2017 Workshops
Click on the Workshops Below for More Info
With keynotes speakers, workshops, skills shares, & panel discussions from leading resilience thinkers and doers; a model resilient community; live music; camping; child and youth programming; and plenty of opportunities for co-inspiration and cross-pollination… the Building Resilient Communities Permaculture Convergence will bring together leaders, permaculture designers, transition organizers, activists, young people, homesteaders, designers, social entrepreneurs, and others who are passionate about shifting the paradigm and joining together to cross-pollinate, skill-up, synergize and celebrate!
Check out our workshops themes and topics below, followed by a list of workshop titles and descriptions.
Permaculture, Placemaking & Community Building: A Journey into the Possible
Born from collective desperation for finding ways to employ our human ingenuity and satisfy our deep-seeded yearnings for connection, The City Repair Project has effectively re-written the rules of what is possible in building community, creating a local identity and transforming the urban landscape to improve human interaction and ecological function. Matt will invoke the spirit of the village that lives in all of us and speak to the imperative of investing where we live, giving creative insight into the …
Recognizing Common Causes to Build Inter-Ethnic Collaboration
The diversity of California should be represented in important campaigns, movements and events. Participants will learn from an experienced organizer who has build solid inter-ethnic networks. The presenter will bring a power point to show the different campaigns he has worked, and will explore problems and solutions, then will separate attendees in small groups, those groups will design a campaign or event and will use the tools they have learned to engage folks from different backgrounds. This workshop will help …
Resetting the Dinner Table, Rebuilding our World
Learn all about cooking, preservation, fermentation, delicious nutritious traditional recipes, and more with a permaculture chef, Seth Peterson. A home garden providing the benefits of eating locally and seasonally is a most revolutionary and transformative act. Using the intersection of agriculture and cooking to frame our physical world and daily lives, local chef and permaculturalist, Seth Peterson, discusses growing and eating our own food. Making the connection between garden and kitchen, this conversation offers practical tips and information on growing, …
Resilient Hubs Deep Dive
How can we integrate permaculture features, disaster preparedness and sharing into one model? Daily Acts and the NorCal Resilience Network will share the vision for the Resilient Homes Initiative, an innovative model that scales up and replicated resilience in homes, neighborhoods and impact centers. The first hour will introduce the project and homes and neighborhood centers who are already doing this work. The second and third hours will be an interactive sessions, with participants sharing ideas about how to role …
Resistance and Resilience: Unifying the two movements
Resistance to the federal administration has been fast and furious. How can Resilience and Resistance work more effective together to build the thriving world we all want to live in? A panel of speakers from the Resistance Movement will share some of the campaigns they are working on, and then we will bring up representatives from our Community Resilience Movement to strategize about ways to unify the two movements. Saturday Oct 7| 3:30pm| Main Stage Presented by Susan Silbar …
Restoring Salmon and Redwooods Using Recirculating Aquaponics
Learn how Salmon, Trout and other native species can be used to grow redwood trees from seeds or re-sprouts using nutrient rich water from the fish. This has never been done before to our knowledge and seems like a perfect marriage of species and ecosystems that have been evolving together for millions of years. This presentation will cover the design and results from the first test system growing fish and Redwoods together. The goal will be to restore deforested and/or …
Rivers of Life: An exploration of Woman’s Lymphatic Health
An Ayurvedic perspective of lymphatic and breast health self-care practices for Women. In this class we will explore Lymphatic Breast Health though the lens of Ayurvedic self care. We will dive into our inner oceans and begin to understand the importance the lymphatic system plays in self care and immunity as well as teach some tools to help support lymph flow and blood circulation. We will discuss anatomy and physiology, common health concerns for women as well as contributing lifestyle …
Sacred Healing Circle
The Ceremony is to cultivate intimacy and improve communication within one’s own Infinite Intelligence, the primal feminine aspect of self and the sisters of the community. This is also a space to release, burn and transform conditioning inherited and formed as well as a space to heal the life stream of the soul beyond space and time. A Ceremonial and safe space will be created through Gayanee’s ability to perceive and function in the subtle strata of creation for the …
Sacred Reciprocity : The Art of Peruvian Despacho
Join Madhu & Alex for an interactive Peruvian Despacho ceremony – an offering ritual to the natural world. Join Madhu & Alex for a community ritual from the high Andean traditions of the Paqokuna people. Together we will create a Despacho offering, a ritual feeding for the unseen beings who support the fulfillment of our personal and community lives. This experiential and prayerful workshop will allow participants an opportunity to give thanks by creating a community mandala with natural ingredients …
Share Your Story: Public Speaking 101
