What is Beyond The Machine? Beyond the Machine is three-day training and gathering created by and for young adults between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five. BTM brings together people of all ages interested in supporting young adults leading lives of mission and service. Where does Beyond the Machine occur? Beyond the Machine is held all over the country, from Oregon to Pennsylvania , in rustic settings, such as YMCA camps, country inns and National Forest land. Find a BTM near you in the list of upcoming training dates. What is “The Machine”? You may consider CNN the Machine. Or cellphones. Perhaps the Machine organizes the corporate ladders and unemployment lines. Those are examples of big Machines, but there are small ones, too, personal Machines. They order the way we make our life decisions, whether to follow our dreams or bide our time. Ultimately, the Machine is a metaphor, just like The Matrix in the movies, for the unexamined reality. The Machine is whatever you say it is. Why does Beyond the Machine exist? BTM creates a retreat where those unexamined realities can be examined, a place with room for participants, called Adventurers, to be silent or loud, impatient or relieved. BTM provides a chance to relax in a natural setting, but also the opportunity to work hard. This work is emotional, spiritual, physical and intellectual. Why do you call participants "Adventurers"? Because the participants at BTM weekends are embarking on a journey that they don't fully understand at the outset. In many societies, brave people who do this are considered Adventurers. What happens on a BTM weekend? Adventurers experience a series of facilitated activities for much of the time. These facilitated periods are known as training time and are alternated with informal gathering time. Training time is designed to give Adventurers an opportunity to descend from the modern world, time to identify an ideal vision of themselves and the world around them, as well as the space to prepare them to return to the outside world with a transpersonal mission and tools to pursue it. Adventurers facilitate activities including guided visualizations, sweating, dancing, yoga, meditation and intense inner searching. Gathering time is a space for community creation, using the fuel created by the self-discovery of training time. Who leads BTM Weekends? Skilled young facilitators from around the country. Who else attends BTM weekends? Older people, called Mentors, attend the weekend to support the Adventurers, as well as the young leaders, and participate in some inter-generational processes. Returning adventurers, called Practitioners, attend the weekend to support the Adventurers and refine and deepen their own mission work. How much does Beyond The Machine cost? Beyond The Machine uses a novel co-creational contribution model to fund its work. All participants, mentors and practitioners are asked to pay a non-refundable deposit (normally around $100) that covers the cost of each individual's food and lodging. This fee does not include any of the other costs associated with BTM, including insurance, publicity, materials and administrative overhead. At the end of the weekend, everyone is asked to make a financial contribution to BTM and consider three factors: the cost of providing the weekend (roughly $300 an Adventurer) b. the value received by the individual c. the individual's ability to pay. Who organizes Beyond The Machine? Beyond the Machine is owned by BTM, Inc., a non profit corporation. BTM, Inc., is committed to empowering young adults to lead lives of mission and service. How long has Beyond the Machine been around? Beyond The Machine began in 2002, as an act of service by young people from around the country. By April 2003, there have been four BTM weekends and a half dozen more are scheduled in the months to come. http://beyondthemachine.org/ | 
Search
