Inner Transformation and Care as a Pathway for Well-being, Peace and Regeneration

An Intergenerational Two-Day Retreat on the Sidelines of the United Nations 70th Commission on the Status of Women

 

We find ourselves in a polycrisis – a growing mental health crisis that disproportionately affects youth, the threat of ecological decline due to human-induced global warming, lagging SDG implementation, polarization, war, and the undermining of democracy and multilateralism. We live in a time when the only way out is by turning inward and toward each other and Nature. Returning to common humanity and our Nature kin is only possible when we take the time to embody the shared values of well-being, justice, peace and prosperity in community and reaffirm our shared responsibility so that practical collaborative action can emerge.

This retreat brings together intergenerational multi-stakeholders to remove ourselves from the hubbub, habit and hierarchy of the UN space, slow down in Nature, destress, mindfully witness each others’ stories, catalyze suffering and setbacks into hope, and re-surface with transformative, compassionate actions for gender-informed and whole-systems policies and practices of care for people and planet. We will be led by an intergenerational team of qualified teen, youth and elder facilitators.

For details and inquiries contact info@ahameducation.org.

 

OBJECTIVES

In this retreat, we aim to:

• Deepen inner capacities and strengthen individual and community well-being
• Build community and bolster multi-stakeholder and intergenerational solidarity to accelerate SDG progress related to youth, gender, education, climate, health and peace.
• Explore shared values and strategies to integrate care in policies and practices across communities.
• Inspire systemic change toward more equitable, resilient and peaceful homes, communities, businesses and institutions.

We will engage with facilitated dialogue, contemplative practices, restorative conversations on inner and outer change, immersive art, and plenty of solo time and space for being outside on the land reflecting on how to apply insights to our lives and work.

 

REGISTRATION

Registration is a two-part process

Part I: Please visit this application page, to sign up with the co-organizers (AHAM Education Inc., Miss Universe Honduras and Project Dandelion)

Part II: Please select one of the room & board registration options outlined below at the Garrison Institute

 

INVITED DISTINGUISHED GUESTS (subject to change)

 

Lopa Banerjee, Director of the Civil Society Division, UN Women
Maria Martha Barreneche, Lead, Youth Mental Health & Well-Being, UN Youth Office
Alejandra Fuentes, Miss Universe Honduras 2025 and Youth Representative to the UN
Laura Cook, Global Director, Policy and Narrative, Project Dandelion
Asia Neupane, Director for Planetary Health and Global Engagement, Yale Center for Nursing

Facilitators

Lead Facilitator:
Knellee Bisram, M.A., Representative to the UN and CEO, AHAM Education
Knellee is a highly respected Trinidadian American Mindfulness facilitator from a long lineage of non-dual teachings and evidence-based modalities, and transformative leader dedicated to the inner work of outer change. As co-designer of the b.Nature and other mindfulness-based curricula, producer of the documentary short “Healing People Heal the Planet,” head of delegation to various UN processes, and co-chair of the US Climate Action Network Action Team on Regenerative Economies and Accountability, she integrates a nature-based, mindful approach to addressing 21st-century challenges among marginalized communities, children, and women—with a strong focus on mental health, education, water and climate justice. Drawing from her career in international relations, Knellee applies a contemplative “third-sider” approach to multilateral negotiations and social impact movements, and curates trauma-informed well-being and community spaces within various local and global processes.

 

Co-Facilitator:   
Mariama Williams, Ph.D. (Economics), M.S. (Yoga Therapy). C-IAYT
Mariama is a Jamaican America feminist economist work bridges political economy with embodied and contemplative practice. She engages consciousness as a lived, relational, and embodied field—drawing from a variety of meditation technologies, alongside yoga therapy, neuroscience, and collective trauma–informed practice. Her focus includes brain longevity, nervous system regulation, and the cultivation of ethical resilience in individuals and communities navigating structural inequality, climate disruption, and intergenerational stress. Mariama’s facilitation situates inner practice as a discipline of moral courage, care, and sustained social transformation. The creator of Conscious Yoga (since 2008), BreathWork Plus Yoga and Am meditation Connection  containers of  integrative approaches that weave breath, somatic awareness, and social reflection to support personal and collective regulation. Williams is also the founder of FromtheInside2theOutside (FI2O), managing partner IPRI Syntropy Integrated Policy Research Institute, and Senior Strategic Advisor to the Global Afro-descendant Collaborative for Climate Justice (GADCJC).

 

Youth Co-Facilitators:

Global Mindful Ambassadors trained under AHAM Education’s Girls Well-being Project.

 

INVITED PARTICIPANTS

 

Youth/teen delegates from LAC, MENA Region, North America, member state representatives, UN agency representatives, university students, and other stakeholders.

 

SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarships a very limited. Please complete the AHAM Scholarship Application.

 

CO-ORGANIZERS

AHAM Education Inc
Miss Universe Honduras
Project Dandelion
the Garrison Institute
UN Youth Office (pending)
NGO CSW (pending)
Tzu Chi Center for Compassionate Relief (pending)

 

ACCOMMODATIONS

There are Single, Double and Dorm (3 people) rooms available. Please note, there is no available guest elevator and all rooms are accessible by stairs—except for those reserved for the mobility-impaired on the first floor. Dorm rooms are located exclusively on the fourth floor. There are two communal bathrooms on each residential floor as well as a comfortable lounge with sofas and easy chairs, where tea and instant coffee are available. The lounges also are equipped with wireless, high-speed internet connection. There are several local hotels within driving distance from the Institute, for those who wish to stay off-site, as commuters. Onsite meals are included with commuter registrations.

 

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COVID-19

The health and safety of our guests and staff is a top priority for the Garrison Institute. To attend a retreat or event all guests, teachers, and staff are encouraged to self-test (at home antigen test is acceptable) within the 48-hour window prior to arriving for a retreat on site, and to bring a 2nd self-test kit when coming on site. We encourage everyone to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and other illnesses before your visit. If you experience symptoms or have a positive diagnosis, please notify us immediately at events@garrisoninstitute.org We will continue to follow any COVID-19 guidelines set forth by our local officials, New York State and the CDC.