is proud to announce

The Authentic Relating Convergence

A 3-day retreat for our friends near and far in the Authentic Relating, Circling, T-group, and other related relational communities!

We’ll be gathering in the beautiful Bastrop State Park near Austin, Texas, for a shared experience of community, play, learning, connection, experimentation, presence, and fun!

We’ve been running these retreats for years as the All-Texas Authentic Relating Retreat, but this time we have the infrastructure in place to make it easy to attend from anywhere on earth, including an airport shuttle and multiple housing options including beds with optional bedding service so you can pack light! So grab your carry-on and join us!

WHEN: February 24th-26th, 2023. (5pm Friday to 5pm Sunday)

WHERE: Bastrop State Park, near Austin, TX (100 Park Road 1A, Bastrop, TX 78602)

PRICE: $349 base admission, includes a bunk bed, tent campsite, or RV/car site with no hookups (Private rooms and RV sites with hookups available at additional cost)

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Is available. See further below for details, and please add a tax-deductible donation in excess of the base price of attendance if you would like to support scholarships!

WHAT TO EXPECT:

- Daily whole-group sessions planned and facilitated by a team of lead facilitators, to bond as a community

- Daily break-out sessions, to explore diverse interests

- Indoor, outdoor, and screened outdoor spaces to meet and gather, including a large fire ring

- Climate-controlled meeting, dining, and sleeping spaces

- Six nourishing meals provided, from dinner Friday to lunch Sunday

- Authentic Relating sessions

- Circling sessions

- T-Group sessions

- Embodied relational practice sessions (movement, dance, cuddle space, etc)

- Beautiful state park surroundings with hiking trails!

HOUSING OPTIONS

Whether you prefer to sleep under the stars or in a cozy bed indoors, we have you covered! All housing options include access to climate-controlled bath/shower facilities. Most housing options are included in your ticket price, but private rooms and RV sites with hookups are an additional charge.

Please note: when purchasing a housing option that can be shared, only one member of your party should purchase that option (e.g. a Tent Camping Site). All others, please purchase the free I’m Sharing option and let us know who you are sharing that tent, RV, bunk, or bed reservation with.

Even if it's free, all attendees must select a housing option! Please don't leave us guessing where you intend to sleep!

INCLUDED IN YOUR TICKET PRICE:

• Tent - We can accommodate tents of any (typical for camping) size.
• Bunk Bed - Bunk rooms have 5 bunk beds each, for a total of 10 bunks (upper and lower). Cabins are climate controlled, and have a toilet/shower room as well as a washbasin and mirror in the hallway.
• RV/Car Dry Camping - RV/Car Campsite with no hookups of any kind. RV/Car Sites also include access to the climate controlled bath/shower facilities, so for many attendees this should be sufficient.

AT ADDITIONAL COST:

• Double Bed in Private Room - Double bed rooms sleep two humans, or potentially three if you bring your own twin sized air bed (not provided). Cabins are climate controlled, and have a toilet/shower room as well as a washbasin and mirror in the hallway. NOTE: Unfortunately, these are now SOLD OUT, but we will be distributing attendees throughout our 4 different bunk-rooms (one per cabin) so that the occupancy of each room is as low as possible. This won't give you total privacy but will ensure you're not waiting too long for the bathroom/shower and have only a minimum of roommates sharing your space!
• RV Sites with Hookups - We have multiple types of RV sites available, from dry camping to partial and full hookups. All RV Sites also include access to the climate controlled bath/shower facilities, so bear that in mind when deciding which type of site to book. You may not really need the hookups.

NEED BEDDING?

• Bedding Service: For an additional fee, we will provide your bed with a pillow (or two for double beds), sheets, and a blanket
  

OTHER:

• I'm Sharing - Select this option if someone else already reserved the housing you wish to share with them.

