Reconnection: A Nature Experience for BIPOC

Continuing a series begun in the winter of 2021, GWI is collaborating with Wild Earth, offering an opportunity for BIPOC to gather outdoors.

As we start making preparations for the cold weather months, we will share timeless space around the fire, crafting medicine pouches with yarn dyed with local plants, making medicinal teas and herbal tinctures. This day will be all about preparations to turn inward as we sit around the fire, crafting, learning about medicinal plants and dyeing techniques. In conversation and comfort food*, we will build connections to each other, ourselves and the land that supports each and every one of us! 

This is a family-friendly gathering. Children are encouraged to attend and childcare will be provided, if need be. If you are requesting childcare, please let us know via the registration form.

We would like to remind everyone that we are entering hunting season. While we are not expecting to be in any danger, we want to err on the side of caution and ask that everyone please wear bright colors (blaze orange or blaze green) during our time together. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us. 

*We will have vegetarian options available for lunch.

If you identify as part of a BIPOC community and are interested in participating in this event, please email [email protected].

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month (for October and November only, meetings will be the first WEDNESDAY of the month) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton Street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.


“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.


If you have any question email [email protected] or [email protected]

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month (for October and November only, meetings will be the first WEDNESDAY of the month) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton Street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.


“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.


If you have any question email [email protected] or [email protected]

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Sundays of the month at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.


“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.


If you have any question email [email protected] or [email protected]

Collaboration, Community, and Conflict: A BIPOC-only cohort (Session 3 of 6)

In this 6-week, BIPOC-only workshop, we will explore and cultivate nonviolent communication skills that can support our working together productively, authentically, and with care.

When we pour ourselves into the things we care about, we want to know it matters. We want to know that our collective efforts to bring about needed changes and work toward Just Transition will be fruitful. How disheartening, exhausting, and frustrating it is to see our hard work fall short as conflict slows down, stalls out, or, worse yet, totally disrupts our collaborations.

The legacies of a domination paradigm (capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, competition to name a few) have left us without the skills we need in order to collaborate effectively and to find generativity in conflict which, on some scale, is inevitable.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) offers us a toolkit to deepen our own embodied self-connection and build our capacity to relate to ourselves and one another with empathy so that we can show up more fully and authentically to our work in the world. As we begin to unpack the way that domination culture has shaped our very language, we can learn new/old ways of communicating that bring us more deeply into alignment with our values, our purpose, and into connection with one another.

During this 6-week, online workshop designed and facilitated by BIPOC for a BIPOC cohort, we will explore practical strategies for undoing domination in ourselves, our communication, our relationships, and our collaborations. This course will provide an overview of nonviolent communication and support with:

  • Understanding empathy: What is it and why does it matter?
  • Using a self-empathy model as a tool for addressing systemic barriers to identifying and meeting our needs
  • Listening with empathy and compassion
  • Preparing ourselves for difficult conversations
  • Attending to grief and mourning
  • Fostering connection while maintaining personal authenticity

This workshop is not meant to be a forum for working through active conflicts with one another, but rather a place to be supported in cultivating the skills that will help us to engage more effectively with conflict in the various domains of our lives.

Collaboration, Community, and Conflict: A BIPOC-only cohort (Session 2 of 6)

In this 6-week, BIPOC-only workshop, we will explore and cultivate nonviolent communication skills that can support our working together productively, authentically, and with care.

When we pour ourselves into the things we care about, we want to know it matters. We want to know that our collective efforts to bring about needed changes and work toward Just Transition will be fruitful. How disheartening, exhausting, and frustrating it is to see our hard work fall short as conflict slows down, stalls out, or, worse yet, totally disrupts our collaborations.

The legacies of a domination paradigm (capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, competition to name a few) have left us without the skills we need in order to collaborate effectively and to find generativity in conflict which, on some scale, is inevitable.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) offers us a toolkit to deepen our own embodied self-connection and build our capacity to relate to ourselves and one another with empathy so that we can show up more fully and authentically to our work in the world. As we begin to unpack the way that domination culture has shaped our very language, we can learn new/old ways of communicating that bring us more deeply into alignment with our values, our purpose, and into connection with one another.

During this 6-week, online workshop designed and facilitated by BIPOC for a BIPOC cohort, we will explore practical strategies for undoing domination in ourselves, our communication, our relationships, and our collaborations. This course will provide an overview of nonviolent communication and support with:

  • Understanding empathy: What is it and why does it matter?
  • Using a self-empathy model as a tool for addressing systemic barriers to identifying and meeting our needs
  • Listening with empathy and compassion
  • Preparing ourselves for difficult conversations
  • Attending to grief and mourning
  • Fostering connection while maintaining personal authenticity

This workshop is not meant to be a forum for working through active conflicts with one another, but rather a place to be supported in cultivating the skills that will help us to engage more effectively with conflict in the various domains of our lives.

