A Pedagogy Designed Alongside You At wine women and philosophy we treat pedagogy as an ongoing project. We are equally motivated by the question of how women learn best. Recognizing that no two women teach or learn alike, we enjoy seeing how different approaches to teaching and different ways of learning can bring something unique to every getaway. A passion shared is central to both our pedagogical ethos and our getaway journeys.   We appreciate that when a woman teaches out of a passion for a particular activity, she can bring a contagious energy to the learning environment. Such unbridled enthusiasm can, however, shut other women out, or shut them down. Which is why our goal is to bring out the active participant and contributor in each of us: encouraging those we teach alongside to let others into their passion; leaving spaces for those others to step into, so that they can try out their own ideas and experiment with different ways of doing. These acts of sharing take courage. But of them comes a sense of full engagement in an environment that stimulates inquiry and ignites new possibilities.

The Nurtury itself plays an important part in our pedagogical approach. At once awe-inspiring, at once warm and welcoming, its very ambiance invites you to make connections, make mistakes, make changes, make discoveries. True to its name, The Nurtury nurtures you in all the ways you need to get the most from your getaway experience.  We feel that our pedagogy is working when women leave The Nurtury refreshed and renewed.

With your help, our aim is to develop a women-driven pedagogy.

Since 2005, and through ongoing discussions with wwp weekend participants, salonnières and friends, we have been shaping a pedagogy that takes the educational needs of women with an inquiring mind seriously.  This means: meeting with, listening to, reflecting upon, and responding to what women - our supporters and critics alike - have to say about their educational experiences and interests tapping into women's existing knowledges, social and professional networks, and passions making wine women and philosophy a place where women of different backgrounds can not only create for themselves more imaginative futures with regards to lifelong learning, but also contribute their own particular talents and energies to the world they live in.   If you want to be part of this discussion please contact us.

To reclaim our past and insist that it become a part of human history is the task before us, for the future requires women, as well as men, shape the world's destiny. Judy Chicago

Our pedagogy promotes peer-to-peer relationships.

In order to encourage open and friendly learning relationships and to accommodate different levels of ability and experience, wwp getaways are organized with 4 to 8 participants in mind.  This number, we feel, is small enough to ensure individual support and large enough to generate a lively exchange of ideas.

The quality of our tuition derives from the richness of the material we cover, and the  input of our salonnières and participants.

Our spa for the mind is attracting salonnières who are qualified to teach in their field, yes, but equally importantly, who are keen to share their expertise with other women. As for our participants, they tend to be outward looking and brave. Wine women and philosophy offers a different kind of learning experience to those we are used to, and it takes a special kind of woman to take the plunge and try us out. Women who are likely to get the most out of wwp getaways are those who are curious about life, enthusiastic about learning, generous toward themselves and others, and open to new adventures.

Did you Know? The ancient Greek term, koinonia, refers to an approach to building community or fostering teamwork. When koinonia is present, the spirit of sharing and giving becomes tangible. It can point to generosity and the act of giving. Or, it can imply "sharing an opinion" with someone, and therefore agreeing with her, or disagreeing in a congenial way. It remains, however, that only participation as a contributive member gives one the right to share in on what others have. What is shared, received or given becomes the common ground through which koinonia becomes real.

Join us at wine women and philosophy...the spa that ignites your creative and reflective side.

What Others are Saying "I can't thank you enough for this amazing weekend. I learned so much about myself, my sisters, the two of you - what it means to"belong" and how it differs amongst people. I truly felt I belonged this weekend, and would very much like to be part of another weekend in the future." Val Roulston attended our Book and Film Club Weekend in November 2009