August 2nd Retreat: Time to register now!


Details
The Delian Club FREE full day Retreat is here and it is time to register! It is a full day on Saturday, August 2, 2025 from 9:00 am to 8:30 pm. It will be held at the Woodlands of Bruin Lake in Gregory, Michigan (just outside of Chelsea). Here is a link if you want to check out the physical space: https://www.woodlandsatbruin.org
The Woodlands is a former scout camp. There are over 100 acres of forest, an outdoor amphitheater, a big modern meeting hall where people will eat and listen to presentations, and a small furnished comfy cottage for those needing quiet respite. The Woodlands connects to the Potowatomie Trail, which is a major hiking network in the area. It is a pretty, quiet, and peaceful place. It is rustic; there are no fancy restaurants or spa service. People go there for quiet and privacy, and for the woods of course.
The purpose of the Retreat is to allow intellectually or artistically minded autistic adults to socialize together outside the influence of neurotypical society -- to have fun together while enjoying our own authenticity. Many of us are aware of the academic research about the importance of autistic-autistic socializing to offset loneliness and social isolation. Most autistic adults have some experience with correction or rejection in neurotypical society. So to counteract this, and to create a sense of community and belonging, we decided to design a retreat at which autistic adults could simply be themselves, authentically, without having to mask. We hope that this experience will be positive and even transformative. By gathering together as thoughtful and creative autistic people, we hope to come to a greater knowledge of each other and ourselves; our exchanges will nurture and strengthen autistic culture and perhaps even influence the fate of the autistic community for generations to come.
We have worked really hard to create a great day. There will be multiple options for activities and discussions which autistic people indicated they would enjoy (at previous brainstorming sessions). Each activity or discussion will be led by an autistic person. Our keynote speech will be delivered by an accomplished professor from Michigan State University who is also autistic. She will be giving a talk about communication and AI. Some of the fun activities are hiking, frisbee, bocce, tabletop games, bocce, campfire s'mores, yoga, tea tasting, and Dungeons and Dragons. The discussions pertain to experiences with ABA, autistic self-care, autistic dating, women and autism, current political times, intentional autistic community, autistic communication, and autistic experiences in higher education. All discussions and activities are OPTIONAL and there is plenty of time and space for optional unstructured socializing. There is also a quiet respite place with comfortable furniture and fidget toys available at any time for those who need a break.
The Retreat is FREE and three meals plus snacks will be provided. A refrigerator and microwave are available for your use if you have a special diet and want to bring your own food.
LIKE ALL DELIAN CLUB EVENTS, THE RETREAT IS FOR AUTISTIC ADULTS ONLY. Neither children nor people who are not autistic may attend the Retreat.
NOTE: Although the Retreat is FREE, simply clicking on the "attend" button will NOT guarantee your spot. PLEASE MESSAGE HENRY FELLOWS MOSS WITH YOUR EMAIL IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE REGISTRATION MATERIALS. NO ONE MAY ATTEND THE RETREAT WITHOUT PREVIOUSLY REGISTERING.


August 2nd Retreat: Time to register now!