CALFING 2026
Details
Details
CALFING 2026 will be held from March 20th at 5 PM Eastern Time (with dinner) to March 29th at 11AM Eastern Time (with bagged lunch). We request that your travel plans allow you to attend the retreat from start to finish.
CALFING 2026 will be held at the Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, 560 Drumheller Lane Shipman, VA 22971 USA (serenityridge.ligmincha.org, Google Map).
Serenity Ridge sits on a hilltop in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia USA. To the West are views of the Blue Ridge, and to the East are the hills and valleys of Nelson County. The surrounding natural beauty and wildlife are great supports for meditation, reflection, contemplation, sparking creativity and personal transformation.
Serenity Ridge has over 90 acres of wooded property, much in a conservation easement, protecting it for future generations. A swimming pool is available in the summer and a rooftop meditation deck is open all year long, weather permitting. The beautiful Rockfish River is only a short walk away.
Cities near Serenity Ridge served by bus, train and airlines (with car rental and van services) include Charlottesville, VA, Richmond, VA and Washington, D.C. The Serenity Ridge Retreat Center is:
50 minutes from Albemarle Airport, Charlottesville, VA (CHO)
1-½ hours from Richmond International Airport, Richmond, VA (RIC)
2-½ hours from Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C. (IAD)
Services to travel between Serenity Ridge and Charlottesville are available through Uber and Lyft. Detailed travel information is available on the Serenity Ridge website at https://ligmincha.org/read-more-center-serenity-ridge-ride-service.
Support for attendees to coordinate their travel with each other will be provided through a Google sheet. Share what you'd like to receive or offer and connect with other participants regarding traveling to and from the retreat.
Serenity Ridge has a variety of accommodations. Most rooms are single rooms and double rooms with a shared bathroom. There are a few other rooms including one with a private bathroom. Camping is an option as well at Serenity Ridge.
CALF events include a tradition known as the "Room Dance." At CALFING 2026, room assignments will not be determined prior to arrival at Serenity Ridge. Instead, once everyone arrives at Serenity Ridge, we will tour the accommodations, and as a group decide room assignments based on the needs of each individual and the group as a whole.
The “hard cost” fee for attending the retreat will be between $2,300 and $2,500 (USD) depending on the total number of participants in attendance and the accommodations that you select. The "hard cost" fee covers your room (or a commuter fee), healthful vegetarian meals plus snacks, and the cost of travel and room and board for the team of trainers/assessors and organizers.
During the retreat, you will have an opportunity to hear needs and requests from the team of trainers and organizers around compensation for the training and services they have provided, to reflect on your own needs and the value you received from the retreat, and to make a contribution to the team. A contribution of $800 to $1,700 (USD) from each participant would match what is typically received by a team at an International Intensive Training (IIT).
This CALF retreat is intended for certification candidates and others steeped in Nonviolent Communication. If you are wanting to attend and are not yet a certification candidate, contact Sylvia Haskvitz at silgiraffe@aol.com to clarify if we would support your participation. Registration to attend the retreat is available online at bit.ly/calfing2026. We request a down payment of $1000 (USD) by January 1st to hold your spot and your commitment to attend the retreat. If funds are what would keep you from participating, contact us for more options. Payments and contributions can be made by Zelle, PayPal or Venmo through the email calfpayments@gmail.com. If you would like to make a payment in some other way, contact Mark Friedman at drmarkafriedman@richardroman.com.
Although this CALF retreat is not an official CNVC International Intensive Training (IIT), it will likely fulfill the strong request that each CNVC certification candidate attend an IIT. Before registering, if your assessor is other than Sylvia, you may want to check with your assessor team to see if they are in agreement.
Contact us to ensure the retreat center meets your needs for handicapped accessibility.
The retreat will be conducted in English. We request that participants have fluency in English.
Should anyone contract COVID during the retreat, Serenity Ridge has set aside two dormitory rooms for use by those with COVID. The dormitory rooms are on a separate air handling system to ensure maximum safety for everyone. If this happens to you, we will still include you in the retreat. You can continue to participate on your phone or other devices through WiFi.
Information about CALFING 2026 will be updated on the event website at bit.ly/calfing2026.
A flyer providing information about CALFING 2026 is available at bit.ly/calfing2026flyer.