Workshops
Basket Weaving
In this Basket Weaving workshop, we will discuss basketry as ancestral craft, as cultivation of presence, as record keeper of people and plant, and as meditation on the intersection of function and beauty. We will start the workshop with material introduction and cultural context, go into a demonstration that includes guided weaving time, and we will end with sharing and reflecting on the practice. Basket weaving is a world of cross-cultural invention, of communing with land and hand, of patience and pride. I am so excited to sit with you in a circle and weave- as has been done by so many before us. Everyone will make and leave with their own small basket, as well as the basic techniques to carry this skill forward.
Forest Principles for All Growers at Any Scale
Forest Principles for All Growers at Any Scale will introduce or provide deeper understanding of forest ecosystems and the principals that they operate within, drawing upon lessons from Brazilian based syntropic aka successional agroforestry and agroecology methods in the Caribbean & Latin America. The workshop digs into valuable technical theory (maximizing photosynthesis, the value of perennials, stratification, forest succession, support species, et al) to support growers at any level or scale, while also being highly engaging, dynamic, fun, and spirit centered.
Poke Sallet Byrdie
Many black and brown communities have developed a complex relationship with land over the generations. Poke Sallet Byrdie is an exploration of that relationship through somatics, art and storytelling. Join Gwendylon and Toshima as they slip into one of their favorite rhythms—granddaughter and grandmother journeying back through Gwendylon’s childhood, exploring her early lessons in foraging, old-country remedies, food preservation, and the deep sense of community she learned from her elders.
Beefriending Bees: A deep dive into Beekeeping
Bees are our ancestors, pre-dating human existence on the Earth by tens of millions of years. When we host bees on land, they teach us about communal living, positive environmental impacts, and how to dance and make sweet treats. The goal of this workshop is to make bee keeping as possible as possible, so by the end of it, you will know how to manage your very own backyard hive! In this hands on workshop, we will:
In this workshop we will:
Learn about the history of bees
Understand honey bee biology
Discover pests and diseases that impact the hive
Learn where and how to install a backyard hive, plus how to connect with a bee mentor
Explore how to source bees, hive materials, beekeeping equipment and other related start up costs
Be introduced to the honey extraction process
Buzz buuz!
Cordage as Ancestral Memory
This workshop explores cordage as one of humanity’s oldest survival technologies and a practice of relationship with land. Participants will harvest, process, and twist natural materials into strong functional cordage while learning how rope-making carries memory, sovereignty, and collective resilience. We’ll weave skill, story, and land-based awareness into a practice that binds us back to what remembers.
Wilderness First Aid: Land Based Care
This workshop offers grounded, practical skills for responding to injury and crisis using both the intelligence of the land and modern safety tools. Participants will practice wound care, bleeding control, improvised carries, and stabilizing the body with materials found in natural environments, alongside professional equipment. Together we’ll explore care as sacred responsibility, collective readiness, and an extension of community defense and love.
Filipino Martial Arts
Filipino Martial Arts (Arnis) refers to a diaspora of martial techniques originating from the Philippines. During this session we will engage in a short grounding exercise, stretching and movement, technique learning, and partner drills. This hands-on workshop focuses on the movement and energy techniques used by Arnisadors to build awareness in their own physicality, spirituality, and energetic relationship to others. While many of these techniques are couched in a martial tradition, what we practice can be compared to tai-chi or qigong, in that it requires learning specific movements that can be built on independently or with a partner. This workshop can be beneficial for all walks of life and skill levels; those who make a living using their bodies will find more confidence in their ability to use their physicality to continue to do good work.
Farming While Broke
This workshop is tailored to folks who have access to land but have limited financial capital. Learn how to start a farm with just a few hundred bucks and a lot of ingenuity. This workshop will include information about building with pallets, salvage and how to find it, library knowledge, and extension websites. The workshop will also include information on animal husbandry and how to care for yr animals on a budget, with informational resources and DIY knowledge. We will also have conversations around mutual aid, connections, and community building.
