DAY ONE: Thursday, June 11

9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

1. Welcome and Framing (30 minutes)

• Grounding Session by Nisha Devi
• Remarks by Commission Chair (Welcome)
• Framing Remarks by Vice Chair, also Committee Chair (Retreat Purpose)
• Importance of listening, collaboration, and clear governance in statewide advocacy

2. Movement Session by Nisha Devi (10-15 minutes)

3. ED on CCSWG’s past, present, and emerging future (30 minutes)

• CCSWG’s current strategic plan 2021-2026 – Annotated (Darcy)
• First Partner Legacy Work & Partnerships overview (Darcy)
• First Partner Team Remarks (Margaret)

Brain Break (10 minutes)

4. Foundation of Listening Intelligence: Why it matters to leadership (90 minutes)

Key Concepts:

• Listening is a cognitive habit-trainable and measurable
• Individuals process information with different filters
• Misunderstandings arise from cognitive differences, not intent
• Understanding cognitive differences enables better communication, decision-making, and collaboration
• Reveals why misalignment happens even during simple exchanges

Outcomes:

• Greater communication agility
• Stronger alignment
• Improved collaboration across stakeholder groups
• Appreciation of diverse communication and decision-making styles
• Practical framework for improving conversational outcomes

5. Commissioner and ED Discussion (60 minutes)

• Trust and Commitment: Attendance and response
• Events and Opportunities: Participation and resource challenges
• Communication Needs: Clarity and limitations

Lunch Break (1 hour)

6. Grounding Session by Nisha Devi (5 minutes)

7. Mission, Vision, Values (120 minutes)

a. Aligning organizational anchors to guide future strategy and contracting impact

b. Implementation

• What are the state mandates and issue areas?
• What is the structure of the Commission and Agency side?
• Who is the staff – what do they do?
• How do we make and want to make change?
• What’s a voting item?
• How much work is policy vs program?
• What is a program?
• How does our money flow?
• How do we want legislative members and public members to work together?

Brain Break (15 minutes)

8. The Four Buckets (75 minutes)

a. Policy

• Identifying core priorities for women and girls across California, within mandated issue areas

b. Programs

• SB24 or Women’s Recovery Response

c. Convening Body

• Events, Hearings, Advocacy Day, Gender Equity Summits

d. Public/Private Partnerships

• Fundraising
• Partners and MOU’s

DAY TWO: Friday, June 12

9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

1. Welcome and Framing (30 minutes)

• Grounding Session by Nisha Devi
• Remarks by Commission Chair
• Remarks by ED
• Remarks by Commissioner Garcia-Brower

2. The SCAN (TM) Model: A framework for improving the quality of conversation (90 minutes)

a. Sense: Awareness of your own needs and filters

b. Connect: Recognizing others’ perspectives

c. Adjust: Modifying communication to bridge differences

d. Navigate: Moving toward shared goals

Exercise: True Alignment Card Game. Research-based prompts for meaningful and courageous conversation.

Brain Break (15 minutes)

3. Mission, Vision, Values (30 minutes)

• Revisit and Refine

Lunch Break (30 minutes)

4. Legacy Planning, Stakeholder Map, Anchor Calendar (105 minutes)

a. Stakeholder mapping and partnership alignment

• Overview of existing partners
• Map out areas of need, surfacing strategic themes/approaches

b. Legacy Plan Review

c. Establish first-draft planning framework

d. Next steps