Spring Quarter
All the students are back from Spring Break at UCSB and ramping up their programs for Spring Quarter. It's amazing that it has already been a full school year and now we're coming into the final quarter. We're looking forward to the students completing some of their best work yet. The foundation has seen remarkable growth over this past year, and every quarter brings something unexpected. I can't wait to see what will next...
Logan C.
International Forest Foundation Conference
The Forest Foundation has grown very quickly. Our conference was meant to bring great minds together to create a vision for how we can successfully build the foundation quickly and effectively. I'm very relieved and excited to say that the weekend was a success. With people joining us from NY, LA, SF and Chicago, we had three days of intensive discussion.
As the Director of the Forest Foundation it was a great feeling to see other people getting behind our vision and giving me the much needed advice on how to meet all our needs. I feel very comfortable in saying that our growth is both healthy and exciting. I'm looking forward to the next conference.
David Cygielman
Enlightened weekend
We held a Forest Foundation retreat two weeks ago. There were people who attended who have the Forest Foundation on their mind nearly 24 hours per day, and there were also people there who had never heard of the Foundation at all. I have to say though, that each individual learned a great deal not only about themsleves, but about what the Foundation is and what we stand for.
I learned that what we are trying to do is build a stronger future by investing in young people. I do not expect the fellows who work for the Foundation to continue their job into retirement. No. On the contrary I hope that they quit as soon as they graduate from college and find a job somewhere. And I hope that when they find that job, and any job from there forward, they will espouse the ideals of the Forest Foundation. That each fellow will make sure that their company, their firm, their institution is doing what it can to make the community stronger, and that no matter what their job is, they know that they can always strive to make it better.
Don't stop, we all have a lot of work to do.
jordan
I'll have the ahi tuna with my revolution please.
The retreat weekend was literally full of amazing events, I learned so much from the experience. Beach cruisers are a great way to get around; Women's beach cruisers are fully functional when ridden by a male; young adults have more to offer than many adults -fully emersed in their professional careers - might think; if you put these young adults together with a serious mission and give them ownership, amazing outcomes will surely follow, and so on. A professional/open/envigorating setting does definitely allow for a more clear thought process and a freer discussion of relevant, and some not so relevant, topics of conversation. I do believe that the most significant revelation that came to me from this retreat came in the form of a reaffirmation. A reaffirmation of two facts: 1) Put an individual in a situation where they feel responsible for the outcome, and they will perform at a higher level 2) A change is afoot in the way our society views and utilizes its young/active minds and we are proof of that.
It's all about the TEAM!!
From start to finish the weekend was fabulous. I give much credit to Dave for creating an agenda that allowed for a complete understanding of how the Forest Foundation is running currently and where he sees the foundation going in the future. We were able to have a mini focus group with students currently involved in the foundation, meet Morris and gain a much better understanding of what he would like to accomplish through this foundation, meet very interesting and exciting people from the Santa Barbara community that were incredibly kind to lend advice and feed us great food! Towards the end of the weekend we consolidated all of our previous discussions and developed an action plan.
The energy from the group was completely invigorating. I left Santa Barbara wanting MORE and with complete confidence that this TEAM will make GREAT things happen!!
Reformatting
Today we continue to work on reformatting the organizational structure of the Forest Foundation. As I look at that sentence, I realize how terribly boring and mundane the task must sound. However, the work so far hasn't been a bad experience at all; rather, it's been fairly enjoyable. We know what needs to be done, and we're doing it. Maybe if we only knew we needed to reformat but were unsure of how to go about it, the task would be a bit more daunting. Thanks to the retreat, though, we think we know what we're up against. We're creating a welcome packet and guidebook for our fellows that will roll out with the start of spring quarter next week. It should be a good one.
Seared tuna and mango delight clearly the winning entry
So I have had a few days to adjust to being back in the Big Apple after spending a great weekend out on el Capitan Canyon.
Apart from masterminding such a great appetizer, my highlights from the weekend would really be... meeting all of you positive people. The weekend really opened my eyes to a new way of thinking and most definitely for the better. I think the foundation acts as a great way for young people to meet one another and network, at a stage in our lives where other networking type organisations can be intimidating. My project is already being helped along by some of the introductions made by the fellowship. I may not have acquired a suntan from California but I look forward to all of us working together in some way in the future and getting you all out to NYC in May (26th..) for a frickin' great Artshow party.. woohoo.
