Community Cafés

The virtual community cafés focus on a different wellness-related theme each month. We aim to address issues of social justice, diversity, and equity with regards to personal and community health. These conversations build community and collective wisdom and reinforce relationships developed in the individual residency classes. Residency students are required to attend four Spring term cafés. Non-residency students, alumni, and outside guests are invited to attend the cafés. All are welcome!

The cafés are held once a month on Mondays from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Please use this link to register for the any of the upcoming dates.

Whole Health Living Planning Committee:

Dr. Debra Kram-Fernandez
David Caso
Stacey Gallagher
Bhuwan Onta
Dr. Anamaria Ross

Spring 2022 Community Cafés:

Monday, Jan. 24, Feb. 28, March 28, and April 25. 
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Zoom (link will be provided)
To register: https://esc.formstack.com/forms/whole_health_living_cafes

January 24 - Whole Health Living: Needs, Wants, and Changing Priorities  
Happy New Year! Every dimension of the Whole Health Living wellness wheel* offers seeds for reflection about where we have been and where we are heading. The past two years have provided us with obstacles to overcome. The positive aspect, if we can call it positive, is that we have begun to navigate uncharted waters, with increased inclusivity for many, as well as challenges for others who have limited access to resources. While all topics of the wellness wheel interconnect, perhaps financial health most affects our ability to pursue wellbeing. Our finances can impact how we address every aspect of our wellbeing. Please join us for a conversation about cultivating a positive relationship with money and finding a balance among our needs, wants and changing priorities. 

*Dimensions of the WHL Wellness Wheel: intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, environmental, physical 

February 28 - Whole Health Living: Heartwarming Recipes for Winter Doldrums
Special guest and self-proclaimed Souper-Woman, Rebecca Bonanno, will be leading us off with a demo for soul warming soup-making. You will leave with a recipe and skills for nurturing yourself and others – whether you choose to become a soup-aficionado or simply engage as a grand eater of soups! Let’s think together about the role of culture, geography, family, and self-care in the art of flavoring and seasoning soup. We will discuss challenges and opportunities for self-care in and beyond the kitchen. What are ways to be active and keep our minds, muscles, and hearts warm? Join us for recipes for real soups and other simple strategies for staying warm in the body and spirit during the cold season.

Dimensions of the WHL: physical, emotional, spiritual, and environmental. 

March 28 - Whole Health Living: Tapping Into Our Creative Potential 
Elizabeth Gilbert says that creative ideas are like fairies, ready to form partnerships with sentient beings. This partnership begins by our recognizing these creative sparks that tickle hearts, minds, or funny bones.

Creativity can be aesthetic and/or healing; it can give voice to a people without a platform or exist solely for its own sake. It can be songwriting, or it can be problem solving. It can be sculpting statues or developing accounting spreadsheets. Creativity might be the most wholesome, agenda-free form of problem solving available to us, and contrary to what we may think, everyone can tap into creativity. Creativity is not only for exceptional artists. Any process of collaborative and open problem-solving taps creativity. Join us with the spirit of curiosity as we try-on creative art techniques to co-create our new realities.

Dimensions of the WHL: intellectual, emotional, vocational, spiritual  

April 25 - Whole Health Living: The Gifts of the Garden: Preparing for a new harvest – literally and figuratively
Spring is the time of rebirth and renewal, and this is most evident observing nature and wildlife. Some know spring is near when they see snowdrops popping up through frozen ground, large geese shepherding their goslings across active roadways, or newborn fawns tenaciously struggling up to stand. This is a time for planting seeds both literally and figuratively. Join us for a special conversation with guest speaker, Mindy Boenig as we learn about local plants and share tips for making the most of the season of renewal. 

Dimensions of WHL: intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, environmental, physical 

 

Fall 2021 Community Cafés:

September 13 - Whole Health Living: Celebrating the Duality of Fall
Autumn is the favorite season for many with its crisp air and vibrant colors. Yet, it's also a season of loss: the loss of summer activities, family interactions, and blooming gardens. Additionally, in fall, school and work schedules can create a daunting matrix of responsibilities. Whole health living invites us to consider this season as a contemplative, internally focused, and peaceful time, as fall is both a time to gather (in every sense of the word) and a time to begin to focus inward, to thrive and grow on the inside. Join us for conversation and exploration of fall's duality, tending to our internal growth and outward responsibilities. Dimensions of the WHL wheel: spiritual, physical, and emotional

October 18 - Whole Health Living: Work-Life Balance
Consider the most important dimensions of your life, physical, emotional, spiritual, social, vocational, intellectual, environment, and financial. When you reflect simply on the last week of your life, are you allotting the amount of physical, emotional, and spiritual energy to those dimensions that are most important to you? How do we prioritize growing, developing, and living in the ways we value? How do we get into the driver’s seat of our own time management? If you have tips on work-life balance, please join us and share your strategies. If you have doubts or struggle with work-life balance, please join us to explore why this balance challenges so many. We'll consider obstacles we can work around and ways to deal with those we cannot change. Dimensions of the WHL wheel: social, vocational, intellectual, and family

November 8 - Whole Health Living: Creative Conflict Resolution
Conflict can inspire growth and positive change. Many would agree that resolving conflict is essential for peace and stability. So, what prevents conflict resolution when issues arise among families, communities, societies, or nations? What interferes with addressing conflicts in direct, respectful, and constructive ways? Please join our Cafe to discuss how "to say what you mean without being mean." Think of who you recognize as savvy conflict resolution role models. What strategies do they (or you) use to encourage open dialog and creative solutions to engender positive change? Dimensions of the WHL wheel: emotional, physical, spiritual, and vocational

December 13 - Whole Health Living: Inspire Joy and Create Mindful Celebrations
Many of us spend part of November reflecting on that for which we are grateful. Inevitably, this means reflecting on the past year, and collecting memories that bring us joy. Many of us will soon make New Year’s Resolutions. Join us while we will re-evaluate our dreams, ambitions and goals. Be present as we prepare to make changes in the coming year. What would it look like to spend some time in the present? What would you celebrate, honor, release, or change if you settled into the present moment for your reflections? Meet for a conversation about the many ways and items we can celebrate during the winter solstice. Bring your diversity lenses and an open heart. Let’s provide some time to think holiday celebration that is neither past nor future, but right now. Dimensions of the WHL wheel: spiritual, family, social

Previous Cafés:

Month	Title
June	The Male Archetype
May	The Female Archetype
April	From Urban to Rural: Local Planting and Gardening in NYS
March	Mindful Eating and Listening to our Bodies
February	Financial Narratives and Financial Security
January	Looking at Things Anew
December	Pandemic Preparedness