Collaboration, Community, and Conflict: A BIPOC-only cohort (Session 4 of 6)

In this 6-week, BIPOC-only workshop, we will explore and cultivate nonviolent communication skills that can support our working together productively, authentically, and with care.

When we pour ourselves into the things we care about, we want to know it matters. We want to know that our collective efforts to bring about needed changes and work toward Just Transition will be fruitful. How disheartening, exhausting, and frustrating it is to see our hard work fall short as conflict slows down, stalls out, or, worse yet, totally disrupts our collaborations.

The legacies of a domination paradigm (capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, competition to name a few) have left us without the skills we need in order to collaborate effectively and to find generativity in conflict which, on some scale, is inevitable.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) offers us a toolkit to deepen our own embodied self-connection and build our capacity to relate to ourselves and one another with empathy so that we can show up more fully and authentically to our work in the world. As we begin to unpack the way that domination culture has shaped our very language, we can learn new/old ways of communicating that bring us more deeply into alignment with our values, our purpose, and into connection with one another.

During this 6-week, online workshop designed and facilitated by BIPOC for a BIPOC cohort, we will explore practical strategies for undoing domination in ourselves, our communication, our relationships, and our collaborations. This course will provide an overview of nonviolent communication and support with:

  • Understanding empathy: What is it and why does it matter?
  • Using a self-empathy model as a tool for addressing systemic barriers to identifying and meeting our needs
  • Listening with empathy and compassion
  • Preparing ourselves for difficult conversations
  • Attending to grief and mourning
  • Fostering connection while maintaining personal authenticity

This workshop is not meant to be a forum for working through active conflicts with one another, but rather a place to be supported in cultivating the skills that will help us to engage more effectively with conflict in the various domains of our lives.

Collaboration, Community, and Conflict: A BIPOC-only cohort (Session 6 of 6)

In this 6-week, BIPOC-only workshop, we will explore and cultivate nonviolent communication skills that can support our working together productively, authentically, and with care.

When we pour ourselves into the things we care about, we want to know it matters. We want to know that our collective efforts to bring about needed changes and work toward Just Transition will be fruitful. How disheartening, exhausting, and frustrating it is to see our hard work fall short as conflict slows down, stalls out, or, worse yet, totally disrupts our collaborations.

The legacies of a domination paradigm (capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, competition to name a few) have left us without the skills we need in order to collaborate effectively and to find generativity in conflict which, on some scale, is inevitable.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) offers us a toolkit to deepen our own embodied self-connection and build our capacity to relate to ourselves and one another with empathy so that we can show up more fully and authentically to our work in the world. As we begin to unpack the way that domination culture has shaped our very language, we can learn new/old ways of communicating that bring us more deeply into alignment with our values, our purpose, and into connection with one another.

During this 6-week, online workshop designed and facilitated by BIPOC for a BIPOC cohort, we will explore practical strategies for undoing domination in ourselves, our communication, our relationships, and our collaborations. This course will provide an overview of nonviolent communication and support with:

  • Understanding empathy: What is it and why does it matter?
  • Using a self-empathy model as a tool for addressing systemic barriers to identifying and meeting our needs
  • Listening with empathy and compassion
  • Preparing ourselves for difficult conversations
  • Attending to grief and mourning
  • Fostering connection while maintaining personal authenticity

This workshop is not meant to be a forum for working through active conflicts with one another, but rather a place to be supported in cultivating the skills that will help us to engage more effectively with conflict in the various domains of our lives.

Collaboration, Community, and Conflict: A BIPOC-only cohort (Session 5 of 6)

In this 6-week, BIPOC-only workshop, we will explore and cultivate nonviolent communication skills that can support our working together productively, authentically, and with care.

When we pour ourselves into the things we care about, we want to know it matters. We want to know that our collective efforts to bring about needed changes and work toward Just Transition will be fruitful. How disheartening, exhausting, and frustrating it is to see our hard work fall short as conflict slows down, stalls out, or, worse yet, totally disrupts our collaborations.

