Many helping professionals are opening up about the stress and compassion fatigue they experience as part of the jobs they love. We’re glad the conversations are growing. It means more people are being supported to keep themselves healthy.
Now in its second year, the Selby Foundation’s Regional Scholarship Provider Network hosts quarterly meetings that bring together volunteers and professionals who represent organizations awarding scholarships in our 4-county region.
We were delighted to see so many of our colleagues from the Regional Scholarship Provider Network join us on May 17, 2024 at Resilient Retreat for a half-day of mindfulness. Guided by the incredible staff and volunteers of Resilient Retreat, each of us practiced techniques to bring awareness to our breathing, choices, and behaviors for greater ease in managing day-to-day challenges.
We ended the day with a healthy lunch and plenty of time to visit with each other to reflect on the scholarship season.
Why Resilient Retreat
Resilient Retreat is a 501(c)(3) organization supporting survivors of abuse and first responders/helping professionals. It uses its beautiful 84-acre property to host retreats and trainings.
In January, the Selby Foundation asked our Regional Scholarship Provider Network to share one word or focus for the coming year. We learned that many of our scholarship providers are feeling great stress and pressure, and were actively seeking ways to find balance and calm. Each of our quarterly meeting agendas are shaped by the needs and aspirations of the group. We spoke with the team at Resilient Retreat to see what could be possible in supporting local scholarship providers, and we knew this would be a perfect space and program.
What we did together
- A mindful walk in nature to focus on sensory observations and supportive properties of the outdoors
- Light stretching that can be experienced out in any setting, even a desk chair
- Self-reflection with a teaching artists to help participants experience ease in their professional and personal roles
Moving forward
The experiences we shared as a group further connect each of our local scholarship providers to each other. In our “results first” approach, we will strive to maintain the small personal behavior changes that help us better manage stress, become more present, and recognize when we need a break.
Special thanks to the organizations represented at the half-day retreat: A. Jean Battie Scholarship Fund, Booker Promise Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Education Foundation of Sarasota County, Embracing Our Differences, Manasota ASALH, Manatee Community Foundation, Rotary Futures College Resource Center, State College of Florida, Take Stock in Children- Manatee County, Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Campus, UnidosNow, and Women’s Resource Center.