Love Sarah xx
Living it up, while growing up
Having known a few of the people at the retreat from non working environments I did not know what to expect going into this weekend. I had questions of would it be professional at all? Would it be too professional? I am happy to say it was great balance of both. To see young adults with such strong opinions and coming from such different backgrounds speaking openly and constructively was a credit to us but also do to the leadership provided by Dave C. Having known Dave C. since middle school it was amazing to see how much of a leader he has become. Coming home from the weekend I could see the foundation was established to create leaders of the next generation (Dave C. being the first and the most prominent example). But don’t get me wrong it was not all about meeting, we also had a blast. Thank you to all the full time staff, And the Man himself Morris!!!
Retreat from Isaac's eyes
This past weekend I've had the great fortune of getting to spend some time learning and experiencing what the Forest Foundation is all about. I think the best way to describe the experience is to compare it to a breath of fresh air. Coming from San Francisco where I'm working at an uninspiring job, stressed out about paying off my school loans, yelling at my parents who I'm living with because my wages are low and cost of living is high, and being in a place in my life where I feel like I'm left to take on these hardships alone - this weekend was a transformational experience to say the least.
To be able to consider what my life would look like without constraints related to time or money gave me a brand new outlook on my situation. I am now approaching the journey toward adulthood with the consideration of what's possible rather than what's manageable.
Beyond my own experience it was very exciting to be a part of a progressive organization almost entirely run by people my own age or younger dedicated to investing in youth. While the work was productive it was also incredibly fun.
What a pleasure to be a part of this group looking up towards the sky. While I am now back in the daily grind I feel more charismatic than I have in months. Simply knowing that there is a group in existence that is turning young adults' hopes and dreams in to tangible realities makes a big difference in my life. Thanks so much for all the hardwork and thinking that has already gone into this project. I eagerly look forward to more. -Isaac
Retreat Weekend
We had our Meeting of the Minds retreat for the Forest Foundation this past weekend at El Capitan Canyon, and, speaking for myself, I thought it went very well and can personally say that I learned quite a lot from it. At the retreat, the group, comprised of several young adults in their early-twenties from California, Chicago, and New York, discussed what the Forest Foundation can do to improve itself and successfully continue its work well into the future. Everyone freely participated, and the friendly atmosphere lended to an open exchange of ideas where I felt no one was intimidated or held back. I could tell that everyone was deeply immersed in the retreat's subject matter and giving substancial thought to the issues posed. It was encouraging to come away from the weekend with a wealth of issues to consider for the foundation, and I feel that we are now, more than ever, headed in the right direction. I don't want to get into too much more detail about the retreat myself and would rather have others post blogs about their experiences and feelings about the retreat. Therefore, I will try this week to have a participant from this weekend post their thoughts on the retreat each day. It should be very enlightening.
Retreat Today
I talked about the retreat we're having this weekend at El Capitan Canyon, and today's the first day. Some people arrived last night, and others will be arriving this morning. I can't wait to see what this group is going to come up with this weekend. I'm eager to get started, it has a lot of potential. I'll let you all know everything about the weekend this Monday. See you then!
Retreat
We have an official Forest Foundation retreat this weekend, a Meeting of the Minds featuring young adults from across the country. The retreat will be held from Friday through Sunday at El Capitan Canyon and we will be discussing a variety of subjects, including how the Forest Foundation may continue to expand and create a compelling future, not just for the foundation but for everyone. I am very excited to be a part of this upcoming think tank. I expect only good things to come from it.
Work Continues
While I work on my part and the choreography for Yashiya, I'm also still working throughout my days on the book. I'm very excited about the book, it's coming along nicely and I think I should be done with it in the next couple of weeks. I'll have to edit it then, of course, but it feels great to be at least half way done with my first book. It's been an interesting learning experience, feeling the ups and downs that come along with sustaining a long coherent thread of writing over the course of many weeks. At times it feels very daunting, but that's balanced by the rest of the time when I'm able to just get into a groove and appreciate what it is that I'm writing. Soon I'll also be working directly with a group of fellows on public relations and marketing pieces for the foundation. When that happens, I don't think I could have any other duties in a position at a job that makes me happier; rehearsing a play, writing a book, and guiding college students. What a great opportunity.
