The Whidbey Institute

Mission

Our mission is to nurture the conditions for transformational learning, and our purpose is to grow the human capacity to respond generatively to the challenges of our time in service to a future in which people and planet thrive together.

Description

Whidbey Institute is a home for transformational learning and a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit. Since 1972, we've been hosting transformational work to nurture people of all ages and their communities' capacity to learn, grow, heal, and thrive - and from that place of restored, connected and inspired energy - to address the world's pressing challenges and create pathways forward. With its long history as a place to discover and care for what is emerging in our hearts, our communities, and our larger society, the Whidbey Institute is needed in this moment of re-understanding our ways of being human on Earth.

We serve the capacity building needs of youth and adults through nurturing the conditions for transformative experiences that are welcoming to all, healthy, safe and held in a restorative, peaceful, and beautiful forest. We invite and curate programs with our partners, a network of program leaders working in the areas of youth creative empowerment, generative leadership, ecosystem vitality, community resilience, and more. Together we offer one-day and multi-day workshops, conferences, youth camps and week long retreats. Our 106-acre conservation forest campus on Whidbey Island is open to the public and features integrated gardens, a labyrinth and a four-mile trail network.

With your gift, you'll care for vital conservation forest habitat, beloved by people of all ages who come here to restore, learn and explore. You'll nurture restorative and reflective experiences that create the space for conversations that matter, ensuring we can bring diverse voices and our whole hearts to the work that this moment asks of us. You'll help to create pathways to a more equitable and joyous future.

Quotes from Our Community

WHY GIVE NOW? "I'm thrilled to be able to donate this time. The match encouraged me as it made my small donation feel mightier." -Thomasin Levin, Program Participant and Donor

HOW DOES THE LAND CONNECT WITH THE MISSION? "The land is integral to the Whidbey Institute's work and mission. It holds us, feeds us, teaches us, and inspires us. Remembering and reengaging our deep interdependence with wild spaces is vital if we, as humans, are to experience the kind of personal, societal, and ecological healing that this moment calls for." -Marnie Jackson, Staff Member

WHAT DO PEOPLE EXPERIENCE HERE? "When we come to the Whidbey Institute, we know that we can enter into important, honest, open conversation about the issues that matter most in the world. We expect to learn from one another, and learn from the land. We have a safe place to be challenged, to experiment, to enter into deep inquiry and meaningful connections. I can't think of anything more important than this kind of base from which to build the creative and resilient communities necessary to navigate our futures." -Kate Snider, Board Member