University students and community members will have the opportunity to identify, reclaim and renew their passions this weekend at a workshop sponsored by the ASUO Women’s Center, the ASUO Men’s Center and the Relational Leadership Program.
The workshop, entitled “Passionate Journeys,” runs Oct. 10 through Oct.12 and aims to help people identify their passions and discover how their educational and work environments support those passions.
“Life is too short not to be passionate,” workshop facilitator Robyn Reed Gaddy said.
People can register for the workshop at the Women’s Center; the registration deadline is Oct. 8 and the cost is $10 for University students and $75 for community members.
Women’s Center Director Lisa Foisy said passions can include anything from public speaking and visual arts to special abilities that can be used to help other people.
“You can take life experiences that may have been challenging and turn them into your gift of what you’re able to give back,” she said.
Participants in the workshop will use the tools of drawing, physical movement and journal writing to explore how they can better incorporate their passions, whatever they may be, more completely into their lives. Participants will also meet new people and learn to develop a sense of community, Foisy said.
Foisy said the workshop will also focus on connecting participants’ intellectual lives at the University with the emotional and physical aspects of their lives through such exercises as yoga and improvisational theater.
“It’s increasing our awareness of what’s already going on in our body, thus giving our intellect more resources to work with,” she said, adding that the University lacks resources for combining these aspects.
“The University does have a value of intellectual knowledge over emotional and physical knowledge,” she said.
She said people can also attempt to find ways to deal with problems by altering how those problems are perceived.
“That can shift your attitude and perspective … sometimes that’s what it’s all about,” she said.
Foisy said students often feel unenthusiastic about their classes or their majors, but through the workshop they can discover how to make their experiences more fulfilling.
Senior Price Sheppy said he signed up for the workshop to learn how to express himself more effectively.
“I write poetry, but I don’t necessarily physically express myself,” he said. “I feel like I will be more comfortable expressing myself in a public environment.”
Sheppy said he is looking for a way to connect his intellectual experiences with whatever he discovers about himself at the workshop.
“I think I’ve learned a lot through my school experience, and I’m looking for a way to express those ideas,” he said. “This is the first workshop that I’ve seen like this that’s just about self-expression and tapping your creativity.”
Although the workshop has limited space available, Gaddy said there are ways to incorporate concepts from the workshop into everyone’s lives. She suggests that people find something they love to do and spend 15 minutes a day doing it. She added that people should also surround themselves with a supportive community, and students should choose majors they are truly passionate about.
“This is just a great opportunity for those who are really wanting to chart their own path,” she said.