We are excited to announce this 2023 workshop series! All workshops held live and outdoors at Seeds of Solidarity Farm and Education Center. Space is limited. Pre-registration required. Read on!

Free!! to support full access for low-income women.* Priority to women who live in the North Quabbin and Central MA regions. (Women from nearby communities are encouraged to reach out and we will be happy to have you as space allows).

To register: Please email deb@seedsofsolidarity.org with your name, town of residence and first and second workshop choices from the list below. (to be sure there is enough to go round, we’ll offer you one for sure, and a second on a wait list until all are full).

Women Healing Women Healing Earth is a program of Seeds of Solidarity Education Center, Our team includes an amazing group of facilitators that bring creative skills, and diverse cultural backgrounds and life experience. Websites are linked for facilitators that have them, in some cases related to their workshop offerings, or other wonderful work in this world!

Sunday April 30, 10am-12PM. Spring Awakening: Reiki, Yoga, Music with Nalini Goordial, Deb Habib, Connie Ladycee Owens. A taste of reiki, yoga, and meditative moments to soothe the soul and inspire self-care.

Thursday May 25, 10-12.30. Write to Heal, Right to Feel  with Marina Goldman and Dina Stander. Pull out your pencil for this workshop set in a healing outdoor setting. Explore how writing can help us get in touch with our grief and meet the demands of these challenging times. Facilitators Marina and Dina collectively bring experience as poets, writers, storytellers, hospice volunteers, and grief navigators. Participants in this workshop will have the option to share some writing at the autumn NQ Garlic and Arts Word Stage.

Saturday June 3, 10am to 1PM. Full Moon Foraging with Sue Paquet. Explore the wooded lands at Seeds of Solidarity in search of edible and medicinal treasures. The full moon often brings forth a flurry of activity in the forest, especially in regards to fungus, which will be the primary but not singular focus of this thoughtful, morning forest walk. Learn cues for successful foraging and simple rules of mushroom identification, meet new fungal and plant allies, and find ways to incorporate foraging in to your life.

Sunday June 11, 10am-3PM. Colors of the Land: Sketch and Paint with Melizza Santram-Chernov. Relax in nature while creating a simple drawing and watercolor painting inspired by your surroundings to make a basic piece of botanical art. No previous drawing or painting experience required— simply enjoy a day of wonder and creativity! (A lunch dish will be included by Nalini Goordial of Kitchen Wizardry)

Wednesday June 21, 10am-12.30 PM. Handmade Journals with Amy Rothenberg. Let your creativity shine on the summer solstice, in a safe and joyful setting. You’ll learn to make a small journal with beautiful paper, clear instructions and caring support. Come cut, stitch, and glue together a handmade book and wonderful morning!

Sunday July 9, 2-5PM. Sprouts and Salves: Nutritious Health Inside and Out with Kuumba Piazza. Learn a variety of ways to make fast growing sunflower and other sprouts for year-round vitality and nourishment. To soothe, hydrate and nourish your skin, we’ll also make a healing salve. Come connect with the power of plants for inner and outer wellbeing!

Sunday July 30, 11am to 2PM. Cooking with Gratitude, Local to Global with Nalini Goordial. Come, let’s cook and eat together. Let’s feed our bodies and nourish our souls. Let’s cultivate self-love and gratitude. The workshop concludes with participants sharing the meal we have created together! Includes some garlic dishes! Participants will have the option of assisting Nalini with a chef demo at the NQ Garlic and Arts Festival this autumn.

Wednesday August 16, 3-6PM. Clay Seed Pots: Carry Forward Your Hopes with Lydia Grey. Enjoy an afternoon of hands in clay while learning meditative hand building techniques. You’ll create a seed pot that can be used to store, then sprinkle garden seeds. Traditionally, seed pots contain prayers for prosperity for life and the harvest. Once fired, these will be yours to carry forward your seeds and hopes.

Saturday Sept 9, 2-5.30 PM. Honoring our Waters with Phyllis Labanowski. Women by our very nature are connected to water, which is why we have traditionally been its protectors. Spend the afternoon in simple rituals that remind us how to honor and protect our water. Enjoy a contemplative, creative afternoon in sweet company. Participants are also invited to help install a contemplative water garden for the North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival.

These workshops are designed to be restorative spaces for women who would benefit from positive energy and a sense of community, to gather free of other life demands. If transportation or childcare is a challenge, please contact deb@seedsofsolidarity.org and we will do our best to support you.

Here is the beautiful program flyer too! Made by @phyllislabanowski

In addition, stay tuned for these possible happenings (email deb@seedsofsolidarity.org if you’d like to be notified)

Be Well: Women and Family Health. We are considering a casual conversation over tea, learning about tips and resources for wellbeing. If you are feeling the impact of stress, isolation, family demands, or just curious about the many ways we women can support our body/mind wellness, take a break with a caring group of health practitioners for support and positive energy!

Henna Hands and Friendship. We are hoping to welcome some women from Afghanistan, now living in MA to enjoy our farm sometime this summer. In Afghanistan, henna designs on hands is a tradition that brings good luck and happiness, often done on special occasions. Our hope is to gather a small group of local women to receive a beautiful, traditional hand henna while connecting across cultures and a joyful time together.

The 2023 Women Healing Women Healing Earth workshops are made possible through grants from the Community Foundation of North Central MA, The Green Leaf Foundation, and the generosity of individuals.

*Free of charge to support full access for low income women. Donations to Seeds of Solidarity Education Center, a non-profit organization, are always welcome and will enable us to continue to provide these and other programs.

Find more Seeds of Solidarity workshops and events here.

Enjoy a video featuring the Women Healing Women team, as well as these ideas for self/land/community care inspired by their stories.