A Learning Community
Learn. Work. Live. Well.
Values-based, purpose-focused
lifespan education, training, and care
for life education, mentoring, and service learning
for individuals, groups, organizations,
and the community
If we boiled it down to one question, it would be:
"What's the living for?"
If we boiled it down to three life goals, they would be:
This is our spirit.
Thus, we address how you can be yourself, as well as,
how you can be part of something bigger than yourself.
This approach to living is fully human, neither religious or mystical, nor secular in a sterile manner.
We are just beginning our journey as a learning community.
If these goals resonate with you, drop us a line
to begin a dialog about your aspirations, large or small,
to see how we can go about meeting them together.
Through practical life mentoring and education consultations and trainings, we collaborate with each participant — individually, within their agency or community, and in group workshops and seminars — in their goal to live well:
We focus on building:
CURRENT INDIVIDUAL SERVICES ARE MENTORING CONSULTATIONS:
Life's Work Guidance
For adults of any age who are ready to address their concerns about, and potential for, improving their personal life and building their life's work
Young Adult Mentoring Initiative
For those who are making life transitions to technical and higher education, work life, and independence, and supporting and consulting with those in their lives supporting their progress, such as parents/guardians, employers, and educators.
Senior Adult Life Generativity
For those who are undertaking a life review, and seek to develop and express their generous spirit through continued learning, personal fulfillment, and service endeavors
In all of these services, we assist people who seek to find or develop, then intensively work on, projects that are worthwhile and engaging to them and that make a noticeable contribution, large or small, to making some aspect of the world a better place.
Thus, we honor, support, and work with people:
CURRENT AGENCY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES ARE ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT AND CHANGE CONSULTATIONS:
Leadership support
For understanding and agency or community needs, strengths and challenges, and effective ways to meet these needs, such as effective and positive interpersonal relationships, mission focus, values clarification, and organizational efficiency balanced with staff and leadership needs.
Staff and participant development
For individual and group support, encouragement, and empowerment to fulfill the agency mission, meet the needs of clients, and achieve individual fulfillment and group cohesiveness
WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, AND TRAINING FOR PERSONAL GROWTH, STAFF DEVELOPMENT, AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION:
Based on an mutual, joint assessment of individual, agency, or community needs, priorities, and interests, specific programs for small or large groups on a variety of self- and professional-improvement topics are being designed, including:
"There is nothing more satisfying than helping someone with their own journey." — Dimitri Moriatis, Spiritual Arts Institute
INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATION AND MENTORING SESSIONS ARE CURRENTLY PROVIDED IN PERSON IN MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, BUT CAN ALSO BE PROVIDED ONLINE, AND CAN BE SCHEDULED WEEKLY, TWICE MONTHLY, OR MONTHLY.
AGENCY, COMMUNITY, AND GROUP PROGRAMS AND CONSULTATIONS ARE PROVIDED ON SITE.
James A. Racine, M.Ed., M.A. — Dean
For more information, or to schedule a free 20-minute introductory telephone conversation to explore the possibility of working together, email james@essex.center or call 973-420-6175.
The Essex Center — A Learning Community follows a model for problem-solving, growth, and achieving one's potential based on a five-step progression:
More information can be found under the "Touchstones" tab or by by clicking this button:
...or, at least, act respectfully
...or, at least, act morally
...and play, and do nothing sometimes, and rest, and build skills
...because freedom requires responsibility
...because that is your gift to us
...because the smallest ripple affects the whole universe
And when any of us fail at any of these, we start over — reset in the present moment — and strive to do better.
WHAT IS ESSEX CENTER?
Essex Center is a teaching, mentoring, and supportive practical life education service that provides
Our educational services include problem-solving assistance for individual learners and for groups, communities, or other agencies,
large or small, who could benefit from our viewpoint and skillset.
The heart of all of our agency's services, however, is a broader focus,
our educational mission to support people striving for the fullness of life.
Moving beyond narrow academics and me-first models, we offer an approach for those who are seeking a grounded, supportive, and practical learning-for-living experience. This approach is "education in perspective" — thinking about learning from a better perspective, that is, preparing us for life, which is what "living education" should really mean.
Some qualities of our services are:
1) Experiencing and maintaining a general mindset of positivity;
2) Consciousness of one's specific purpose, mission, and goals —
big and small, short term and long term. This is an
ongoing process that "pulls" each participant forward
through self-generated motivation and a sense of direction;
3) Adhering to one's individual and community value systems
as touchstones or templates for decisions, attitudes, and actions
that keep us grounded within a sound mind and a decent heart.
4) Recognizing that we all belong to a learning community as members of humanity on our individual and collective life journeys.
Our current interactions, facility design, and grounds support an experience
that conveys our educational spirit, values, methods, and content.
The growing educational content of this website, as well as content
on our YouTube channel, extend our offerings to this learning community, as well as, to the community at large.
In the future, we plan to offer expanded onsite and online workshops and service opportunities for adults. These will focus on practical life education for positive self-improvement in the context of a learning community.
The content of this website points toward that model, leaving formal technical and higher education for adults to the training and college settings designed for them. We also expect to construct a larger physical, setting of a congenial building and grounds that will support such learning and growth.
The Essex Center's model of learning for living is particularly timely for the current era in which we live, as we hope that we can adapt step-by-step, to the challenges of the Covid endemic, and new, emerging epidemic, tribal, and climate threats, as well as confront persistent disrespectful, even violent, behaviors designed to facilitate authoritarianism.
If nothing else, these trends are a plea — from the universe, the earth, or humanity itself — to change our ways, to see reality clearer and to be more assertive against destructive forces. This includes the fact that, in order to save oneself, one MUST think about the wellbeing of others by taking sometimes annoying, inconvenient, or financially distressful steps that will protect other people.
On the one hand, a whole swath of the population thinks that any restrictions infringe on their freedom, not understanding that they are confusing license with responsibility, freedom with making a mess. On the other hand, even many self-proclaimed progressive people seem to make an exception for themselves, as they travel and congregate without heeding competent medical advice, and ignore the needs of the less fortunate who have suffered much more than inconvenience at this time.
The advocacy by so many people for racial and gender tolerance, justice, fairness, and safety from societal and institutionalized harm or discrimination is clearly expressed and needs action, and does not take any back seat to economic or health recovery efforts.
Whether we are coping with just setbacks or actual ruin — in our business or personal finances, in our career, in our degraded environment, or as the result of the disasters of hunger, homelessness, and abuse — these challenging times nonetheless place us all on the cusp of change. Things are in flux around us, which gives us a chance to see new options, new pathways. We can stop to see positive opportunities to make our lives and the lives of others better, if we have an open spirit and a willingness to act courageously.
Of course, no matter how bad things are, we can make things even worse by our own free will, choices, and decisions. Or, we can choose to become better people, doing what we can, from where we are, with what we have. Even if we cannot effect all of the change in ourselves as individuals or in the world that we would like to make, ameliorating the misery or lostness of ourselves and others is worthy endeavor.
If we have learned one thing, it is this: progress requires constant, active, and engaged vigilance to maintain and advance it. — James, June 2023
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