Float Retreat Planning
As a First Nations Wellness Facilitator, it is important to me to ensure that our wellness retreats are designed to nurture women but also bring awareness to climate challenges across the Pasifika Region. Vanuatu is a small Island Nation that has seen devastating climate impacts such as tropical cyclones, earthquakes, coral bleaching and raising sea levels.
When we invite First Nations sista ones to come away as one of our facilitators, we invite them to come for a 7 day location retreat planning. This means, going over to Vanuatu, meeting with locals, meeting our ni-vanuatu tidda ones who support our events, meeting with women at Natakoma Nakamal for cultural exchange and staying on location to get a feel for the environment, climate and culture.
Our retreats are grounded in culture, nurtured by our sistahood community and connected by ceremony and healing.
Our village is your village.
A Retreat with a heart.
Through our retreats, we are creating spaces of cultural exchange and skills sharing. One of the processes that we nurture within our retreats is the spirit of reciprocity. Giving back to communities and in particular to Ni-Vanuatu women in practical ways. The women that we have built a relationship with, are the backbone of their communities, often coming up with small micro-businesses to support their families and communities.
One of the ways in which our FLOAT Retreats give back is giving community women the opportunity to talk to skilled and experienced women about their projects or business ideas. Women are offered advice and support with how to set up their micro-business or how to get funding for their community projects. By bringing First Nations and allies together, we create connected communities that offer solutions at the local level.
This is how we are working to give back to communities hardest hit by poly-crisis events, often coursed by western consumption and culture of fast-everything.
Natakoma Women’s Nakamal
Facilitating a day of Cultural Exchange with the Women of Natakoma is one of the highlights of our retreat. Women are asked to slow, to sit and yarn and share stories of culture, everyday life and about families.
We sit together while we weave simple items such as fans or place mats to take home with us. We help to prepare ilan kai and help to cook food that we will sit and share. Slowing our mana (energy / nervous system) down to reset, to recognize nurture.
We also do a little retail therapy, the women of Natakoma are artisan weavers. And we have exclusive viewing and opportunity to purchase directly from the weavers at special FLOAT rates for all the tidda ones.
What People Are Saying
-
FLOAT24 Changed my life.
Float24 has changed my life. I came to the retreat with a broken heart and soul full of confusion and resentment. Seven days later, I left the retreat with peace, a calmed spirit and an enlightened soul. I could not have done this season of life (and healing) without the support of likeminded women. These women, not only champion ‘change’, but they create a safe sacred space for women to embrace our individual transformative process, without guilt or shame. I will always be grateful to Avaivilla Group for recognising the importance of women empowerment and healing.
This will be the annual reset and recharge event for myself and I cannot wait for Float25.
Au eswau (big thank you).
Tareka.
-
Making new friends.
When I heard about FLOAT24 for the First time at another Avaivilla Group wellness event for women, I was inspired to sign up. The idea of a women’s only wellness retreat on an island in the pasific with a unique landscape and culture resonated deeply with me. And the experience was MAGICAL. Some highlights for me was learning about and holding Kava ceremony with locals, a koko (cacao) ceremony with Terori; coming home to our bodies with stella, a somatic connecting of mind and body, understanding our female energy, and Yolanda, creating a beautiful empowered space for us to remember our power as women. And the cultural day, making fans and preparing island food with local women, the food shared that night in celebration with an island string band.
So many memories, this retreat has also enriched me with new friendships, I am forever grateful.
Looking forward to FLOAT25
Veronika
-
A Journey with like minded women.
As I reflect back on my experience at Float 2024, I am smiling!
The thing I cherish the most is the group of women I got the privilege to meet and journey with over the ten days I was in Vanuatu. I genuinely miss them all - there is a comradery that develops through the participation in the shared cultural experiences that was offered as part of the program – the visits to beautiful places (Pele is a standout), the cultural meals, the performances, the local women’s weaving activity, our adventures on the transport system and visits to Port Vila’s artists markets. And then a deeper closeness that was nurtured through the wellness program – great facilitators, daily wellness practices, lots of sharing and learning from each other, and working through our own healing. To be connected to all of these women was indeed a great privilege. I wish them well as they go back to their own lives with a hope that they too are smiling!
Thanks Terori for bringing us all together.
Helen