RAISING LUMINARIES SUMMER COLLECTIVE

Frequently Asked Questions

"I really, really need this! Buuuut...
You have some... hesitations? Concerns!
Got a few questions about weave the Summer Luminator into your limited budget, non-existent free time, and foggy brain?

No worries - we got you.

join the waitlist

Our next Summer Luminator starts in July
Already a member? Log in.

join the waitlist

Due to work visa restrictions, participation is currently restricted to returning members only.

Join the wait list to get notified when we re-open to new registrations.

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mother and child play with toys on bed

Change the world without neglecting your kids - or yourself

I don't have time!

What would you do with more free time? Using our strategies, members sage an average of 5 hours every week - long after summer ends.

I can't afford it!

75% of members take advantage of our sliding scale, deferred payment plans, or reciprocate by supporting the group in non-monetary ways.

I'm not ____ enough!

You don't have to be an activist or leader, we're just community caregivers who want to make a difference without making things worse

My number one reason for doing the Summer Luminator was to feel better about work. I was feeling kind of bitter, really undervalued and overlooked as a DEI chair.

I realized I could stop and ride the ‘f-you’ feeling of ‘you’re on your own’ - or I could try the summer collective and do something to find people like me, who share my values, who are working on this stuff to create a path to a budget and a clear process for communicating for leadership.

With such vague and unarticulated goals, how could I possibly meet them? Because the Luminator was so awesome in every way. I didn't just meet my goals, I learned how to articulate my goals in the first place. If I had been able to describe these goals, if they had been really ambitious and unreasonable in my expectations, it still would have been awesome.

This experience ended the distinction between what I felt compelled to do as a coping mechanism, and impactful work I want to do that will ripple out.

Alison L.

Social Psychologist, Parent, TED Speaker
join the waitlist

Our next Summer Luminator starts in July
Already a member? Log in.

join the waitlist

Due to work visa restrictions, participation is currently restricted to returning members only.

Join the wait list to get notified when we re-open to new registrations.

Already a member? Log in.

RAISING LUMINARIES CAREGIVER WORKSHOP

Summer Luminator General FAQ

The Summer Luminator, hosted by Raising Luminaries, is an annual 6-week workshop and social process group for parents, educators, and caregivers.

Our membership connects those raising the next generation of kind and courageous leaders, while giving us the solidarity and strategies we need to juggle work, life, and parenting – all while weaving in our fight for social justice, equity, and inclusion.
  • Raising Luminaries hosts two seasonal collectives each year – the Summer Luminator (6 weeks) and the Winter Incubator (12 weeks).
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  • BOTH SUMMER & WINTER COLLECTIVES:
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  • Provide a member portal and resource library of bite-sized lessons and strategies.
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  • Introduce strategies to sustain long-term activism without burning out, doing a saviorism, or making things worse for the people you’re trying to support.
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  • Members connect to support each other as we assess our challenges and goals, create space for you to decide what needs to change, and share strategies to make a deep impact in your specific field of interest.
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  • HOW THEY DIFFER:
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  • Pacing: In the Winter Incubator, we invite you to slow down and zoom out to examine historical context, cultural influences, and internal compulsions that keep you complicit in capitalism, white supremacy, and working yourself to death. During the Summer Luminator, we transform intent into action, mapping a sustainable pace to balance your parenting and activism responsibilities so you can develop care practices sustainable for your unique skills and challenges.
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  • Focus: In winter, we turn inward for self-reflection and learn how to ground ourselves so we stop spinning out. The Winter Incubator invites you to pull your attention inward and recognize the way your social power, season of life, and mental health impacts your ability effectively to show up for others. In the Summer Luminator, we invite you to de-center yourself as an advocate, accomplice, and collaborator. Each summer we commit to small, accessible actions that build momentum and increase our capacity.
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  • Energy: The Summer Luminator is energetic, active, chock full of action strategies and open discussion lessons.. The Winter Incubator is a quiet retreat to deeply connect with a small group of people who will hold space for you to re-center and orient yourself – a restful pause to recover and heal before leaping back into action.
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  • These two collectives work together: The majority of our participants eventually choose to join both collectives, as learning when to recenter and when to take action are integral pieces of sustainable caregiving and activism.
  • Pick the collective that speaks to what you need most. Do you need a quiet break through the winter, or do you need a fun, active, pick-me-up this summer? 
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  • Which season is less busy for you? Which would stress you out the least to join?
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  • Both collectives are cyclical, with members returning year after year or popping back in when we need support.
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  • There is no ‘one right way’ to get started – what really matters is taking the next easiest step towards getting a grip.
join the waitlist

Our next Summer Luminator starts in July
Already a member? Log in.

join the waitlist

Due to work visa restrictions, participation is currently restricted to returning members only.

Join the wait list to get notified when we re-open to new registrations.

Already a member? Log in.

RAISING LUMINARIES CAREGIVER WORKSHOP

Summer Luminator Enrollment & Registration FAQ

  • Enrollment opens to the public in May, but spots are limited to up to 8 new spots each summer.
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  • Join the wait list to get first dibs on our limited spaces.