We delve into the world of public speaking during this workshop, sharing tips and best practices while providing a safe space for participants to practice speaking about a topic of their choice. Are you one of those individuals whose greatest fear is public speaking? Want to share your inspirational story about permaculture but sure where to start? This workshop will share best practices in public speaking, and then you will get to try your hand at public speaking and sharing …
Sharing Cities: Activating the Urban Commons
The concept of sharing cities is getting considerable traction with grassroots groups and city governments around the world. Seoul, Amsterdam, London and Milan are just four examples. While these efforts share commonalities, the sharing city concept is not well defined. This presents important opportunities (and risks) that are being addressed by communities large and small around the world. This presentation will highlight people, projects and policies working to create real equitable Sharing Cities. This presentation will highlight replicable projects and …
Social Permaculture
Social Permaculture 1-Day Intensive With Starhawk Thurs, Oct 5| 10:00am – 4:30pm| Hops Tipi – Facilitated by Starhawk & Malik Coburn Pre-Registration Required: $45 – $95 suggested donation (Discounts for FULL Convergence Tickets) Includes delicious vegetarian lunch Workshop Description Social permaculture looks at the people-care aspects of permaculture. Vegetables are the easy part—people are the challenge! All groups struggle with issues of power, conflicts, and the need to make decisions. Collaborative groups may be healing, nurturing, and inspirational—or they may founder on the rocks …
Speaking Your Needs in Bed
In this juicy workshop we will be learning key somatic practices, oral dialoge techniques and guided visualizations to attune to our intimate sensual/sexual desires and increase our ability to experience them. How to discover and communicate your needs and deep desires I believe that when we are more fully expressed we are happier healthier and more peacefully. Our sexual expression is not separate to our other expressions but rather intertwined. Moon Temple Presented by EvOak Owl …
Stalking the Wild Mind
Finding our wild mind and heart in a colonized world There is a growing conversation about “decolonizing”, but in this discussion we will ask what this really means, especially from those still steeped in a ‘white’, western way of doing things. How do we better learn from our Indigenous relatives and live closer to our connection to the earth and to our own hearts? And how do we do this while yet utilizing the technologies and living in the structures …
Tales from the Trenches: The realities of life in intentional communities
Join us for a panel discussion with people from different intentional communities on the successes and challenges of living in community, why we think it’s important, what we need to learn, plus Q&A. Come for equal doses reality and inspiration, and bring your questions. Friday Oct 6| 3:30pm| Main Stage Moderated by Sky Blue, including Marissa Ashkar, Cassandra Ferrera, and Abeja Hummel …
The Art of Facilitation
In this workshop, we will build a toolbox of skills and practices for intentional and just facilitation of groups. The ways that we hold and move through our meetings can end up replicating on a micro scale the very systems of inequity and scarcity that we are working to change. But, just as powerfully, with intention and practical tools, meetings can serve as inclusive and accessible spaces in which to model and create practices of a just and thriving world …
The Balance of Polarities
This hour-long workshop is about balancing masculine and feminine energies in context of the microcosm (human being) and the macrocosm (the universe). The workshop explores these dual energies as they appear in foods, astrology, yoga, ancient Indian texts of Shiva and Shakti, and modern society. It includes in group share-outs, brief personal writing time, relevant yoga poses, a check in, and a check out. Balance feminine and masculine energies through yoga, foods, and more. Saturday Oct 7| 11am| Mediterranean Garden …
The Biodynamic Approach to Regenerative Agriculture
The deep principles and innovative practices of biodynamic agriculture can be taken up by any farmer or gardener wanting to enhance the health and vitality of their soil and the food they grow. In this workshop, we will explore the unique and practical ways that you can apply biodynamics to grow the most nutrient-dense and vibrant food possible, build soil organic matter, revitalize landscapes, and protect the climate by bringing more carbon into the living realm. Learn how to apply …
The People’s Medicine: Herbal Allies for Social Movements
Learn how herbal medicine is bringing the power of healing into the hands of the people and building culture in diverse social movements around the world, and gain hands-on experience with new herbal allies in this workshop. Herbal medicine brings the power of healing into the hands of the people. Come learn how people around the world, from the MST in Brazil, to activists on the streets of Oakland, to the guardians at Standing Rock, have been using herbal medicine …
The Third Ethic: Practicing Fair Share Permaculture
Intended to be an interactive and innovative experience, this workshop will challenge participants to consider the third ethic of permaculture, Fair Share, in new ways while exploring effective techniques, tools and resources for putting it into actual practice. The verifiable value of Fair Share – the sharing of earth’s bounty in balanced ways that benefit everyone – is mimicked beyond our gardens and reflected in our social relationships too. Its application can help to build bridges into community at a …
Transition 101: Permaculture Your Town!
