Young Professionals Connect at the COR Retreat

From April 26 to 28, a total of 35 young Unificationist professionals and friends with a diverse range of careers gathered at the Warwick Conference Center in New York for the fifth annual Connecting Our Roots (COR) “Connect” retreat.

Founded in 2015, COR is a grassroots program designed to meet the needs of those in the Unificationist community under the age of 40. Attendees came from all over the Northeast region – New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut – and some from as far as Texas. With the support of many generous donors, COR was also able to provide on-site childcare for young families.

The intention for the weekend was to provide an opportunity to “connect to your soul, God, and cool people.” The retreat’s main facilitator, Dr. Ann Iparraguirre led the participants in a series of self-reflective exercises and discussions designed to help each participant pinpoint the moments in their lives they’ve felt the most connection, and to find new tools to help maintain that connection.

The weekend also included breakout sessions where participants learned about investment through real estate, cryptocurrency, financial planning, and real love in marriage and parenting. Many participants highlighted components that included group discussions and reflections in their feedback forms.

REFLECTIONS

“This was a great chance to connect with young people who are passionate about similar topics, and also to reconnect to God and recenter.” –Anonymous

“My favorite part of the weekend was the activities; they were so well organized and thought provoking. My other favorite part was the people!” –Kushal Bhatia

“A great opportunity to hit the “PAUSE” button on our busy lives and take a weekend to soak up personal insights, buckle over in laughter, and connect deeply with real people.” –Anonymous

“This was the best possible place to refresh my spirit and connect with an incredible community of people.” –Anonymous

“The COR Retreat was an opportunity to make new connections and strengthen old ones: with God, myself, and others. I’ve been coming for the last four years, and it’s always a very healing and refreshing retreat.” –Yoshie Manaka

COR is a self-funded organization and relies on donations from individuals to help provide high-quality retreats to their participants. If you would like to support COR financially, visit their donation page here.

If you would like to learn more about COR or receive updates, check out their website here or follow their Facebook page here.