Vidya S, Climate Change & Monisha Ravi, Community Wellbeing
On 24 and 25 July, 20 staff from the Community Well-being and Climate Change teams came together in Chennai for a two-day team retreat. While retreats had traditionally been organised separately for each team, this marked the first opportunity for both teams to gather in a shared space. Although Chennai was a familiar location for many participants, the retreat was designed to be more than an exposure visit. It provided an opportunity to step away from routine responsibilities, strengthen team bonds, reflect collectively on ongoing work, and engage in structured conversations and activities aimed at fostering learning, connection, and collaboration across the two programmes.
The retreat began with a simple activity where each participant shared an object representing themselves or their team. As stories unfolded, participants shared personal values and experiences, creating an atmosphere of openness and trust for the days ahead. Lalitha from Sigur described feeling nervous at first, but the activity helped everyone understand each other’s journeys and personalities beyond work, strengthening their sense of connection.
It continued with the Attributes Activity, where participants were divided into four groups to reflect on the qualities that make a team effective. Through discussion on team cohesion, balance team, encouraging differences, shared understanding, values & metrics, suitable ways of working, engagement & support and continuous improvement, each group examined how these attributes showed up in their team. Vijayan from Kadambur said that this gave him a chance to step away from his regular fieldwork and reflect on his work from a different perspective. The Attributes Activity helped him recognise team strengths and discuss practical ways to work together more effectively.”
The learning journey continued with a visit to Pichandikulam’s Blue Green Centre at the Theosophical Society, inside Olcott Memorial High School. The visit explored environmental restoration, local biodiversity, and nature-based learning for children. The children who regularly attended sessions at the centre proudly showed the team around. Their excitement and enthusiasm made the visit especially engaging. Interacting with them became one of the most joyful parts of the day.
The team also visited the Olcott Bungalow, a 300-year-old building once home to Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, co-founder of the Theosophical Society.
The bungalow preserves exhibits on local biodiversity and conservation, offering the team valuable ideas for using creative educational tools. For some teammates, including Kalpana from Sigur, this was their first visit to Chennai. She said shared stories along the journey made the trip enjoyable. The Blue Green Centre also showed her how communities can learn about environmental issues through simple and engaging methods.
The next day, we continued identifying solutions from the previous exercises attributes activity. This was followed by a dreaming session to share our short- and long-term programme visions. The retreat concluded with a visit to Dakshina Chitra Museum.
Participants explored South India’s living heritage through traditional homes, architecture, craft demonstrations, and cultural exhibits. The visit offered valuable insights into indigenous knowledge systems, cultural diversity, and sustainable ways of living. Sriram found it meaningful that the place allowed not only adults but also school students to engage. Beyond that, the museum stood out as a space that connected cultural knowledge with economic value.
This retreat taught us that coordination, logistics management, and partner alignment truly hold a team together. Keeping everyone on the same page also strengthened teamwork throughout the retreat. Taking ownership of each activity during the visit helped us build our management skills.
More than visiting new places, the two days in Chennai provided opportunities for meaningful conversations and shared experiences. It offered both teams a chance to connect beyond their regular work, exchange perspectives, and better understand each other’s contexts. As they returned to their respective programmes, they carried new ideas for collaboration and a better understanding of each other’s work. They also identified possibilities for greater collaboration across teams in the future.
