A curriculum on Rest for individuals or groups. Grind culture, hustle culture, how to get ahead – all of this centers on experiencing our bodies as mere tools for productivity instead of embracing and honoring our human needs to just simply be. In this curriculum, we explore REST as a divine right and a resistance to a culture that tells us we are not enough. We examine why rest is important, why rest is a communal practice, and what it means to give ourselves space to heal, repair, and take root. Other topics include justice barriers to rest, how our attention is pulled away from rest, what types of rest we might pursue, and what the natural world can teach us about resting well.

Mend is driven to nurture, empower, and stand alongside individuals and organizations that are actively healing our city and nurturing communal life—the Mend Peacemaker Cohort begins in April 2024. We are gathering ten diverse leaders who are focusing on addressing the profound fractures in our public life. Each cohort member is committed to embodying and inspiring wisdom, moral courage, and social creativity in the ongoing, multi-generational work of truth and repair, restorative justice, and human flourishing.

Applications for Cohort 6 (to begin in September 2024) open until June 14.

Pitch presentation and celebration of Cohort 5 Fellows.

The Chrysalis Retreat gathers social healing practitioners for a time of reflection, rejuvenation, and space to dream for the healing and flourishing of the whole city. This retreat, nestled in a serene setting, emphasizes the profound connection between rest and restorative justice, allowing participants to recharge and gain fresh insights into restorative justice and peacemaking.

Our Freedom and Justice Pilgrimage takes us to Montgomery, Alabama, where we'll visit the Equal Justice Initiative (eJI) and the Peace and Legacy Museum to immerse participants in the civil rights movement's legacy and gain a deeper understanding of the ongoing pursuit of justice and equality.