Exploring The Work That Reconnects for Our Time

Two-Day Online Workshop, Three Hours Per Day

Each day we face the news of climate chaos, political warfare, species extinction, and social suffering, and we are asked to reconcile these collective traumas with all that is breaking in our hearts. It is natural in our time to feel despair, overwhelm, and grief. Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects offers tools for transforming our grief, anger, paralysis, and fear into compassionate connections with our world and communities. Her work has helped people around the globe find solidarity and courage to act despite rapidly worsening social and ecological conditions.

Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects is a form of group work designed to foster the desire and ability to take part in the healing of our world. Since its inception in the late 1970s, Joanna’s teachings and experiential therapeutic work has helped thousands find clarity of vision and emotional sanctuary while living through every precious and precarious moment on our planet.

Join Joanna Macy scholar and seasoned facilitator, Lydia Violet Harutoonian, for an immersive workshop exploring the Work That Reconnects. Climate anxiety and ecological despair are real. They are on behalf of a world desperate for our collaboration in remembering our dignity and grace. It is here that we can nourish our internal compass for the times ahead.

This interactive workshop includes live facilitation, small group practices, somatic practices, and teachings drawn directly from Joanna Macy’s framework. Guided exercises and discussion will support participants in moving through the spiral of the Work That Reconnects—from Gratitude to Honoring Our Pain, Seeing with New/Ancient Eyes, and Going Forth. Participants will leave with practices they can return to in times of overwhelm, a deeper sense of purpose and interconnection, and the support of a community that shares their care for life on Earth.

Meet the Host

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Lydia Violet Harutoonian is a scholar, educator, musician, and community facilitator who has been a devoted student and practitioner of Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects for over 15 years. Having studied extensively under Joanna’s direct mentorship, Lydia has become a respected carrier of this tradition, guiding individuals and communities through the emotional, spiritual, and ecological challenges of our time. Her work is grounded in direct experience of community repair, woven together with music and cultural healing as powerful tools for resilience and regeneration.

Lydia is the founder of School for The Great Turning, an educational nonprofit that supports participants in developing the inner resources, community connections, and ecological consciousness necessary for the shift to a life-sustaining society. Her facilitation is rooted in helping people navigate the grief, beauty, and longing that arise in the face of global crisis, while cultivating the courage to contribute to cultural repair and ecological stewardship. Lydia’s approach uniquely integrates the Work That Reconnects with ancestral healing practices and community song, offering a holistic pathway toward collective resilience and transformation. Schoolforthegreatturning.com

Important Event Information

Accessibility Information
If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email publicprograms@ciis.edu at least one week prior to the event. For more information, explore our Accessibility web page.

Recording Policy
Portions of this workshop will be recorded, and limited access to a recording will be made available to all ticket buyers.

Refund Policy
Tickets for this event are fully refundable up to 7 days prior to the event. No refunds are available within 7 days of the event except for CIIS Public Programs Members, who can get a full refund up to 24 hours before the event. Read our full refund policy on our Frequently Asked Questions web page.