M2M Healthy Intent Retreat

What is it?

A three day weekend retreat for all men who have sex with men to come together and share, explore, learn from and have fun in a safe, supportive and loving environment. Topic issues such as: healthy living, bridging the HIV positive and HIV negative divide, intimacy, and more.

When and Where:

The retreat will begin with dinner on Friday, May 9^th and end with lunch on Monday May 12^th 2008.

Accommodations: Accommodations will vary from lodges, cabins, bunk houses and camping. Tents can even be provided(already setup with a pad) for those who don't have their own. The retreat center is very much interested in helping with any special needs that any of us may have. Food will be provided by the center, a delicious choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals with indoor and outdoor dining. Besides the majestic beauty of the redwood's, Pema Osel Ling Mountain Retreat Center offers hiking trails on lots of private acreage, a wonderful swimming pool, and one of the most beautiful Buddhist Temples, for those interested in a bit of tranquil meditation.

Funding:

Funding provided by a grant from the state to Santa Cruz County. The coordination of the retreat is done by the Retreat Coordinating Committee comprised of Santa Cruz men and our Mentor Bill Blackburn from the Billy Club. For a contact information see the Coordinators page. Input from the community has been gathered to help in the coordinating of this event.

In order for us to open the retreat to surrounding communities we rely on donations. Anyone outside the county can attend by paying for lodging and meals. We are hoping to get donations to offer some partial scholarship's to people from other counties. Fee information is available on the Forms page.

Here's what the contract for funding says:

“By June 30, 2008, provide (at least) 30 high-risk negative or positive MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) with intensive psychosocial support through an experiential retreat designed to foster self-efficacy and to minimize communication barriers between negative and positive MSM.”

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Here is some History of the Evolution of the Retreat:

There have been several incarnations of the "Poz/Neg" retreat over the years. This particular retreat is going into its third year. For the past two years there has been joint collaboration between the Billy Club, Santa Cruz Aids Project, Mendocino County Aids Project, Santa Cruz County Health Services and the Santa Cruz Coordinating Committee. This year the retreat will primarily be organized and sponsored by the Santa Cruz Coordinating Committee, Bill Blackburn from the Billy Club as our mentor, coordinator and group leader, as well as the Santa Cruz Aids Project as our Fiscal Agent. The Poz/Neg Retreat has served the needs of men from many areas. Its primary goal has been to help reduce the barriers to effective communication, provide information about HIV related issues and other aspects of living and staying healthy with or without HIV or AIDS. Both HIV+ and HIV- men have benefited from these retreats, allowing a growing bond where there once was fear and separation. We (the committee), and the retreat have evolved through the active participation and feedback from the men who have attended these retreats. It is our intention to further evolve with workshops designed especially to serve our very diverse community and promote ways to contribute to living healthy and full lives. In this evolutionary process we have changed the name of our retreat to the “Man2Man Healthy Intent Retreat” to better reflect the essence of the retreat. This year the retreat will be held over Mother's Day weekend. In previous years, the retreat was always on Memorial Day Weekend and although this had served some of us well, it made it impossible for others to attend, and made it extremely difficult to find a local retreat center that was available over the holiday weekend. This year the retreat will begin with dinner and opening ritual on Friday, May 9, 2008 and will conclude after lunch on Monday, May 12, 2008. We are pleased and excited to announce that this year's retreat will be in Santa Cruz County at the Pema Osel Ling Mountain Retreat Center on Eureka Canyon Road in Watsonville, CA.

Come join us! Check out the “Application and Information” page for more detailed information


Coordinators Forms Location Workshops Donate/Sponsor Site Map
What is it? A three day weekend retreat for all men who have sex with men to come together and share, explore, learn from and have fun in a safe, supportive and loving environment. Topic issues such as: healthy living, bridging the HIV positive and HIV negative divide, intimacy, and more. When and Where: The retreat will begin with dinner on Friday, May 9^th and end with lunch on Monday May 12^th 2008. Accommodations: Accommodations will vary from lodges, cabins, bunk houses and camping. Tents can even be provided(already setup with a pad) for those who don't have their own. The retreat center is very much interested in helping with any special needs that any of us may have. Food will be provided by the center, a delicious choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals with indoor and outdoor dining. Besides the majestic beauty of the redwood's, Pema Osel Ling Mountain Retreat Center offers hiking trails on lots of private acreage, a wonderful swimming pool, and one of the most beautiful Buddhist Temples, for those interested in a bit of tranquil meditation. Funding: Funding provided by a grant from the state to Santa Cruz County. The coordination of the retreat is done by the Retreat Coordinating Committee comprised of Santa Cruz men and our Mentor Bill Blackburn from the Billy Club. For a contact information see the Coordinators page. Input from the community has been gathered to help in the coordinating of this event. In order for us to open the retreat to surrounding communities we rely on donations. Anyone outside the county can attend by paying for lodging and meals. We are hoping to get donations to offer some partial scholarship's to people from other counties. Fee information is available on the Forms page. Here's what the contract for funding says: “By June 30, 2008, provide (at least) 30 high-risk negative or positive MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) with intensive psychosocial support through an experiential retreat designed to foster self-efficacy and to minimize communication barriers between negative and positive MSM.” ⇓ Here is some History of the Evolution of the Retreat: There have been several incarnations of the "Poz/Neg" retreat over the years. This particular retreat is going into its third year. For the past two years there has been joint collaboration between the Billy Club, Santa Cruz Aids Project, Mendocino County Aids Project, Santa Cruz County Health Services and the Santa Cruz Coordinating Committee. This year the retreat will primarily be organized and sponsored by the Santa Cruz Coordinating Committee, Bill Blackburn from the Billy Club as our mentor, coordinator and group leader, as well as the Santa Cruz Aids Project as our Fiscal Agent. The Poz/Neg Retreat has served the needs of men from many areas. Its primary goal has been to help reduce the barriers to effective communication, provide information about HIV related issues and other aspects of living and staying healthy with or without HIV or AIDS. Both HIV+ and HIV- men have benefited from these retreats, allowing a growing bond where there once was fear and separation. We (the committee), and the retreat have evolved through the active participation and feedback from the men who have attended these retreats. It is our intention to further evolve with workshops designed especially to serve our very diverse community and promote ways to contribute to living healthy and full lives. In this evolutionary process we have changed the name of our retreat to the “Man2Man Healthy Intent Retreat” to better reflect the essence of the retreat. This year the retreat will be held over Mother's Day weekend. In previous years, the retreat was always on Memorial Day Weekend and although this had served some of us well, it made it impossible for others to attend, and made it extremely difficult to find a local retreat center that was available over the holiday weekend. This year the retreat will begin with dinner and opening ritual on Friday, May 9, 2008 and will conclude after lunch on Monday, May 12, 2008. We are pleased and excited to announce that this year's retreat will be in Santa Cruz County at the Pema Osel Ling Mountain Retreat Center on Eureka Canyon Road in Watsonville, CA. Come join us! Check out the “Application and Information” page for more detailed information