About CS
Our Vision
A world where all beings live in peace with themselves and one another.
Our Mission
To cultivate the growth of individuals and communities that practice, model, and spread seeds of transformative inner and outer peace throughout the world.
Our Aim
Contemplative Semester is a land-based, semester-long learning community for young adults ages 18-25 where we cultivate the roots of peace. Through meditation, community building and nature connection, we work to become intimate with our internal and external conditioning, so that we can free ourselves from greed, hatred and delusion, and uncover the basic goodness and wisdom in each of us.
History of Contemplative Semester
The seed for CS was planted by Jessica Morey, founder and long-time teacher/director of Inward Bound Mindfulness (formerly iBme), back in the 2010s. Her dream: a school where young people could dive deep into Buddhist-inspired mindfulness meditation, ethics and nature connection in an environment of loving, multi-generational communal living.
Many of her dear friends and co-conspirators in the youth mindfulness and Insight meditation world were pulled in by her vision. Through two years of cooperative organizing using Sociocracy, they launched the first year of Contemplative Semester in Fall 2024 at Potash Hill, Marlboro, Vermont.
Along the way CS has been hugely supported by the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, our sister org and non-profit fiscal sponsor.
Year 1 CS staff on a planning retreat in Feb, 2024. Not pictured: Khalila Gillet, Catherine Banson and Zac Ispa-Landa.
The inaugural ‘24 Contemplative Semester cohort after their opening retreat.