Dance Dance Revolution
I was wrong about the dress rehearsal for Yashiya last night; I guess plans changed over the weekend and our director and producer decided we weren't ready for it yet. Instead, we are focusing our rehearsals this week on the dance choreography during the songs. I'm very enthused about the opportunity to choregraph an entire dance scene. I've never come close to attempting to choregraph anything before, but I feel free to experiment and be as goofy as I want to be with the environment we've created for Yashiya. I'll definitely be thinking up something strange - I don't think I could choregraph something serious anyway. I'm just not of that stripe. Napoleon Dynamite's definitely the inspiration for my dance scene. It should be awesome.
Dress Rehearsal
Tonight is the first official dress rehearsal for Yashiya. I can't wait to see everyone in costume, it'll be hilarious. Jordan and I get to wear togas for our parts, which isn't too far a reach from our old fraternity days. I'm already comfortable in a toga, so immersing myself in my part shouldn't be a problem at all. Ditto, I believe, for Jordan. It should be interesting how costumes will affect the rest of the actors during rehearsal. Will it make them feel more in character, or will it do the opposite and merely make them feel goofy and self-conscience? I think that you always run a risk that it might be the latter, but with our group, I don't envision anyone feeling too self-conscience in their costumes. No, I think costumes will simply help everyone immerse themselves in the environment of Yashiya more fully. With the aggressive timeline that Morgan's set forth, that's exactly what we need.
Timeline
Morgan, our producer for Yashiya, hit us with the timeline for the play this morning, and it's a pretty aggressive. We'll be rehearsing through the month of March and putting the play on at the beginning of April. It's going to be tough, but we'll definitely be ready. I can't wait. It's best to push ourselves with an earlier date rather than later; after all, that's the Forest Foundation way. It'll be a lot of fun.
Acting
I am quite pleased to say that I have a role in Yashiya. Although I wouldn't consider myself a very good actor (although maybe I could be, who knows?), it's very fulfilling to be practicing a part that I will put on in front of an audience. What can I say - acting just an exciting and fun thing to do. I can see why so many people move to Hollywood to pursue acting. The thirst for fame and fortune aside, it's a very personally rewarding experience, from my point of view. Anyway, as we plug along with our rehearsals this week, a particularly fun portion of our rehearsals have been our warm-ups. Before we get into our parts, we do little activities to help us get into the acting mood or frame of mind, or to just get us out of our own skins. For example, the night before last we all had to come together in a circle and then randomly grab other people's hands in the circle. This made a not of hands in the middle of the circle, and we all had to untangle the not without letting go of anyone's hand. It was a lot of fun, but on top of that I also felt myself get much looser and willing to come out of myself. It really prepped me for the rehearsal. It's these experiences that are making Yashiya such a great learning experience.
Yashiya Coming Along
We began blocking for Yashiya at rehearsal last night. For those who don't know, blocking refers to the movements the actors make for the entire time that they are on stage. It's much more involved than I originally thought - you have to constantly think about how to unite the words with body language so that there's no dissonance between the actor and his character and so the lines don't come off cheesy and phony. Furthermore, you have to account for all the other actors on stage, even if they're not speaking. The rehearsal made me realize just how complicated bringing a play to life really is. There're so many details and so much preparation that needs to be done to make a play a success. I won't lie; once Jordan and I finished writing the script, I thought that we were over the hump and that it was all gravy from there on out. The rehearsals would be all fun and games and we saw our words come to life, I thought. Now I clearly see that I was horribly, horribly mistaken - there is plenty of work left to do to make this play a reality. However, although bringing Yashiya to the stage will require more preparation than I originally thought, I'm still having a great time with it, and I'm undoubtedly sure everyone else involved is feeling the same. We have a ways to go, but as long as we're having a good time along the way, it's no problem. I personally couldn't ask for a better group of people to be working alongside for this play.
Progression
As the Forest Foundation seeks to evolve and better itself as an organization, we're looking for the best structure to take us to the next level. It's a difficult question, how to get to the next level? Obviously, that's the goal on a day to day basis, to get better with every passing day, but of course that doesn't always happen. We have to be ready for failure, and the key to improving our organization lies in analyzing where and why we fail and how we can turn those failures into successes and, ultimately, strengths. As a result, we are currently in the midst of reshaping our Fellowship model. It's some heady stuff, to be sure. The changes might not be well liked, and even worse, they may not succeed, but if we don't try, then we definitely won't progress. So to progress we have to take risks, and although those risks can go bad, they also offer limitless possibilities. Therefore, the foundation is not afraid to fail so long as we continue to progress.
