We welcome all bodies of all abilities, sizes, and shapes; bodies of challenges visible or invisible; and the myriad ways you experience your own body, in comfort and in pain. You are all welcome here.

We welcome folks from all places on the gender spectrum—non-binary, binary, gender-fluid, intersex, trans*, and genderqueer, and folks from varying orientations towards their sexuality—straight, queer, pansexual, asexual, demisexual, active or inactive, monogamous or not, and those for whom none of these labels fit. You are all welcome here.

We welcome you in respect to the places where your parents and ancestors were born, whether on this occupied land, or elsewhere near or far. We welcome all languages represented in this room by speakers at any level of fluency. You are all welcome here.

We welcome those who identify as survivors, activists, visionaries, fighters, healers, and those in recovery or reflection. You are all welcome here.

We welcome your faiths, your traditions, your practices and your rituals, be they for a religion you can name or for certain devotion that you cannot. Believers and non-believers, mystics and seekers of all kinds who practice with the best intentions. You are all welcome here.

We welcome your emotions, however wide they range: your joy, your grief, your disappointment, your rage, your bliss, your hope, your surprise, and your fear, and all else that flows through you. You are all welcome here.

We welcome the spirits of the Occaneechi, Eno, Tutelo and other Saponi peoples, who lived along the banks of the waters that run through what we now call the Piedmont Region, the presence alive and passed on of all who have been born, given birth, come of age, fished, hunted, and perished on on this occupied land. You are all welcome here.

We welcome all non-human beings of this land, the herbs, the grasses and shrubs, the fungi, trees that are leaved or needled and those who branches are bare, the winged and the finned beings who breathe water or air, who taste the wind and sense us under our feet, all the names you have been given and especially those by which you know yourselves. You are all welcome here.

May each individual present send, in their own ways, their welcome to any one not named today. Welcome!

 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access Statement

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access principles for how to live with health, harmony, and resilience in the collaborative effort toward creating a life-enhancing society.

When we gather as community, we affirm the presence, participation, and fundamental worth of each member— celebrating the diversity represented in age, gender, race, ethnicity, origins, religion, sexual orientation, ability, political viewpoints, and socioeconomic status. Looking to nature as our guide, we celebrate many and differing points of view, knowing that diversity is the backbone for a resilient community.

We acknowledge that we all live in a disrupted climate wrought with interlocking and perpetuating systems of exploitation, oppression, and grave harm, on personal, societal, and ecological scales. We recognize the legacy of oppressive systems that has removed and excluded certain people from land-based living and environmental practices while disproportionately benefitting others, including members of our staff.

We are committed to swimming upstream to confront the root systems and narratives of our current eco-social crises in order to imaginatively construct a more beautiful and just future. And we are not there yet.

Ultimately, to create a life-enhancing society, we must honor the universal worth of all beings, actively invite and create an inclusive environment for folks from various identities, and prioritize equitable access for those from historically marginalized communities.

 Essential Eligibility Criteria

These criteria are intended to help all applicants understand the expectations of The Eco-Institute (EIPM) for all Rising Earth Immersion participants. The Eco-Institute reserves the right to deny admission to anyone who we determine does not meet the criteria below, and to dismiss from the program anyone who demonstrates that they do not meet the criteria below.

This is a community that embraces equity and inclusion as key components to healing the human-Earth relationship.

A qualified participant on the Rising Earth Immersion is one who meets the following criteria:

• Is at least 18 years of age, unless otherwise approved by The Eco- Institute.

• Reads and speaks U.S. American English with a level of proficiency that allows them to comprehend instructions given in U.S. American English.

• Is able to navigate the uneven terrain of the Eco-Institute, which includes steps, stairs, mud, gravel, grass, and dirt road, without a ramp or elevator.

• Is able to work respectfully and effectively as a member of a team, even in times of challenge and stress, and demonstrates commitment to communication, compassion, and respect for all beings, even in heated moments.

• Upholds the Participant Expectations, as outlined below.

We affirm the fundamental worth of each person who arrives at the Eco-Institute at Pickards Mountain.

• All participants must treat fellow group members, facilitators, residents, community members, and natural life at the Eco-Institute with respect.

• Behavior that harms or risks the physical or emotional well-being of another participant, or such behavior directed towards oneself, is not permitted.

• We celebrate the diversity represented in age, gender, race, ethnicity, origins, religion, sexual orientation, ability, political viewpoints, socioeconomic status and other groups not mentioned here. We will not tolerate bullying or any aggressive behavior based on a perceived power relationship in any of the above mentioned categories, including verbal, physical, and social violence. This behavior includes comments or humor intended or perceived as racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, or otherwise prejudiced and hurtful to another human being.

• All participants must take responsibility for their own health and well-being for the full duration of the program, including but not limited to hydrating, nourishing, and resting as needed; seeking environmental protection from the elements; and, if prescribed medication, maintaining proper dosage exactly as prescribed by their doctor, without assistance from others.

• Possessing, using, or distributing illegal drugs of any kind is not permitted.

• No participant under the age of 21 is permitted to drink, and no participant is permitted to share alcoholic beverages with any participant under the age of 21 at any time.

• All participants must be willing to follow the group agreements of their cohort and contribute to creating a safe and supportive environment.