Dear Friends,

I haven’t known what to write to you this month. My heart is heavy and my mind is baffled. I see images and read stories, and yet I simply cannot imagine what the people of Ukraine are experiencing right now. Their lives have been upended by unimaginable violence. 

I feel helpless. I wish I had some wisdom to share. The only words that come to me are, “My heart is breaking,” and, “War is stupid.”

John Woolman encouraged us, “Here we have a prospect of one common interest, from which our own is inseparable, that to turn all the treasures we possess into the Channel of Universal Love, becomes the business of our lives.” 

And so, I am reminded: even when we are so far away, even when we cannot see a way out, there is always something we can do. We can do our best to cultivate peace by turning to love. I can choose to show up to myself in love, and I can strive to show up to every conversation and every relationship in love. Even a single, intentional breath in a moment of silence can cultivate peace.

At Woolman, we will do our best to show up where we are and do the work we have to do, cultivating peace in our little corner of the world by creating opportunities for youth and adults to grow their capacity for love and to become peace-makers. Thank you for supporting us in this endeavor.

May the violence stop. May the people of Ukraine and Russia experience love and find peace this day.

With gratitude, Coleen Hedglin, Executive Director

coleenh@woolman.org

We are excited to announce that Woolman will begin to host schools for residential, outdoor education programming starting in April! We are very excited to be partnering with Bluebird Farm, 4 Earth Elements Education, Sierra Streams Institute, and See the Systems to offer rich programming that supports students to expand environmental awareness, explore farming and food systems, and build social justice activism and leadership skills. 

The first school that will come to Woolman is San Francisco Friends School.  More than 60 seventh graders will be on campus for a week, experiencing time in nature and learning about fire ecology, sustainable organic farming, Sierra Native American history and social justice.  We welcome for the first time, San Francisco Friends School!

Join Woolman’s new weekly writing group on Mondays 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. starting February 7th. We will gather on Zoom and work with prompts to write and share. All writing experience levels welcome!

If you are interested, please email Coleen Hedglin at coleenh@woolman.org.

Illustration by Sophie Brinker

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Operations Director will ensure that the organization is able to perform efficiently and effectively. This includes meeting legal compliance obligations, ensuring work environments are adequate and safe, identifying opportunities for improvement, and implementing policies and procedures that will improve day-to-day operations. The scope of the position encompasses human resources, finance, administration, site and IT management.

Programs Director

Woolman is seeking a seasoned outdoor educator to lead impactful programs for youth and adults at its 240-acre campus. Founded in 1963, Woolman has a rich history focused on social justice, environmental sustainability and personal growth. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Programs Director will have experience in outdoor education, including summer camp and year-round youth programming in partnership with schools. We are looking for someone who also has a social justice background to develop new programming for activists and enhance outdoor education offerings.

Camp Staff 

Woolman is now accepting applications for two full-time staff positions and summer camp counselors. Please view these job postings on our website and share among your networks.

For more information click below or email at info@woolman.org