Co-Creating A Thriving Future for the Bay Area: An Unconference

Co-Creating A Thriving Future for the Bay Area: An Unconference

Join a community-crafted gathering to explore community, resilience, restoration, and regeneration both in the San Francisco Bay & Delta and beyond. 

These are days of darkness & possibility, uncertainty & opportunity. We are calling doers and dreamers from all walks of life to join together and create the story of a thriving future for all life, where we live: the Bay Delta Bioregion, and its many beautiful watersheds and communities. 

The Question: How do we better collaborate within and across communities and watersheds to co-create a thriving future for all life? 

In true unconference fashion, the rest is up to you!  Participants will create the agenda. You can propose your own topic and there will be many stimulating sessions to join. 

Sessions will cover a wide range of topics, such as local food systems, bioregionalism, land stewardship, social justice, solidarity economy, ecological restoration, regenerative practices, Indigenous leadership, storytelling, solarpunk, the "collapse", and cooperation. Formats will run the gamut from inspiring conversations to somatic exercises to “roll up your sleeves” problem-solving.

This event is for everyone whether you’re professionally involved, active as a volunteer and community member,  or curious about how you can contribute.

Don't miss this chance to experience a transformative and joyful day of networking, connecting, sharing, and action-making. We hope this will be the first of many gatherings that grow the movement to re-imagine a world that works for all life. Together, we will create new pathways for regeneration and resilience in the Bay and beyond. 

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, May 3rd, 2025
• Time: 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM PDT
• Location: Laney College Student Center in Oakland, CA
• Tickets: Sliding scale $50-$1000 (includes lunch). Prices increase to $100 minimum on 4/30.
  • This event is No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds. Please reach out if you want to attend but are limited monetarily.  
  • On the other hand, if you are well-off, please register at a higher price to help others attend.  Proceeds will be used to pay for the venue and food. Anything left over will be a stipend for the facilitation team.

Presented in partnership with:

• east bay permaculture guild
• Global Regeneration CoLab
• The Bay Delta Trust
• LIFT Economy
• East Bay Cohousing
• Greenermind Summit
• CrowdDoing
• NatureCounter
• California Doughnut Economics Coalition
• Cultivating Self
• Cosmic Labyrinth
• Terran Collective
• Hylo
• From Soil to Soul
• Collective Resilience
• REAP Climate Center
• Inquiring Systems Inc.
• Bay Area Green Tours

Coordinated by Kaliya Young’s unconference facilitation team featuring Ajay Tallam.

FAQ

What’s an “unconference”?

This unconference uses Open Space Technology which is a participant-driven gathering where attendees create the agenda on the day of the event rather than following a pre-set agenda. Anyone can propose topics, lead discussions, or move freely between sessions based on their interests and where they can best contribute. The format emphasizes active participation and collaborative learning over traditional presentations, capturing the energy of those valuable "hallway conversations" that happen at conventional conferences.

What is the Event Schedule?

• Doors open & socializing with coffee & snacks (9:00 - 9:45 AM)
• Opening Circle (9:45 AM) 
  • Introduction to Bioregionalism (10:00 AM)
  • Collaborative Agenda Creation (10:30 AM): Facilitated by Kaliya Young, a long-time Open Space unconference facilitator. 
• Morning Interactive Sessions (11:30-12:30): Engage in dynamic sessions on a range of topics and formats offered by participants
• Lunch Break & socializing (12:30-1:30)
• Afternoon Interactive Sessions (1:30 - 4:30)  More dynamic sessions on a range of topics and formats offered by participants
• Closing Circle (4:30-5:30): Group reflection on the day and sharing of next steps.

What’s a “bioregion”? And what is “bioregionalism”?

Bioregion is shorthand for ‘bio-cultural region’. Bioregions reflect natural boundaries, such as watersheds, mountain ranges, or ecological zones, rather than abstract political borders.

The concept of bioregion emphasizes the interconnectedness of all life in a place, and promotes the idea that human communities should adapt their lifestyles and practices to align with the specific ecological characteristics of their bioregion.

Bioregionalism  is a philosophy that connects people and ideas into place, which work watershed by watershed, in ways that are sustainable, democratic and just.

Why should I attend?

This event offers a unique opportunity to:

1. Meet and collaborate with individuals, activists, and professionals passionate about creating working on Bioregional ReGeneration in the Bay Area and beyond. 
2. Explore practical solutions for building resilient, regenerative communities in this bioregion.
3. Be part of a growing movement towards a thriving, regenerative future.

Attendees have shared these potential topics for sessions:

Bioregional Governance & Coordination

• Bioregional governance
• Bioregional funding models and integrating flow funding
• Bioregional coordination tools and collaborative technology
• Historical and emergent bioregional efforts including conservation finance in the Amazon headwaters
• Decentralized coordination tech and self-hosting
• Innovative collaborative processes such as pol.is

Community & Social System

• What would a society of belonging look like
• Community-building in a time of chaos
• Individual and community fasting as a way to generate unity and support
• Cooperative community living and tools for living well together
• Indigenous leadership and ecosystem stewardship
• Partnerships and strategies
• Youth involvement

Regenerative Practices

• Regeneration of the land as foundation for economic opportunity, food and shelter security
• Regenerative manufacturing
• Inner biomimicry
• Restoring the hydrological cycle through both landscape and micro interventions
• Ecological restoration and ecosystem stewardship on small levels like yards or balconies
• Water systems
  

Housing & Urban Planning

• Social housing
• Poor People's Campaign
• Affordable housing choices build the future
• Regenerative city planning
• Integrating disparate systems: Regenerative nature as infrastructure and creating appreciating municipal assets with immeasurable co-benefits, through the lens of jobs and wealth building for disinvested communities

Narratives & Cultural Transformation

• Decolonized impact storytelling
• Narrative & supporting storytellers
• Solarpunk
• Systems change
• Bright mirror
• Generative AI

Food Systems

• Large-scale regenerative agriculture: Holistic Management, Agroforestry, Regrarians Platform
• Weston A. Price traditional cooking
• Permaculture kitchens
• Permaculture for toddlers
  

Check back - we'll post more as they come in!

I can't make this event - can you let me know about the next event?

Yes! Please leave your information in this form and we will e-mail you when we set our next unconference. 

Who is Coming?

These people have registered with permission to display their name.

• Phoenix Armenta
• Diedre Tanenbeg
• Susan Park
• Marc O'Brien
• Michael Bruel
• John Lund-Delaossa
• Robert Rees
• Gloria Rees
• Malcolm Knapp
• Faith Flanigan
• Karen Curtiss
• Chiara Ratti
• Pat Baranski
• Pamela Campbell
• Gladys Mercier
• Jonathan DeLong
• David Simpson
• Marissa LaMagna
• Seth Peterson
• Tibet Sprague
• Kate Linforth
• Bobby Fishkin
• Rebecca Newburn
• Lawrence Grodeska
• Banu Kellner
• Dennis Britton
• Eli Whipple
• raines cohen
• Betsy Morris
• Clay Rosenthal
• David Jaber
• Kevin Bayuk
• Emma Schain
• Shawon Jackson
• Karie Crisp
• David Witzel
  

Check back - we'll update this list periodically