The New York Open Center
83 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012 (212-219-2527)
Director: Walter Beebe
2007 attendance: 10,000
Website:
www.opencenter.org
Participants now are
interested not only in personal growth, holistic health and spiritual practice
but also in acquiring the academic and professional credentials needed to bring
the new paradigm into the very heart of contemporary culture.
Courses offered fall into
these categories:
Based in New York City,
this facility is a nonprofit organization with a budget of about $3.8 million.
The center is celebrating its 24th anniversary and has a mix of
evening lectures, courses that run for several weeks, and one- to five-day
programs. Membership and fundraising contribute roughly 25% of the annual
income, and the center has no endowment and receives limited foundation
support. The New York Open Center claims to now be "the largest urban holistic
learning center in the U.S.”
Approximately 10,000 people
attended courses at this center last year. It is shifting its emphasis from a
lot of 1-day or evening courses to more long-term trainings (6 months or
longer). This center suffered directly from the 9/11 tragedy due to its close
proximity to “ground zero.” Customers are seeking courses in health and
wellness, as well as spirituality.
As for philosophy, the
catalog states: “The Open Center maintains that the objective circumstances of
our times demand new ways of thinking and being; that creative renewal is the
only alternative to increasing soullessness and desperation…The holistic impulse
is a vital response to the needs of the present moment…Our hope is that people
in increasing numbers will be drawn to this view and that together we can work
to create a culture and society open to the spirit, filled with soul and healthy
in body.”
The center presents nearly
500+ courses annually on topics of alternative health and bodywork disciplines,
depth psychologies, sociocultural issues, spiritual and meditative teachings,
and multicultural arts. Nearly half the center's courses could be classified as
some form of self-improvement, or "self-development," as the organization terms
it.
Self-improvement courses
are offered in whole brain learning, meditation, psychology, recovery,
relationships, right livelihood, sexuality, self-development, and yoga, among
many other categories. The price of courses vary from $20 to $400, with most
priced under $100.
The center also offers the
New York Open Center Abroad, with classes and "travel adventures" in Scotland,
Ireland, Wales, Turkey, and Italy.