 

  • If by our fourth week, you have engaged with the resources and reflections to the best of your ability, you’ve shown up to the live hangouts and engaged in the chat group – and it’s still not working for you, send me all of your completed discovery activities before the end of the collective, and I’ll send you a full refund.
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  • Since there is such limited space in the collective, I can’t offer refunds if you just don’t engage with the collective. For more info, check out the full returns & refunds policy.
  • While you can access the Summer Portal anytime, you’re never obligated to join us for gatherings, chat groups, or future collectives.
  • If you’re not sure if the collective is right for you, we have a no-risk refund guarantee, but it relies on you actively participating for the first few weeks.
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  • But if you don’t need a refund and just want to lock in this year’s rates, that’s fine. Just let me know you won’t be actively participating so we can open another spot open for someone who will.
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  • Alternatively – reach out to me with hesitations and concerns and I’d be happy to either tweak to make it accessible to you right away, or recommend an alternative resource to so you’ve got the capacity to join us next year.
  • In the unlikely event that we’re WAY TOO POPULAR and all the spots in our first cohort fills up, I’ll split us up into multiple smaller groups.
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  • If necessary, we can arrange for you to audit the collective without joining a cohort to lock in this year’s rates before next year’s fee increase. This gives you access to the resources, but delays your participation if you’re not ready to engage with the group yet.
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  • But don’t wait too long – the summer collective is designed to help you reclaim your time, stop over-working, and take responsibility for the way you show up for others. The longer you put this internal work off, the harder it’ll be to avoid sabotaging yourself and those you care for.
RAISING LUMINARIES CAREGIVER WORKSHOP

Summer Luminator Scheduling FAQ

  • We run for 6 weeks every summer, starting early July and continuing through mid-August.

  • Every Sunday, we release a new chapter of content, each containing five bite-sized workshop capers with video, audio, or guidebook material to peruse at your own pace.
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  • While we host optional drop-in hangouts every week, most of our discussions take place in an asynchronous chat group and the member portal.


Upcoming Summer Luminator Dates:
> 2026: July 7 – August 14
> 2027: July 6 – August 13
> 2028: July 9 – August 18
> 2029: July 8 – August 17
…and so on

  • Our 6-week collective is designed to come along with you!
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  • You can access the Summer Member Portal from your mobile device anywhere you can get stable internet connection – including all video, audio, and downloadable resources.
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  • Our chat group uses the free Marco Polo app, so you can stay connected with us even when reception is spotty.
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  • The only ‘time sensitive’ materials are our six weekly live hangouts, which are optional drop-in events that about half of our members choose to join.
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  • Other than a connecting real-time conversation, we don’t cover anything in these hangouts that we don’t discuss in the chat group and in the member portal.
  • The only ‘live’ events are our casual weekly hangouts on Zoom, which are totally optional, and drop-in as needed.
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  • The real connection comes over our asynchronous chat group, which you can dip into for a few minutes at a time while going on a walk, cooking dinner, or dropping the kiddo off at camp.
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  • Each of the six weeks, we release a new discussion chapter with bite-sized lessons and resources to help you pace yourself. After they’re released, you can access any of these resources at your own pace any time of year.
  • We gather together because we can’t keep up with the demands on busy parents – and that’s not gonna change until we create strategies to catch up.
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  • With lifetime access to our resources, invitations to future summer collectives, optional drop-in hangouts, and our asynchronous chat group, there is just no way to fall behind.
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  • If life really throws you for a loop – you’ll have lifetime access to the resources and summer portal if you need to take a break. Feel free to come back and join us next summer at no additional cost.
  • You’ll have online access to the summer portal all year, for as long as it exists – that means access to the videos, downloads, guidebooks, and resource library so you can enjoy them at your own pace.
  • Our live Zoom hangouts are completely optional – designed to help members who feel more comfortable getting real-time feedback from others.
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  • These live hangouts are a blast – but most of our conversations happen in the discussion threads or the asynchronous chat-group. Even if you have questions or ideas to share at 2am on Saturday mornings, we’re here for your weird schedule.
  • Our live drop-in hangouts are not recorded.
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  • In our chat group, you can leave your recordings of video or audio up for the whole duration of the summer, or delete your messages any time you like.

  • At the end of the summer, we close out last year’s chat group to start a fresh one with new members.
  • We accept new members on a rolling basis during our enrollment period, which typically starts in May.
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  • If you would like to get first dibs, join the waitlist and we’ll send you a notification when space is available.
join the waitlist

Our next Summer Luminator starts in July
Already a member? Log in.

join the waitlist

Due to work visa restrictions, participation is currently restricted to returning members only.

Join the wait list to get notified when we re-open to new registrations.

Already a member? Log in.

Still curious?

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©2014-2026 Ashia Ray of Raising Luminaries™. All rights reserved.

Raising Luminaries
Igniting the next generation of kind & courageous leaders
©2024 Ashia Ray of Raising Luminaries™. All rights reserved.
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