OUR START:
Established in 1997 in Victoria, the Well Foundation is a volunteer-based non-profit society which had the original purpose of promoting men's physical, emotional and spiritual well-being by organizing conferences, workshops, public talks and ongoing men's support groups.
Early founders and supporters of the organization included John Shields, Jim Ricks, and James Stevenson.
In 2008, the Foundation decided to shift the focus of its work to join with women in the increasingly urgent need to develop community based responses to help us all better handle the scope and pace of systemic societal change that lies ahead.
OUR MISSION:
The mission of this organization will be to promote the learning and acquisition of new skills, attitudes and resources to empower people individually and collectively to handle the challenges that profound change will bring to our lives.
We see this mission as involving the exploration of how we can become co-creators of our future by the cultivation of ways to discern what the future requires of us as it unfolds. We recognize that the development of resilience in the face of change and challenge is essential to our well being and our common future.
OUR NAME:
The name "Well Foundation" is meant to express how the work of this organization arises from a community and grassroots base (or foundation) at the same time as we draw from the well of ancient wisdom and contemporary knowledge to guide us as we move into the future.
MILESTONES:
In 2000 the Well Foundation initiated the first annual Men's Health Conference and Retreat. The location was Camp Thunderbird in the hills and forests near the town of Sooke, west of Victoria.
Besides workshops and group gatherings, activities included a drumming circle, an early morning swim in the lake (not on everybody's list), a simple vision quest, and a spiritual circle.
Accommodation was better than rustic, most men bunking in together in log cabins by the lake. Since the conference was held in September the log fire in the great room and the wood heaters in the cabins were very welcome.
The Well Foundation went on to organize and sponsor two more annual conferences at Camp Thunderbird.
