Where a Week in Summer Grows into a Lifetime of Belonging

Each day of this program will be a module dedicated to understanding your palate, then applying your new-found knowledge!
Introduction to How Your Senses Work (Monday, July 14) : Better understand how your smell and taste interact with your brain. Answer questions such as why your senses are unique, why you love wine at the winery and then no longer get the same level of enjoyment at home. Go through a series of smelling and tasting exercises to better understand what impacts your sensory experience. The goal is to start focusing on your senses so you can get more out of your week of culinary experiences.
Wine & Cheese (Tuesday, July 15): Discover the major concepts of wine and food pairing. Taste through a series of wines, identifying key characteristics. Then, after a discussion of different types of cheese styles, explore which pairings work better and others and discuss the reasons. The goal of this course is to apply the basic concepts of wine and food pairing so that they can easily be remembered for more complicated pairings.
Cider Tasting (Wednesday, July 16): Explore of new avenue of tasting with local, artisan ciders. Fresh fruit flavours and unique blends will delight your palate!
Distillery Tour & Tasting at Maple Leaf Spirits (Thursday, July 17): Enjoy stunning views, passionate workmanship, tantalizing liqueurs, and more at one of the area's oldest and most beloved distilleries.
Sparkling Wine (Friday, July 18): Discover the four major production methods for sparkling wines, where they are made, key information that can be found on the label, and touch on pairing sparkling wine with food. Practicing techniques presented in the Introduction course, taste local examples of these styles and compare the differences. The goal is to understand what to expect from the different styles.

Poetry is no short form for sending messages; it’s a language ‘entire unto itself’. We might say that it’s the language of mystery, the language for expressing the inexpressible. It seems as though there is a moment in life when a person is ready to immerse in such a language. That might come in childhood, but frequently it’s later in life when there is a readiness for this other way of speaking and seeing how things are. Come for these five mornings (it takes that kind of time) and be part of a five-morning community of poetry explorers. In the safety of such a group, we will read poetry, feel its effect, and speak together about all that it evokes in us and, perhaps, even write some. Are you ready?

Summer (and a week at Naramata in particular) can go by so fast! Let’s gather some impressions, some thoughts, some of that wonderful summer-at-Naramata energy for later, by writing them down. This five-day, in-person workshop is for anyone who wants to write - in any genre or style -in community in an encouraging, gentle, and exploratory way. We’ll build our fluency and skill with carefully-selected prompts and exercises, as well as by learning to listen like a writer for what’s strong in each other’s work. We’ll connect to ourselves and each other and will remember why we enjoy writing in the first place. We will respond only with positive feedback, naming what’s working well in each other’s just-written work. We will treat all work as fiction, talking about the writing as opposed to the writer. We can always choose not to share, and the leader of the workshop will write and share along with everyone else. We will come away more confident in ourselves as writers - a writer being someone who writes.

Join Allison Rennie and Chris Giffen for a week of experience, exploration, and fun through group singing and collective contemplative practice. We hear and talk a lot about the importance of being in community, but we are being formed daily by a culture that values individualism. Let’s spend time enjoying the connections and learning about who we are within the collective - with humans, with the earth, with the mystery of soul and spirit. No previous musical experience is required. Just bring your self and your curiosity, and your willingness to jump into the wonder of singing and praying together. For everyone 16 years and older.

This shortened and modified Tai Chi is great for beginners, easy to learn and has only fourteen repeated movements. Join with others in experiencing this meditative form of slow flowing movements that increase muscle strength, bone density, and range of movement, and brings with it a sense of relaxation and decreased anxiety. Margaret Langston invites you to join her in Tai Chi taught with a story to aid memory. She will lead you in daily practice to improve form with the intention that once learned, it will become part of your daily selfcare improving balance, mental clarity and emotional stability.

Watercolour is a wonderful medium as it allows you to use it for quick sketches, vignettes or serious studio paintings. This course will cover all the aspects of painting in this medium, from reference photography to different painting techniques, composition and\ design to colour choices and theory. Karin welcomes all levels of painters eager to explore, improve and perfect their craft. She will facilitate learning for newcomers and present challenges for advanced painters. Through demonstrations, talks and constructive critiques, Karin will help participants to realize their own vision.

Sing, dance, move and play! Come to enjoy age and stage-appropriate choral music, and all kinds of other activities, that focus on building our community, sharing our gifts, and strengthening our faith. This year, we will be led by Bruce Cable. Friday evening’s concert celebration is always a highlight of the week, when we share our week’s learnings. It’s time to lift every voice!

Lonnie Delisle is the artistic director of Universal Gospel Choir (UGC), Vancouver's longest running community gospel choir. UGC pairs beautiful music with powerful messages of justice and inclusion, and represents a broad spectrum of cultural and faith journeys. Join Lonnie for a week of singing that weaves together reflective dialogue on current events, powerful messages of justice and inclusion, meaningful lyrics, and beautiful music, leaving you feeling hopeful and inspired. Celebrate our diversity and be part of a community and musical experience that is accessible to all people from all walks of life.