THE REFERENCE POINT
Giving people structured, hands on experiences designed to help them discover what they are good at, what they enjoy, what they care about, and what they want to explore next.
Programs · Events · Retreats · Workshops · Partnerships · Community Initiatives
Hi! My name is Kelsey E. Phillips, and I design and facilitate these experiences for teens, young adults, people in transition, and organizations serving them.
Each experience is built around a real activity, project, problem, or opportunity to explore. Participants might solve a problem, complete a project, create, work with others, serve their community, explore environmental or animal care, or try an experience they have never had before.
The goal is to give people experiences they can learn from.
I believe God uniquely created and gifted every person. People need opportunities to discover those gifts through experience, not simply be told who they are or what they should become.
WHY EXPERIENCE MATTERS
We can learn a lot about ourselves from personality tests, conversations, advice, education, and other forms of guidance.
But information about yourself can remain abstract until you have an experience that gives you something real to connect it to.
Someone can tell you that you are good with people.
Then you lead a group and discover:
“I liked organizing the group and figuring out how to get everyone involved.”
Someone can tell you that you are creative.
Then you build, design, or make something and discover:
“I liked figuring out how to turn the idea into something real.”
You can also discover that something you expected to enjoy is not a good fit.
“I thought I would enjoy working outdoors, but I did not like the physical demands of it.”
“I enjoyed creating the project, but I did not enjoy presenting it to a group.”
“I liked helping people one on one, but I did not enjoy managing a large group.”
The experience gives you something real to connect that information to.
WHAT IS A REFERENCE POINT?
A reference point is something you know about yourself because you have actually experienced it.
I liked organizing the group and figuring out how to get everyone involved.
I liked taking care of the animals and paying attention to what they needed.
I liked taking the problem apart, figuring out what was wrong, and finding a way to fix it.
I enjoyed creating the project, but I did not enjoy presenting it to a group.
I thought I would enjoy working outdoors, but I did not like the physical demands of it.
I want to learn more about how this works.
These are observations connected to experiences you have actually had.
That experience gives you a reference point you can use when you encounter a similar opportunity again.
EXPERIENCE → REFLECT → DISCOVER → DECIDE
You may discover a new interest, a strength, a preference, a way of contributing, something you do not enjoy, something that does not fit, or a direction you want to explore further.
Ultimately, I want to help people reconnect with themselves and with the living world around them, and discover how they can care for it and contribute to it.
Each experience gives you another referencepoint to build from.
