The Odyssey Works Family Reunion is a weekend of magical cross-pollination for our community and this year, we’re back again, and we’re returning to Laurel Island. We will have an ENTIRE ISLAND in Connecticut for the weekend to share projects, skills, dreams, and share good-old fashioned dinner conversation. There are no ticks on the island! We’ll have three days together for skillshares, getting feedback on projects in progress, play-tests, and relaxed fireside chats. Think grilling and after-dinner games, kayaking with new potential collaborators, and plenty of dips in the lake with a braintrust of good people to talk about things that matter. Did we mention there’s a sauna, too? There is. 

This is a community-driven event, designed for you to connect with folks from across our programming and think together in new ways. We encourage you to offer a short program of your own devising, if you feel inspired. One month prior to our gathering, we’ll send out a sign up sheet where you can share what you are interested in offering. Past programming has included:

• Decolonizing design workshop
• How to work with sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems discussion
• Research findings from Cornell on how to design experiences that audience members will savor
• Exercises in embodied consent
• Play-test of a card game to create connection with strangers
• Portrait photography sessions
• Clothes mending skillshare
• Movement and meditation sessions
• Roundtable discussion on the intersection of teaching and experience design

The Details:

Dates: July 11-14, 2024

2024 Cost per person for room and board:

Early-bird registration by April 15: $495 (shared room); $700 (private room)

Registration after April 15: $550 (shared room); $755 (private room)

You may choose (depending on availability) to share a private room with a companion. If so, indicate this on your application and both parties will be invoiced for the shared room rate. 

Proceeds from the Family Reunion will help fund scholarships for the Experience Design Certificate Program. A portion of your registration fee will be a tax deductible donation. The Odyssey Works Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization.

Travel info for attendees

Laurel Island is a private island located on Lake Pocotopaug in East Hampton, CT. Approximately five acres and eco-friendly, the island is home to a large main lodge and five guesthouses, all within an easy stroll of one another, yet distinctly private. Each house has its own dock and one waterfront deck. Quaint and rustic, the island offers plenty of amenities for enjoying the surrounding land and water, including stand-up boards, canoes, kayaks and paddleboats, as well as bocce, croquet, and horseshoes. There are no ticks. You can walk around barefoot.

Registration: The Family Reunion is open to anyone who has participated in any kind of Odyssey Works programming in the past. Collaborators and family members are also welcome to join us. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis and will be open until all rooms are filled. Please note: in the case that you need to cancel, we can refund you the fee minus a $250 deposit; after June 1, all registration is non-refundable. 

Transit: Attendees will be brought via pontoon boat to the island at pre-arranged arrival and departure times (before sunset) on Thursday and Sunday. We will send out a rideshare spreadsheet in advance for you to coordinate with other attendees. For those traveling by car, parking is available at 11 Old Marlborough Road in East Hampton, CT for the duration of the weekend. If train is your preferred mode of transit, you can take the Northeast Regional from Penn Station in New York City to Berlin, CT, which is 25 minutes by car from where the boat departs in East Hampton. Bradley International Airport is 40 minutes from East Hampton, but you may also choose to fly into NYC. 

Proceeds from the Family Reunion will help fund scholarships for the Experience Design Certificate Program. A portion of your registration fee will be a tax deductible donation. The Odyssey Works Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization.