’s communities. The ladies spent the session brainstorming ideas for the final sharing, in which each leader gave a 5-minute presentation, pitching their project idea and receiving feedback from Merly. This was undoubtedly one of the highlights of many of the leaders, as they were able to learn practical planning skills to make their vision come to life.

In the evening, the participants experienced a real campfire, which was actually a culture shock to many of them. We all sat around the fire, roasting marshmallows and eating smores while enjoying the company of one another.

On the final official day, the day started off early in order to drive up to Kaaterskill Falls, a popular hiking destination in New York! It felt so refreshing to hike together down to the waterfall and enjoy the scenery of the gorgeous forest. Some ladies played in the water and others used the time to tune in to the calm sound of the waterfall.

After lunch, the retreat officially culminated with a concluding session. The participants watched a slideshow presentation with photos from the past three days together. Shortly after, Grace and Mako expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the young women leaders who traveled from far away to be able to join the retreat. Here are some of the reflections from the participants who joined the retreat!

"Even though I am not religious and not part of the church, I truly enjoyed the whole experience. In some of the workshops I did feel a bit disconnected because I did not agree with all the (religious) values, but since that is part of WFWPI it was fine. And as I said I still had an amazing time with all of you! Thank you Grace, Mako and Merly for this wonderful experience!"

"The retreat was amazing. I hope that all the things we shared don't get lost with time but that our hopes and ideas grow from strength. We were well received and made to feel at home instead of being visitors. I'm grateful to the entire team that made this happen."

"Thank you so much for all your work for us. In my case, even though I am not sure of how to go out from my blockage, I definitely gained the motivation and the love to look for a way. And I feel confident to to find a way."

"I would like to express my sincere thanks to the staff who prepared this retreat. I know it was not easy to organize members from all over the world, so please take a good rest. Thank you so much and God bless you."