Bring Your Community
Nature for Community Organizations
A Place on the Land for Community Organizations near Knoxville
Seven Springs partners with community organizations, youth programs, and coalitions to bring people from the city onto the land. For many urban residents, staff, and young people, sustained time in a quiet natural place is hard to come by. We design experiences that make that time accessible, safe, and meaningful, in English and Spanish.
Seven Springs is stewarded by Zachary and Jessi Townesmith. Zachary brings two decades of community organizing, facilitation, and organizational development across the US and Latin America. Jessi's work in trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness helps people under real pressure find their footing again. Mary, our resident naturalist and conservation ecologist, leads land-based learning about springs, watersheds, and forest ecology.
Our partners do demanding work close to home: workforce and youth programs, immigrant-justice coalitions, and community groups who need space to rest, reconnect, and plan what comes next. We host day immersions and overnight retreats on 128 acres of forest, meadow, and spring-fed creek, about 20 minutes from the Knoxville airport.
Ways we partner with community organizations:
Nature Days for Youth & Community Programs
A day on the land can be a first for many participants: a walk to the springs, forest bathing, the labyrinth, a shared meal, and time to simply be outside together.
Days can include guided ecology walks with our resident naturalist, creative work with natural materials, and reflection tied to your program’s goals. They work especially well as part of a longer program, bringing each new cohort to the land as a shared experience that builds trust and belonging.
Focus on belonging, curiosity, and connection to the natural world.
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Nature Day: Arrive, Explore, Return
10:00 AM — Arrival & Welcome Circle. Introductions, agreements, and a moment to arrive on the land.
10:30 AM — Walk to the Springs. A guided walk along the creek to the drinking spring.
11:15 AM — Sit Spots & Journaling. Quiet time alone in the forest, then a pair share about a first memory of nature.
12:00 PM — Creating with Natural Materials. Nature mandalas or small-group sculptures about what the group cares about.
1:00 PM — Lunch. Local, organic, and vegetarian, made from scratch by our chefs.
2:00 PM — Ecology Walk or Forest Bathing. Explore springs, watersheds, and native plants with our resident naturalist, or slow down with a guided forest bathing walk.
3:00 PM — Labyrinth Walk. A walking reflection on where each person is headed.
3:30 PM — Closing Circle. Each person names one thing to carry home.
4:00 PM — Departure
Staff Retreats for Community Organizations
Community organizations often run on the dedication of a small staff carrying a lot. These retreats give teams time away from daily demands to reconnect, work through what’s hard, and plan together.
Zachary facilitates with Flow Design, Theory U, and FourSight, moving teams from reflection to a shared vision and a concrete 90-day mission. Creative and embodied activities help people say what usually goes unsaid.
You’ll leave with a shared vision, clear next steps, and stronger relationships.
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Tuesday: Arrive and Open
3:00–4:00 PM — Arrival & Check-in. Settle into your yurts.
5:00 PM — Opening Circle & Walk to the Springs. Set intentions and agreements, then arrive on the land together.
6:00 PM — Dinner. Local, organic, and vegetarian, made from scratch by our chefs.
7:00 PM — Fireside: How We Got Here. Stories of the team's journey so far.Wednesday: Sense, See, Shape
8:00 AM — Morning Yoga for All Levels
9:00 AM — Nourishing Breakfast
10:00 AM — Co-Sensing: Where We Are. Map the team's current reality, including what's working, what's hard, and what's going unsaid.
11:30 AM — Solo Time on the Land. Quiet reflection at the springs, the labyrinth, or the forest, with a guiding question.
1:00 PM — Lunch
2:00 PM — Creative Visioning. Give form to what emerged through drawing, building, and movement, then shape it into a shared vision.
3:30 PM — Break
3:45 PM — Framing the Path. Define what success looks like in 90 days and craft the question that will guide the work.
5:00 PM — Free Time. Optional forest bathing, rest, or sauna.
6:00 PM — Dinner
7:00 PM — Fireside Gathering & SaunaThursday: Commit and Return
8:00 AM — Morning Yoga for All Levels
9:00 AM — Nourishing Breakfast
9:45 AM — 90-Day Mission. Choose solutions, name owners, and set first steps.
10:45 AM — Closing Circle
11:00 AM — Check-out
Rest & Renewal for Frontline Teams
People working on justice, advocacy, and community care need real rest to keep showing up. These retreats balance free time with gentle, facilitated sessions: mindful movement, sound baths, forest bathing, the labyrinth, the forest spa, and evenings by the fire.
Jessi leads movement and mindfulness with a trauma-informed approach, and Zachary guides short reflective workshops that help people reconnect with the purpose that brought them to this work.
If your team is carrying a heavy load, this is where you set it down.
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Tuesday: Arrive and Exhale
3:00–4:00 PM — Arrival & Check-in. Settle into your yurts.
5:00 PM — Opening Circle & Walk to the Springs. Arrive in body and breath, and set a personal intention.
6:00 PM — Dinner. Local, organic, and vegetarian, made from scratch by our chefs.
7:00 PM — Fireside & Sound Bath. An unhurried evening by the fire.Wednesday: Set It Down
8:00 AM — Gentle Morning Yoga
9:00 AM — Nourishing Breakfast
10:00 AM — Forest Bathing. A slow, guided walk to let the nervous system settle.
11:30 AM — Labyrinth Walk: Setting It Down. You don’t have to let go of everything you carry, just set it down for a while.
1:00 PM — Lunch
2:00 PM — Forest Spa & Open Time. Cedar barrel sauna, cold plunge, plant baths, and therapeutic soaks. Or hammocks, the creek, or a massage.
4:00 PM — Restorative Yoga or Yoga Nidra
5:00 PM — Painting & Creative Expression. Give form to what’s surfacing, no artistic experience needed.
6:00 PM — Dinner
7:00 PM — Fireside Gathering & SaunaThursday: Choose What to Pick Back Up
8:00 AM — Morning Yoga for All Levels
9:00 AM — Nourishing Breakfast
9:45 AM — Choosing What to Pick Back Up. Each person decides what to carry home and what to leave on the land, and the team names how to support each other.
10:45 AM — Closing Circle
11:00 AM — Check-out
Every partnership is designed with your group, from single nature days to overnight retreats in our nine yurts.
We welcome community organizations from Knoxville, across Tennessee, and the Southeast. Any program can be offered in Spanish or bilingually, and we offer rates for nonprofits and community groups.
Whether you have a plan or just need to exhale, this land will hold you.
Rather talk it through?
A short call is usually the quickest way to find out whether we are the right fit for your group — and what a few days here could actually look like for them. Or use the contact form below and we will get back to you within 24 hours.
Contact us to explore a community partnership
