Nineteen Syracuse University students will go on a retreat in the Adirondacks this weekend to search for contemplation, inspiration, fellowship and the answers to life’s biggest questions.

The SOULscape weekend getaway, which will take place from Saturday to Sunday, is an opportunity that allows students to take part in in-depth discussions that focus on their physical and mental well-beings.

SOULscape is sponsored by Hendricks Chapel and the Office of Health Promotion, both of which take care of all expenses, including transportation, accommodations and meals, according to an SU News release.

“SOULscape is a chance for students to hit the reset button on their lives, where almost everything feels better and there is a sense of clarity on who you are and what you want to accomplish,” said Sean Martinelli, the Class of 2015 SU alumnus who founded SOULscape. Marintelli will also be one of two leaders for the weekend retreat, according to the release.

The retreat is formatted to encourage conversations between students so that they learn about themselves through interacting with their peers, he said.

This semester marks the third time the getaway has been held, and it has occurred once a semester so far, Martinelli said. The retreat will be held at the Minnowbrook Conference Center in Blue Mountain Lake, a rural hamlet located in Hamilton County, New York, about 131 miles from the SU campus.

SOULscape is the brainchild of Martinilli and is an extension of Soulful Sit-Downs, the weekly on-campus conversation series that encourages students to “seek a higher expression of themselves, and develop a deeper understanding of their life’s purpose,” according to the Office of Health Promotion website. Martinelli said he established Soulful Sit-Downs during his freshman year at SU.

“I was inspired because when I came to campus, at the end of the day, I felt that there was a need for deeper conversations … (for people) to get to really know people, not just surface who someone really is,” he said.

“There is an invisible thread that runs through every person,” Martinelli continued. “The person next to you may not look the same or have the same beliefs, but they are more alike than different. There’s a commonality.”

Jill Catherine, the second leader for the retreat and former communications director for the Division of Student Affairs at SU, said she decided to take part in the weekend because it aligned with her and her work world. Catherine is the founder of 44Hearts, a nonprofit organization aimed at helping to “contribute to consciousness by revolutionizing the way we relate to our bodies,” according to its website.

“College can be very loud, (and students) can be easily influenced by their peers,” Catherine said. “(This weekend allows students) to take a step back and start making decisions for themselves,” she said.

In addition to dialogue, activities during the weekend include meditation and yoga to further help students “find a vision for their (lives),” according to the release.

Martinelli said it is not a weekend of “ice-breakers,” but it’s about connecting people and trying to get them to see that “invisible thread.”

Martinelli currently works as a television reporter in Utica, but said he continues to oversee Soulful Sit-Downs and the SOULscape weekend getaway.

“I love this weekend and connecting with people,” he said. “It fills me up.”

Published on February 23, 2016 at 11:31 pm

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