On August 12th-14th, the TWP team gathered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for our annual retreat. 

Our staff has grown to 18 diverse individuals, representing eight countries and five Tribal nations, and the retreat offered much-needed space to connect, reflect, and renew the relationships that hold TWP together. 

Santa Fe has become a second home for TWP, and a first home for many of our staff. The retreat began with connection to the histories, communities, and leaders that define our work and our presence here. We had the opportunity to explore Bandelier National Monument, established on land inhabited by Indigenous peoples, and learn more about local histories from Tribal partners. We were also honored to attend the Feast Day at Santa Clara Pueblo and share a meal with local leaders. 

While many of us work closely with communities, others work behind the scenes. Connecting to the heart of what we do – the people, and the places – never fails to remind us all what our daily contributions can add up to. 

“This retreat brought us together and connected us deeply to our purpose as an organization.” - Henry Mouton, TWP Operations Director

We also used our time together to connect across programs and exchange learnings and strategies. As individuals, we often must focus on the day-to-day details; as a team, we were able to highlight the common threads of our programs and reaffirm the broader story of TWP’s work, and our own stories within it. 

With staff members based in Colorado, New Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, we don’t often get the chance to be together. As we’ve learned in communities, though, some of the deepest connections and brightest insights develop over a cup of coffee or a breakfast of baleadas. We’ve found the same to be true amongst ourselves.

Strong relationships help us do our work better – with expanded knowledge, deeper trust, and undoubtedly, a whole lot more laughter.

“The staff retreat was a really special opportunity to keep building staff relationships. We build our professional relationships in the work that we do every day, but setting aside time to connect as people was the most impactful part. I felt the trust, laughter, and listening grow between all of us. It made me realize how important our internal organizational relationships are to our work. When we share such joy and trust within, we extend that outwards to our partners, the land, and our community.” - Zoe Bashkin, ILP Resource Coordinator