OTHER TICKETING OPTIONS

Airport Shuttle- if you will be flying in and would like a shuttle to/from the airport, select this option. Due to lack of interest thus far, this option has been removed from sale. An Uber or Lyft from AUS to the venue should cost about $35.

I’ll Bring My Own Dishes - While we are providing dishes for all attendees, we can minimize waste if you volunteer to bring your own dishes and flatware. If you are choosing to do so, please select this option.

T-Shirt - Yes, we have t-shirts! Buy one here and it will be delivered to you at the retreat by mail after the retreat, because it's now too close to the date for us to deliver new orders on-site. Remember to select your size and color in the checkout questionnaire! (Dusty Blue, Citron, or Black - in order of appearance below)

Stainless-Steel Tumbler with Straw - We also have souvenir tumblers. They’re beautiful *and* functional! Order one for the retreat and it can be your vessel for water, coffee, tea, and other liquids all retreat long! Newly-ordered tumblers can no longer arrive in time to be used at the retreat. We'll send them by mail after the retreat!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I bring my pet? No. While Texas State Parks do allow pets, they are not allowed in any of the park buildings and that would effectively make your participation in the retreat impossible. If you have a service animal that must be with you for the retreat, please contact jonathan.vanmatre@connecthumanity.org and we will see what arrangements can be made.

I’d like to facilitate at the retreat...can I?  We’d love to hear your ideas for offerings at the retreat! Please select the “I’d like to facilitate” option in the questionnaire at checkout, or email jonathan.vanmatre@connecthumanity.org if you already bought your ticket. We’ll reach out to you to get your “pitch” for a breakout session! If selected to facilitate, you'll be paid $40/hour for your event.

What’s the weather going to be like? February weather in Texas is notoriously unpredictable. We could get a late freeze with nighttime temperatures in the high 20s (Fahrenheit), or it could be a warm spring day in the 70s. Average high/low is 66/44, but plan for above- and below-average weather to happen.

Can you accommodate my diet? By default, our menu is vegan cuisine with *optional, separately-cooked* meat/dairy/animal-product items you can add. The core menu is also gluten-free. If you have other medically necessary diet restrictions (e.g. food allergies), please let us know in the checkout questionnaire.

If you have diet preferences that are not medically required - e.g. you chose the month of February to do Whole30, or you only eat Keto - then we cannot do more to accommodate you than our standard menu is already doing. There is a limit to how much customization we can do when cooking for a group of this scale.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

As a 501(c)3 non-profit, Connect Humanity runs these retreats for two reasons: as a service to our established community of authentic relating enthusiasts, and as a fundraiser to enable us to develop offerings of societal benefit for other communities and populations.

We strive to keep these retreats priced as low as we can, so that attendees of a wide variety of means can join us for these shared experiences.

If you wish to receive financial assistance to attend this retreat, please email jonathan.vanmatre@connecthumanity.org to request our financial assistance application. Applications are reviewed anonymously by a diverse committee of readers, to minimize any potential for bias.

On the other hand, if you have the means to do so, please donate whatever you can to our non-profit. All donations in excess of the $349 base price are tax-deductible, and you will receive a year-end tax receipt for your contribution. Every dollar of your donation will be used to help someone else attend this retreat! Our experience at past retreats has shown us that *every* scholarship recipient brings something wonderful and essential to the temporary community of the retreat. Without your assistance and generosity, we would have to turn many of them away!

COVID-19 SAFETY MEASURES

Either PROOF OF VACCINE or NEGATIVE TEST - In consideration of current CDC and Austin-area health authority guidelines, and further research into the specific risks of gatherings of this size and duration, we will ask all attendees to either a) present a current COVID-19 vaccination card on arrival, or b) take a negative COVID-19 antigen test at check-in. You can bring your own test or we will have some available for sale at check-in.

OPTIONAL MASKING - While we recognize that masking can make connection more challenging, it can also mitigate the likelihood of community transmission of not only COVID-19, but flu, RSV, and other diseases. Masking at the event will be optional at the individual's discretion.