Cedar Tales
Veggie Tales was Christian. Cedar Tales is spiritual. In this workshop we will wrap bundles of fresh and dried cedar in bath soaks and smudges while telling stories focused on masculinity. This workshop is a space for masculine energy to heal and gather with a potent, indigenous, culturally relevant, local, sustainable medicine. Stories may be recorded with participant consent.
Amateur Radio as a Land Based Practice in Community Care
Amateur Radio as Land Based Practice in Community Care introduces amateur radio (or ham radio) as a method to connect with one's local surroundings and community. We will discuss West African histories of long distance communications, disaster preparedness as community care, and how radio communications are shaped by the surrounding land and sky.
Connecting & Storytelling with Ancestral Seeds
Saving seeds offers us a portal to connect more deeply with our cultures, ancestors, & diasporas, while writing the stories we will pass to future generations. In Connecting & Storytelling with Ancestral Seeds we will learn how to get started growing & saving seeds as farmers, land stewards, and home gardeners. I will offer an introduction to crop planning in order to save seeds from your market garden. We will discuss tools & tips for creatively sourcing culturally significant seeds in the U.S. and trialing them for climate adaptation. Finally, we will go through a demonstration of basic seed saving techniques from dry and wet seed crops.
AbunDance Meditative Dance Song
Meditative Dance Song is a reclamation inspired by Buddhist chanting traditions and Mohiniyattam (aka Dance of the Enchantress), a temple dance form from Kerala; queered to support gender expansive expression. Though these days it is very rare to witness and participate in simultaneous dance and song, it is powerful people's somatic technology. We hope to experience the power of collective song and dance together as we celebrate the plants that continue to nourish each of our cultural lineages. Participants will learn how to craft a small chant (a seed of songwriting) and then sing it in canon. Participants will then learn some movements rooted in some of the gorgeous ways our bodies can make circles and fractals. Finally, we put the songwriting, canon, and collective dance all together!
Composting Toilets Science and Construction
In Composting Toilets Science and Construction we will cover the science, ecology, importance, and magic of composting toilets. By the end of the workshop participants should have a grasp of how to build your own composting toilet!
Relational Governance Practice for Building Power
" In Relational Governance Practice for Building Power we will engage with tools I have gathered from a 25 year background in hands-on Indigenous, community based infrastructure development and community building. These tools apply across cultures to bring communities and people together to build, design, and hold us in good relationship as we offer our contributions to this world.
We have the knowledge, vision, and skill to build the world we know is possible. Often, the challenge we face is rooted in the impacts of colonial culture and white supremacy culture. Our disconnection from each other, and our internal division and pain stands in the way of our collective decision making. In this workshop we will practically collaborate on the creation of structures of accountability, care, and reciprocity that provide a healthy foundation for action."
EmPOWERing Ourselves: Power Tools 101
Stewarding land requires resourcefulness and creativity. In EmPowering Ourselves: Power Tools 101 we will grow our comfort level with a variety of power tools: jigsaw, miter saw, drills, and more. During this workshop you will be able to work on a specific project, or just practice getting comfortable with each tool in community. PPE options will be provided.
Sailing for Social Justice
What does sailing have to do with land, food, and climate justice? In Sailing for Social Justice we will explore moments in time where water vessels (e.g., canoes, boats, ships) have played a central role in activist movements. We will make connections between navigating waterways and navigating systems of oppression, and finally we will uplift the significance of global BIPOC seafaring traditions for building a livable and sustainable future for all.
This workshop will involve a presentation, small and large group discussion, and reflective writing prompts.
Navigating the Federal Landscape: The Northeast SARE Example
In a a quickly shifting Federal landscape what are the best practices and strategies when thinking about preparing a proposal? In this session we will discuss what this shifting landscape means currently and into the future. Federal funding opportunities remain available and the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NE SARE) remains in operation. NE SARE is a farmer first program that is legislated through Congress and funded by NIFA, USDA. In Navigating the Federal Landscape: The Northeast SARE example, we will discuss the ins and outs of being an organization that is Federally funded, knowing how critical it is that we adhere to both our legislative and administrative priorities. Finally, we will also discuss ways to scope proposals so that we can continue to best serve our communities.
Stay tuned for news about workshops, strategy labs, and all kinds of offerings to come!