I’ve just logged into a Zoom video chat entitled “The Hows and Whys of Astrology” and watch as multiple video images pop online. Mostly women sit in various states, some lounging in the sun sipping drinks from metal cups, some laying on their couches in pajamas, while others sit upright and attentive as they wait for the 45-minute online class to begin.
The class is hosted by Campowerment, a summer-camp-for-adults turned-free-online-course-website that, according to founder Tammi Leader Fuller, continues to grow into something new with each passing week.
“We came into this year with the idea of making this kind of work available online as a way to stay in touch and continue to help women maintain the momentum they got from the in-person camp retreats we were offering. It just happened that it coincided with the stay at home orders around the country,” Leader Fuller says. “So many people in our community are riding out this pandemic alone, and they were longing for connection while apart.”
This is the new way to connect, learn, and grow in the age of social distancing and COVID-19. The online class, hosted by astrologer Leslie McGuirk through one of Campowerment’s partners, Girls Nite In Online, ranges in topics from the origin of astrology to how the alignment of the stars impacts relationships between twins and mothers and daughters. Most of the questions attendees ask center around the massive shift going on in our homes, communities, and world as we all adjust to the new normal.
“Self-care and personal development is not a new concept; Campowerment sees these through the lens of connection and community,” Leader Fuller says. “ We have always known people need this insight and this belonging. It’s booming now because, when stripped of distraction, they know they need it too. Each week is a different lineup. Belonging and emotional strategy can transcend platform limitations. People rule — and imperfection is OK, as long as we are together.”
You can read more about the women behind Campowerment via my story at Shondaland.
