Amikaeyla Gaston is a singer, activist, and executive director/founder of the International Cultural Arts & Healing Sciences Institute. She has traveled worldwide to work with political refugees, war survivors, and marginalized populations. Amikaela is the recipient of many awards including the United Nations Global Woman Award.

Empathy lies at the heart of human connection and compassion. Deepening one’s empathy enhances the capacity of elders to serve as wise and compassionate sages. This program will focus on how to cultivate an empathy that enables older adults to connect deeply with others without becoming emotionally overwhelmed.

In this session, David Chernikoff will give a talk and introduce some of the methods that help us to develop patience in the midst of uncertainty. We’ll discuss the special relevance of this quality at the present time on our planet. At our own pace, we’ll each move toward a deeper understanding of patience and an enhanced ability to suffuse our daily life with it.

In our last (but not least) session, we will explore what it truly means to be “Aging in Community.” How can we serve as mentors, in ways that create our legacy through service? What is our role in healing our own families, the communities we live in, and the world? How can we organize in wisdom circles and guilds and bring about the change we dream of, in ways that will survive us?

Heidi Neumark’s life changed when a few computer keystrokes exposed generations of family secrets, raising questions she could not answer: How did she never know of her grandfather’s murder? Or that her grandmother was a death-camp survivor? Why had the family history and Jewish faith been hidden? What did this mean for her work as a pastor, community organizer, and advocate with marginalized and oppressed communities? Seeking answers to these questions, Heidi traveled across the ocean and into the depths of her soul to encounter a family and spiritual heritage she never knew she had. For any who have had secrets, closeted identities, and silence shape their lives, Heidi’s journey is a courageous call to discover what can happen when all that has been hidden is finally brought to light.

In her Sage-ing presentation, Lori Erickson will reflect on her experiences writing her book and guide us as we collectively ponder mortality—the ways we avoid it, the ways we cope with it, and the ways in which life is made more precious by accepting it. Through her personal reflections as well as her travels, Erickson will help us see that one of the most life-affirming things we can do is invite death along for the ride.

On August 28th we will present the interview with Richard Rohr. In this insightful and inspiring session, Father Richard teaches us how God’s grace guides us to our birthright as beings made of Divine Love. With a sense of humor and authenticity, he shares stories of the many Turning Points in his life, that brought him a sense of purpose and meaning and a deep connection to his faith and those around him.

As a Certified Sage-ing Leader (CSL), Jann Freed, PhD, often says, “Sage-ing International changed my life.” Jann is the author of Breadcrumb Legacy: How Great Leaders Live a Life Worth Remembering and Leading with Wisdom: Sage Advice from 100 Experts. In this workshop, Jann will share what she learned from interviewing hundreds of thought leaders about living a life with wisdom. Many of the Sages she interviewed are members of Sage-ing International. Come learn from Jann what she has learned on this journey of how to live in the way you want to be remembered.