PRESENCE
We will cover a lot of ground and we want to make sure you get the most out of your time in the program.

It will be important for you to go ahead and block the time in a way that allows your team and family to know that you will be unavailable while you are away. Programming is scheduled from early morning until the evening, and it will be frustrating to you and to those depending on you if you think you can run up to your room to tackle emails in between sessions. You will have just enough time to make a quick morning or evening phone call home each day, but that’s about it!

We host a tech-free environment during the program so that you can be fully present with each other and the content. We will provide workbooks for each gathering and you can certainly bring your own notebook/journal of choice. We discourage the use of computers, tablets and phones. We consider it a gift to retreat from our devices as we engage in deeper thought, conversation and fellowship with one another - we hope you will, too!

PARTICIPATION
The quality of the experience is largely dependent on the level of participation from each of the founders (you!). 

With your cohort, we will have a few intentional times of group sharing and reflection, and have found that this format is key to building your shared experience together. We know that there are varied comfort levels here, but we encourage you to be an active contributor in both sharing and active listening.

With the mentors, you will be in small group sessions and one-on-ones, and they will look to you to drive the questions and discussions. During informal times and meals, take the initiative to walk with or sit next to a mentor you’d like to get to know better. They will welcome it.

CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE
Submitting ourselves to honest humility and self-awareness will allow all members of the community to flourish.

Honest optimism > Glossy Pitch. The old adage applies strongly to our mentors who may have the ability to give: “ask for money and you’ll get advice, ask for advice and you may get money.” Our mentors expect to help with your biggest challenges, not get pitched, and they understand not everything is working perfectly.

Consider your cohort. There’s an intentionally humble way amongst our community and you don’t want to stand out for the wrong reasons. If you’re long winded, be concise to create space for others. If you’re typically first to speak, make sure to listen. If you’re ‘in the majority’ in some way, create space for the voice of others.

Value diversity. Don’t assume everyone’s theology, socioeconomic, social or other background is exactly the same - in fact, assume that it’s not! Our central hallway is belief in and pursuit of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and beyond that, we are hopeful to widely represent the body of Christ and learn from each other in humility.

Act virtuously. We believe our community’s collective witness is best understood by our way of life, not merely the work we do. We hope that our events and program are a clear representation of a group of people that embody the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love and the cardinal virtues of wisdom, moderation, courage, and justice. This applies to everything as lofty as the courage to have an abundance mentality with donors and connections to hyper-practical decisions such as moderation of alcohol consumption at a Praxis event.