Is your community ready for anything? Join this workshop to explore the dynamic intersection between transition, permaculture, and emergency preparedness. Let’s get resilient! How resilient is your community? How ready are you for the natural and man-made disasters and disruptions that inevitably accompany climate change? Did you know that our work in permaculture, homesteading, and building resilient community is also disaster preparedness work? Join this vibrant discussion about these overlapping fields, and explore ways of leveraging ‘crisis consciousness’ to enhance …
What’s In Your Weed? Understanding Cannabis and Sustainability
As prohibition comes to an end, many people are finding their way tocannabis for its recreational,therapeutic and medicinal benefits. Thehigh demand has fueled cannabis to be one of the fastest growingindustries in the country. This rapid growth has brought to light a conversation around environmental impacts, pesticide contaminationand how to protect the pioneering small farmers of the industry. Joinus to explore the key environmental issues around cannabis production through a lively discussion with a panel of sustainability leaders and industry experts. Sunday, Oct 8| 11am| Main Stage Presented by Heather Dunbar, Lawrence Nussbaum and Katie Stone …
Where Did the Witch Go and Why We Need Her Wisdom
The word witch is usually seen as a derogatory term, lets explore why history paints earth educated women “The Witch” as evil and dangerous. Earth educated women were strong and independent, explore possible new perspectives about the intense and fascinating actual story of why “The Witch” was persecuted. Want to know details of what has taken place, without the skewed perspective of the patriarch? Helping us to find out why the witch was important and why we need her wisdom …
Wilderness Survival Skills Combined with Permaculture for True Sustainability
How to think and live combining wilderness survival skills and permaculture design and principles and really make it work for long term self sufficiency and sustainability, to be applied on the homestead scale. Resilient rural communities , require resilient individual homesteads, as someone who has lived that way all my life in many different regions , Ive learned how to make it all work long term with an eye for the likely future potentials we face. Friday Oct 6| 2pm| …
Wildtending: Permaculture in Zone 4
Restore a regenerative reciprocal relationship with Zone 4 and California’s diverse ecology in this interactive talk on wildtending native plants for food, medicine, craft, and biodiversity. California’s uniquely biodiverse ecology has developed over thousands of years through humans interactively managing the landscape. We will discuss practical land management techniques that enhance ecological conditions and provide abundance for the human and non-human world. California’s incredibly biodiverse native landscape has relied on human management for thousands of years, and this workshop will …
Worker Self-Direction: Distributing Leadership for Just & Powerful Organizations
In order to create a just and sustainable world, we don’t just need to change what we do, we need to change how we do it. Organizational structures that use bureaucracy and rely on top down power can be replaced by deeply democratic collaborative processes that nurture whole beings; by organizations that support communities and individuals to grow, learn, and act. They will envision and support the development of organizations that embody radical political visions in the way they do …
Yoga and Interpersonal Resilience: Sustainability in Connection
When building any community it’s important for the individuals to stay attuned to the truth in themselves as well as cultivate a sensitivity and space to receive the truth of others. “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” -Victor Frankl This class helps provide participants with a felt sense awareness of self as well as the space to choose their …
Zone Zero and Sustainable Relating: Permaculture Counseling
Zone Zero is all about relationships. How can we relate across differences that takes the principles of permaculture to heart with the people closest to us? Through interactive engagement, we’ll be experimenting with the principles of permaculture to get closer and live our ideals through active compassion and engaged curiosity. Topics include allyship, integrate rather than segregate, presence as an onsite resource, and creative leadership. Let’s get creative as we engage with one another and value our diversity in zone …
