ST Retreat 2023 - Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur

Spiritualtouch Retreat Summer 2023

(28 Apr – 2 May, 2023)

Reach: Fri, 28 Apr after dinner
Leave: Tue, 2 May after breakfast

Children from Standards 6 – 13 (academic year 2023-24) can apply. For the comfort of the children and to aid a conducive atmosphere for maximum learning and growth, the Retreat is organized at Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur.

Retreat Charges

	Slab 1 ( 24 Feb – 10 Mar )	Slab 2 ( 11 Mar – 24 Mar )	Slab 3 ( 25 Mar – 15 Apr )
Fees	Slab 1 ( 24 Feb – 10 Mar )₹ 3800	Slab 2 ( 11 Mar – 24 Mar ) ₹ 4000	Slab 3 ( 25 Mar – 15 Apr )₹ 4200
Refund Amount	Slab 1 ( 24 Feb – 10 Mar )100%	Slab 2 ( 11 Mar – 24 Mar ) 50%	Slab 3 ( 25 Mar – 15 Apr )0%
Cancellation Policy: If your child decides to cancel their place in the Retreat, please inform your retreat coordinator as soon as possible. There will be no refund for cancellations from 24th March, 2023.

UNEP does not charge fees for any of its capacity building programmes nor any fees for the registration for its activities and will not handle any financial transactions of this retreat. SRMD is requesting participants to cover part of the cost of their participation in the Spiritualtouch Retreat. There will be no profit made of this retreat. SRMD will cover the additional cost of this retreat as a contribution to the FEEL programme.

Travelling:

Travelling arrangements can be made. Children will travel by AC bus.
The one-way cost for Bus travel (Mumbai to Dharampur / Dharampur to Mumbai) is INR 1100.
For further guidelines please refer to our Travel policy document.
There is no refund for travel cancellations.
Travel charges are not included in the Retreat charges mentioned above.
Please contact your Centre head for any queries.

Retreat Information

Gadget-Free Retreat:

To help children curb this destructive habit and urge them to spend more time building bonds with nature and each other, the Spiritualtouch Summer Retreat 2023 will be a gadget-free retreat. You are requested to support our cause by ensuring that your children leave their gadgets behind before the start of the Retreat. If our volunteers see any mobile or gaming device being used by a participant, they will be forced to confiscate it immediately. Daily updates on the children’s activities will be uploaded by the end of each day during the Retreat on our Social Media pages: www.instagram.com/srdivinetouch and www.facebook.com/srdivinetouch

In case of an emergency, you may contact your child through your Centre Head between 6:00pm and 7:00pm every day. In case your child needs to get in touch with you, he/she will have ready access to a public phone.

Important Information:

Please write your child’s name and area on his/her clothes and other belongings with a marker, for easy identification.
Please carry water bottles, sunblock and mosquito repellent.
The Management does not recommend that your child carries any valuable items to the Retreat. Responsibility of any valuables, or anything lost, lies with the child.
The room they stay in must be clean at all times, as special checks can happen at any time!
Attendance in all the sessions is compulsory.
For girls: Please meet your Centrehead if you are on your menstrual cycle.

Lost and Found:

All items will be deposited to the Lost Property counter at the Spiritualtouch Retreat Admin Office. Items can be collected by 2nd May 2023 before breakfast.

The FEEL Programme

The Faith for Earth Empathy Leadership (FEEL) Programme is a collaborative effort of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur and the Faith For Earth Initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme.

Programme Information

About the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Since its inception in 1972, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been the global authority that sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.

About the FEEL Programme

The FEEL Programme is designed to make environmental education an emotional and experiential affair. This curriculum prioritises transformation over information, by arousing a sense of accountability in teens for the environmental issues our world faces today. The goal is to create empathetic leaders who not only transform their individual lifestyles but also create a ripple effect in society, empowering them to change for the better.

The unique feature of this curriculum is that it employs value education to deepen and personalise environmental education, nudging young minds to develop a deeper way of thinking, feeling, and interacting with nature.

The programme not only assists teens in developing their Emotional Quotient (EQ) but also effortlessly instills age-appropriate skills in them. From arousing a sense of empathy in them to ensuring that they also learn how to envision transformation, execute their plans and empower others to do the same. This holistic programme is designed for schools, universities and virtual classrooms alike.

Theory

The six modules of the FEEL Programme comprising 18 hours of interactive theoretical sessions are:

Watch Your Waste
Shift the Plastic Paradigm
Make Every Drop Count
Grow Green
Embrace the Eco-Family
Combat Climate Change

Practical

The Spiritualtouch Retreat at Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram, Dharampur holds the advent of the hands-on practical experience of the FEEL Programme. The teens shall explore the environment through various activities:

Marathon of Miyawaki: A human chain race to plant saplings, thus transforming a barren land into thousands of acres of a biodiversity forest.
Eco Triathlon: A three-pronged race that amalgamates sports to an environmental cause, comprising the following,
- Plogging: Jogging
- Segrelay: A waste segregation relay
- From Flakes to Furniture: Upcycling flakes of plastic to sturdy furniture for rural schools
Boco Fest: Upcycling bananas and coconuts

The FEEL Programme Certificate

A certificate will be awarded to all teens on completion of the FEEL Programme. This presents a unique opportunity for them to be officially certified as an empathy leader by a global authority like UNEP. This certification stands as a validation of the environmental empathy inculcated via learning theoretical knowledge and honing practical skills, over the course of the programme. At a time when organisations and institutions are looking forward to welcoming individuals who are emotionally as well as intellectually empowered, this certificate will hold great value in universities and schools across the globe in proving their competence in both.

Eligibility for Certification

To receive the FEEL Certificate of Completion, one must complete 18 hours of the programme. Teens can choose to be certified either in May or December 2023.

First Batch: May ’23

Teens enrolling for the FEEL Programme in May ‘23, culminating with the Spiritualtouch Summer Retreat, will be welcomed as the very first batch for this programme.

This batch will have eight hours of lessons from the FEEL Programme, on weekends from March 20 – April 20, 2023. After attending the sessions during the Spiritualtouch Summer Retreat 2023, these participants will be awarded the certificate.
Second Batch: Dec ’23

Those who opt to be certified in December 2023 will be required to begin sessions at Spiritualtouch Summer Retreat 2023 and complete all modules of the FEEL Programme prior to the Spiritualtouch Winter Retreat 2023, by Nov ‘23.

#SadguruWhispers Dharma should touch your whole being, not just your tongue.