Join us June 20th - 23rd to reflect on how we can restore community with story. We are a community of media makers of all kinds — journalists, photographers, game designers, musicians and visual artists — who believe that the stories we tell about the world shape our reality.
"The Annual Summit begins with a day of quiet, nature and personal reflection. We retreat from the working world and make space to consider the deepest meaning and mission of our work. We seek to loosen the categories and constraints that typically narrow our thinking to make us efficient. The day offers options for meditation, yoga, mountain walks, journaling, artistic expression and discussion — all aimed at examining how our inner state affects how we tell stories and serve audiences."
"On Friday and Saturday, we delve into Restorative Narrative and how storytelling can help communities heal and live positively in the face of trauma and despair. We celebrate exceptional examples of this work in different media and bestow ivoh's Awards of Appreciation. We offer a workshop on how to tell these stories and explore how game design and art can use Restorative Narrative. Sessions are interactive and led by award-winning media makers, with small group breakouts. On Saturday, we discuss how best to listen to, engage and understand our communities.”
Life and work keeps us all busy and stressed. We kick off the retreat with an invitation to step away from your routine and connect and reflect in nature and with your fellow attendees. Ease into the first day with meditation, yoga, and reflective dialogue in a bucolic, peaceful setting.
This is not your typical media gathering! Learn more about how to create stories that heal. Join interactive sessions from across media to learn about Restorative Narrative. Help us tell the deeper stories of people and communities experiencing adversity and tapping into their strengths and resilience to cope and grow.
This day is all about community! A diverse group of speakers and guests will guide dialogue around creating and promoting Restorative Narrative projects in and with our communities. Through hands-on workshops and dialogue we will identify and explore opportunities for this work in your community.
Peace Village
Located in the Catskills of upstate New York and opened in 1999, Peace Village is a space for retreats, spiritual practice, and learning. Managed by the Brahma Kumaris, Peace Village has hosted all of the previous ivoh retreats providing an ideal venue for reflection, dialogue, and community building. Attendees of the ivoh retreat are provided with rooms and meals as well as yoga and meditation exercises.
“The entire program was moving. You created an atmosphere of trust and safety. These environments are rarely visible in social scenes and nearly extinct in professional retreats.”
If you are interested in attending the Images & Voices of Hope 2019 summit and retreat bookmark this page and sign up for our newsletter to stay updated. We will be adding more information on speakers, programming, and registration. We hope you join us in June!
Who is ivoh?
Images & Voices of Hope (ivoh) is a diverse network of media makers who aim to elevate media as a force for good. We believe the stories we tell create the world we live in and that stories can restore hope and strength to communities. We practice dialogue and reflection to develop our capacity for telling these Restorative Narratives -- a term we coined to describe how people and communities are making a meaningful progression from a place of despair to a place of resilience. We gather in local groups, share stories on the web and social properties, give awards and support training and fellowships.
“As a veteran of the newsroom and the classroom, I found the ivoh summit a perfect way to listen, absorb and learn different paths to storytelling and journalism and just about everything. The lessons and takeaways have stayed with me — in my own approaches to classes and my own approach to life. The creative energy and enthusiasm there was contagious. I loved being able to talk to artists, computer programmers and journalists. Unlike many traditional conferences, here was a place where everyone was all in: Engaged and connected. The summit was a terrific experience, both professionally and personally. “
