DESIRE & DESIGN: Construct Your Humanism

July 27-August 3, 2025 | Hillsboro, WV

Scholarships are available!

Join Patch Adams and the School for Designing a Society for a week-long workshop!

Construct Your Humanism July 27-August 3 in Hillsboro, WV

Inspired by environmental justice, abolition movements, water protectors, Black Lives Matter, community arts, LGBT solidarity, Braiding Sweetgrass, The Yes Men, Habrá Una Vez, Octavia Butler … and dismayed by how dehumanizing our institutions and systems can be, thwarting compassion and empathy … We invite you to a full week on the land in West Virginia to Construct Your Humanism. We’ll elicit from each other descriptions of the humanism we wish to see in the world. We’ll offer tools & strategize ways to put our humanism into practice. We’ll share meals, walks in the woods, excursions, stories, festivities; hear guest presenters; create poetry, performance, art, action plans, friendships.

 

 

General Information

Enrollment |

Total Price // $850 (one-time payment/early registration) 

  • $200 non-refundable deposit 
  • $650 balance due by March 1, 2025

Patron // $1200+ Pay what you wish. 

  • Support programming at the Gesundheit Institute by paying extra. You name your price, starting at $1200. 

Includes | 

  • Transportation from and to the local airport (LWB) 
  • Accommodation/Lodging 
  • 3 Meals each day 
  • Scheduled Workshop Sessions and other activities. 
  • 5 days of combined in-studio and outdoors workshop 
  • free time each day for personal choice activities 

Where? | The program takes place on the Gesundheit Institute’s 320 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with mountain trails, waterfalls, extensive gardens, and a lake. Gesundheit’s project-in-progress is a  unique model of holistic health care that will serve as an inspiration for us to coax each other to dream big—in our personal lives, in our community involvement, and in our contributions to global peace and justice

Facilities | Gesundheit lays on a pristine tract of farm and mountain land in rural West Virginia. The dacha, with its onion domes and Russian architecture, serves as a residence and meeting place, and has won awards for its unique design.

Meeting Spaces | Gesundheit Institute offers many unique meeting spaces and classrooms. There are quiet spaces for meditation or study and large rooms to house workshops and classes. Gesundheit hosts events focused on education—at the site of the future hospital and elsewhere.

Accommodations | Accommodation are in dormitory-style group settings. There are laundry machines at Gesundheit that you can use. We offer very slow WIFI (cannot download, cannot use skype, sorry!). Clean sheets and towels are provided.

Travel: Please meet us in West Virginia and arrive by Sunday, July 21 and leave on July 28.

⇒ Gesundheit staff will shuttle people to and from the train station in White Sulphur Springs and the airport in Lewisburg on Sunday, July 21, and leave on July 28. 

 

How Do I Apply?

2025 REGISTRATION is OPEN! Space for this course is limited. We register participants on a first come first serve basis and Gesundheit! courses are known to fill up quickly. If you would like to participate as a clown, here’s how:

Registration consists of 2 parts.

  1. Registration form: Please take a moment to fill out the registration form and make your payment by Credit Card or Bank Transfer. We are only accepting 20 participants and we suggest you submit your application as soon as possible to guarantee your spot. Be prepared to pay at least your $200 deposit to confirm your participation.
  2. Please Send your Final Payment by July 1st to confirm your participation to workshops in April. Scholarships are not available.

Questions ?

Please Contact: Mark Enslin at enslin.mark@gmail.com

 

Patch Adams MD & Gesundheit Institute, P.O. Box 307, Urbana, IL 61803

© Copyright 2025 Gesundheit! Institute