Super, Neighbours in British Columbia: The Social Venture Institute at Hollyhock (2 of 3) - The Place

If you've been to any of the Gulf Islands you know that they each have a similar feel to them. They're all on "Island Time", most of them have old-school mailboxes and few (if any) chain stores, but each has it's own charm and it's own intangibles that set it apart from the rest. To me, Cortes feels a little more remote than any of the others I've been on. The windy road leading to Hollyhock from the ferry terminal felt more like a back road than the main artery that it actually is, with great stretches where there are no driveways or properties that look inhabited at all.

		In THIS first post about my trip to the Social Venture Institute at Hollyhock on Cortes Island I kicked things off on a slightly heavy tip with the details of my rare eye disease (Central Serous Retinopathy) and how we got to where we're at with the regular travel/resort features in this Super, Neighbours series. I then proceeded to take you on a journey with me in my car onto 3 separate ferries, landing 6 hours later on the heavenly little island called Cortes, where Hollyhock is.

And I would use a metaphor of the back road and the main artery to describe the annual conference. As they describe it, it exists for people like myself to "join mission-based entrepreneurs for a dynamic gathering to share goals, challenges and successes. Social Venture Institute (SVI) is a practical, problem-solving, alternative 'business school' which creates a confidential, supportive and inspiring setting.". I would describe it in the same way, only I would add that it's perhaps the most important road I've started traveling down since creating Vancouver Is Awesome almost 4 years ago. After attending SVI I feel connected to a group of peers also doing positive work. Be it socially or environmentally focussed business leaders, I feel like we're all paving this back road together, leading into the main artery of doing good with our business. Perhaps paving might not be the best metaphor when you're talking about the environment, but you get what I'm saying.

And whoa. Sorry, I got a little heavy again on you there. Let's reel this in a little: If you were to only take a glance at the photos I'm about to share with you you'd likely have no idea that I shot them at a somewhat rigorous 5-day business conference which had a jam-packed daily schedule (as well as a nightly funtimes party schedule) and during which most attendees would get little sleep.

Let's start with this photo taken on the path that goes from the main lodge where we ate our meals and congregated to a building called Olatunji Hall where there were case studies and more. Oyster shells line the entire trail which is about a five minute walk.

This gigantic apple tree is on the beach out in front of the lodge.

Another apple tree is nearby, with fruit that's easier to reach. I picked that one on the right and ate it. And it was delicious.

That photo of the apples above is the only one I got of any sort of food - I didn't shoot a single photo of any of the incredible (INCREDIBLE!) vegetarian meals that we were fed three times a day. Ask anybody who has been to Hollyhock about the food and they will rave about how great it is, as will I. I was too busy enjoying it, and also looking out the window of the lodge at views like this family of deer who randomly stopped in during lunch one day, to think to shoot it.

To get to the lodge from the cottages/cabins and the tent area you have to (GET to) pass through this massive garden that they keep. A lot of the vegetables grown here are used in the aforementioned meals.

And here's where I stayed! You have the option to stay in a cabin or tent it (with your own gear), and I obviously chose the latter. There were about 15 other tent sites around mine, and a large building with showers and running-water toilets nearby, so it only felt like truly "roughing it" for those who didn't have the most waterproof tents and got a little wet. I stayed dry.

Like I said, it was a busy conference with not too much down time unless you carved it out for yourself. I did manage to take one really great walk down the beach, to digest some of the workshops and mentoring and new connections, and to contemplate how the world is our oyster! So let's not pave over it.

That's it for this second post. In my third and final one I'll talk a little bit more about the actual programming and I'll be introducing you to all of the fantastic people I met at SVI! But before I do I wanted to take this opportunity to thank City of Vancouver Councillor, Andrea Reimer, who first introduced me to the idea of attending the Social Venture Institute. Andrea is doing great things at city hall and is a now-longtime supporter of Vancouver Is Awesome, and without her I would not have attended this life-and-business-changing retreat.

Thanks, Andrea!