Those of you who never received our last e-news, missed hearing about the "Art is Movement" session that took place in Spring Valley and NYC this past May. It was an awesome gathering - hugely courageous and experimental on the part of the organizers - and it has set a new precedent for our work together. If you haven't read the description or seen the pictures please check them out. Since then we've done a bunch...

• In June we put on a great benefit, raising over $6000 to go towards the Credere Fund as well as to hiring a part-time paid coordinator (more on both later).
• In July we co-sponsored a week-long combined course with the Rudolf Steiner Institute addressing Today's Global Crisis. Twenty-five people participated in the two classes: one on "Reimagining Capitalism" with Bob Hill, Clemens Pietzner, and Jerry Schwartz; the other on "Water, Energy, and Climate Change" with Michael D'Aleo (we recorded his public talk if you're interested). Both classes wove together by working daily with artist Laura Summer on an ever evolving social sculpture. (And we also went on a field trip to the Equal Exchange headquarters in Boston!)           
• Finally, this August a number of us joined a four-day conference in Spring Valley called "Inner Transformation and Social Renewal." The organizers (Threefold Center, Gary Lamb, and the Social Sciences Section) graciously gave us two spots in the schedule - one for a presentation on "What capacities do young people think are important for social renewal?" and the other, for an evening conversation on Think OutWord. In the same spirit of courageous experimentation that we saw in May, seven members of the Core Group (led by Kristin Dalton and Peter Buckbee) artistically took up the question and created an original one-act play (which includes an awesome fairytale at the end!) It was an amazing collaboration to be a part of. Overall, the conference was important as the first real meeting between Think OutWord and the Social Sciences Section, which has carried the threefold impulse for many years. The picture below is of the youth contingent at the conference. 

The thread that weaves through all these gatherings is the steady coming together of the Core Group (now 13 people). May was the first time we met (see the topmost picture). Since then, in the bustle of taking classes and making some amazing new friends (especially John and Katie from Dornach!), the Core Group has continually met to converse and discover what it is that we want to create together - our shared visions and the body of practices and agreements that we're still just beginning to form.  

In this light, we are beginning our next step of creating a part-time paid coordinator position. There is a good chance this position will be filled by someone already working within the organization (and therefore conversant with the tasks) but it is open to anyone who would like to apply. So far, we imagine the position as changing hands every 3 to 5 years, therefore creating a space for different young people to creatively take up this work alongside, and in service of, their peers. Think OutWord is currently forming a committee to determine the roles and responsibilities of such a position as well as its compensation. If you, or anyone you know, is interested in applying please contactinfo@thinkoutword.org for more information.