All Alumni Gathering
The All Alumni Gathering is an annual, in-person gathering held at the conclusion of each New Story Stewards program. It serves as a welcoming moment for new alumni and a point of reconnection for those who have completed New Story programs in previous years.
The gathering exists as a space for synthesis and renewal. It is not a conference or educational event. It is a communal moment of recognition—a pause in which the work already undertaken is acknowledged and carried forward together.
Overview
Who This Gathering Is For
The All Alumni Gathering is for all alumni of New Story programs.
It holds particular significance for those completing the current year’s Stewards program, as it marks their entry into the alumni community. It is also a place for long-standing alumni to reconnect, reflect, and renew their commitment to living attentively in a time between stories.
This gathering is not intended for those still discerning whether to enter a New Story program. It is a gathering of those who have already walked that path.
What Participants Engage In
The gathering includes ritual marking the completion of the Stewards program and the welcoming of new members into the alumni community.
Participants engage in:
Shared ritual acknowledging commitment and continuity
Time for alumni to reconnect and renew relationships
Informal sharing about how the work is unfolding in participants’ lives
Space for discernment about how each person may continue engaging with the community
The gathering includes celebration, but not in a congratulatory sense. It is a recognition of fidelity to practice and a recommitment to the work that lies ahead.
Why This Gathering Matters
Formation work unfolds over time. Without intentional moments of recognition, learning can remain fragmented or unfinished.
The All Alumni Gathering provides a threshold—not an ending, but a crossing. It allows participants to name what has been received, to release what no longer needs to be carried, and to step more fully into the ongoing life of the community.
What This Gathering Is Not
The All Alumni Gathering is not:
A graduation ceremony in the conventional sense
A credentialing event or conferral of authority
A planning meeting or strategy session
Completing the Stewards program does not grant status or rank. The gathering does not set agendas or determine the future direction of the New Story Community.
Its purpose is recognition, not decision-making.
How the Gathering Unfolds
The gathering takes place annually in the Seattle area, typically in October, at the conclusion of the New Story Stewards program.
The structure includes:
Time for shared ritual
Small and large group conversation
Unstructured space for informal connection
Current alumni welcome new alumni. All participants are invited to reflect on how they will continue engaging with the practices and community in the year ahead.
One in-person gathering in the Seattle area
Timing and length vary depending on the year’s program
Participation operates within the New Story Community’s gift economy. There is no fee.
Time Commitment
A Note on Continuity
The All Alumni Gathering marks neither arrival nor completion.
It marks belonging.
The work continues—not because it must, but because it has become part of how participants choose to live.