5th Intercontinental/International Gathering of Wilderness Guides
September 17 - 23, 2012, Ukraine

Dear Friends,

Less than one and a half years are left before the 5th Intercontinental/International Gathering in Ukraine.

Our main efforts have been in the sphere of organizational issues – place for the Gathering, agreements with local authorities, solving of technical issues. And despite all our efforts these issues are not being solved as quickly as we want. At the same time we can guarantee to you that this event will happen! Because for us and for you it is an important event.

Maybe some of our difficulties are connected with our desire to make this event very special, exciting, awesome. But the possibilities don’t always agree with our desires. So we decided to change the process. We now are focusing our efforts in the sphere of ideas, questions, and interests about the work we do. We are trying to move from the North to the East.

Previous Gatherings were devoted to meeting with each other, becoming part of the movement, coordination with each other, learning about each other. We honored elders. Elders were invited and recognized by a younger generation of guides. Elders gave a mantle to youth. What is the next step? Who will the younger generation invite, and how will they invite them?

Inviting the world

We propose this idea as a framework for future Gatherings. What do we mean?

• We invited you to our country where rites of passages are forgotten and unknown. It is a big question for us – “How to invite our people?”There was the time when you invited us. How do we now invite other countries to these practices? Maybe they are waiting.
• How to invite youth?
• How to invite business using the language business people can understand?
• How to invite new guides? How can new guides find their place in community?
• Old traditions and new forms--how do we blend these in the best way?
• What transitions face modern society? What rites of passage does the modern world need now? What ceremonies can truly support the needs of modern people?
• How we can invite our collective history into our work – wars and their trauma and reconciliation, traditions that have historically served to divide people from one other, natural and manmade cultural disasters (i.e. tsunamis and nuclear accidents)?

“Young” guides in Ukraine have shared their needs about the Gathering:

• To feel greater community, to feel that they belong to the world community, that they are not alone in their work, to feel supported by the community, elders and youth
• To feel they can rely on those who are more experienced
• To make connections with people from different countries, their traditions and work
• To find their place in the work, among their own people and in community
• To participate in creating the future of this work together with the international community of guides

We now are working on the agenda of the Gathering. We plan to have a workshops block. So we would like to ask people to make workshops about their work and ideas. Please, write us if you are interested in doing a workshop during the Gathering. We especially would like to invite workshops about:

• Modern ceremonies for modern people
• How to present the work to the community? How to invite people? How to popularize rites of passage?
• How to find “simple” words to describe our “complicated” work
• Work with youth and children – special forms, ideas, ways
• Women quest, men quest, different forms of work and work with different categories of people
• Creating our own rattles and drums
• Mentoring people in life transitions and preparing people to Vision Quest
• National/cultural traditions and ceremonies
• How a “young guide” can start the work
• What “language” to use in working with business and how to invite business people to rites of passage work
• Singing ritual and spiritual songs of different nations and traditions

And we definitely invite any other topic you would like to speak about or you are interested in. Waiting for your response!

Also we would like to invite those who are ready to do ceremonies. We would like to have Sweat lodge and Pipe ceremony during the Gathering. We are open to any other ceremonies you would like to propose for the community. Whoever is ready to lead these ceremonies –- please, write us.

Maybe some of you are interested in providing pre or post Gathering workshops or programs. Some Ukrainian newborn guides are ready to assist you and help with logistical issues. They know English. Please, write us as soon as possible if you want to do something.

Keith Howchi Kilburn has agreed to lead Renewal Vision Fast for Guides after Gathering. It will be free. Donations gratefully accepted. If you want to participate, please, contact us istoki-center@mail.ru and Keith keithhowchi@howchi.net

Some organizational information:

• We made a page about the Gathering on our web-site and will put all information there. You can check all the news and updates at http://www.istoki-center.org.ua/konftitlepm.html
• As soon as we are sure about the place, we will inform you.
• The food will be vegetarian and non-vegetarian. If you need special diet – please, write us and we will try to do our best to support your needs.
• We will provide medical care. All necessary medicines for first aid will be available. And we will organize doctor(s) presence at the Gathering.
• There will be interpreters – professional for translation of common big meetingscircles and volunteers to supply translation in small groups and for personal communications.
• We would like to organize special activities for children while parents will participate in Gathering activities during the day. So we think it will be great to have 2 babysitters (English and German speaking people for children group). We think about 2 possibilities – to invite somebody for the whole period or to ask people to work as volunteers for several hours. If you have the desire to support this idea as a volunteer for several hours – please, write us.

For any questions and suggestions, please, feel free to contact us at istoki-center@mail.ru

Please, help us to inform community about future Gathering as widely as possible - send this letter, please, through your networks, for those who work in this field or would like to work. Or you can give us e-mails if we miss somebody for sending this information.

Waiting for you with love,
Katerina and Georgiy