The legacies of a domination paradigm (capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, competition to name a few) have left us without the skills we need in order to collaborate effectively and to find generativity in conflict which, on some scale, is inevitable.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) offers us a toolkit to deepen our own embodied self-connection and build our capacity to relate to ourselves and one another with empathy so that we can show up more fully and authentically to our work in the world. As we begin to unpack the way that domination culture has shaped our very language, we can learn new/old ways of communicating that bring us more deeply into alignment with our values, our purpose, and into connection with one another.

During this 6-week, online workshop designed and facilitated by BIPOC for a BIPOC cohort, we will explore practical strategies for undoing domination in ourselves, our communication, our relationships, and our collaborations. This course will provide an overview of nonviolent communication and support with:

  • Understanding empathy: What is it and why does it matter?
  • Using a self-empathy model as a tool for addressing systemic barriers to identifying and meeting our needs
  • Listening with empathy and compassion
  • Preparing ourselves for difficult conversations
  • Attending to grief and mourning
  • Fostering connection while maintaining personal authenticity

This workshop is not meant to be a forum for working through active conflicts with one another, but rather a place to be supported in cultivating the skills that will help us to engage more effectively with conflict in the various domains of our lives.

Collaboration, Community, and Conflict: A BIPOC-only cohort (Session 1 of 6)

In this 6-week, BIPOC-only workshop, we will explore and cultivate nonviolent communication skills that can support our working together productively, authentically, and with care.

When we pour ourselves into the things we care about, we want to know it matters. We want to know that our collective efforts to bring about needed changes and work toward Just Transition will be fruitful. How disheartening, exhausting, and frustrating it is to see our hard work fall short as conflict slows down, stalls out, or, worse yet, totally disrupts our collaborations.

The legacies of a domination paradigm (capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, competition to name a few) have left us without the skills we need in order to collaborate effectively and to find generativity in conflict which, on some scale, is inevitable.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) offers us a toolkit to deepen our own embodied self-connection and build our capacity to relate to ourselves and one another with empathy so that we can show up more fully and authentically to our work in the world. As we begin to unpack the way that domination culture has shaped our very language, we can learn new/old ways of communicating that bring us more deeply into alignment with our values, our purpose, and into connection with one another.

During this 6-week, online workshop designed and facilitated by BIPOC for a BIPOC cohort, we will explore practical strategies for undoing domination in ourselves, our communication, our relationships, and our collaborations. This course will provide an overview of nonviolent communication and support with:

  • Understanding empathy: What is it and why does it matter?
  • Using a self-empathy model as a tool for addressing systemic barriers to identifying and meeting our needs
  • Listening with empathy and compassion
  • Preparing ourselves for difficult conversations
  • Attending to grief and mourning
  • Fostering connection while maintaining personal authenticity

This workshop is not meant to be a forum for working through active conflicts with one another, but rather a place to be supported in cultivating the skills that will help us to engage more effectively with conflict in the various domains of our lives.

Just Transition in Action

Along with ON PAR (Arlington Partners Against Racism) and Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley, we invite you to Poughkeepsie to join with others working toward environmental and social justice for a day of experiential learning about Just Transition and ways we can move toward a regenerative economy.

Perhaps you’ve heard about Just Transition but wonder: What does that really mean? What would it look like on the ground, in our region? How do we do it? This workshop facilitates a community of co-learners to explore what Just Transition means in our heads and our hearts, and to generate energy and ideas for how we can take action to help move much-needed changes forward. As those who work on social justice and those who work on climate/environmental justice learn and share a meal together, we come into closer relationships and communication with one another, expanding who we know and exploring shared values in a learning community. The opportunity to share our perspectives and support each other to deepen our understanding in connecting ways makes this the kind of learning experience that stays with you. Here’s a comment on the workshop from a past participant:

A workshop to wake up to the depth and breadth of the shifts happening, and what to look out for. – Sarah V.

Through interactive exercises, reflection, discussion, hands-on creativity, movement-based activities, inspiring examples, and compelling media, you will experience: 

  • How resources and work are combined to realize contrasting purposes in extractive and regenerative economies
  • Stories of existing alternatives and possible futures that can liberate our imaginations
  • Insight into ways we can move from where we are to the future we are committed to 
  • A sense of how we can involve ourselves in working toward change 
  • Space to clarify your role and commit to one or more next steps in contributing to Just Transition
  • Accountability to yourself and your action intentions beyond the time we spend together in the workshop

BLOK Party

We’re having a BLOK Party (Black & Brown Liberation of Kingston)! Come out to The Greenhouse for a night of music and art by BIPOC artists from the Hudson Valley. 

There will be music performances throughout the night, and handmade items for sale. Our vendors include soap, essential oil products, ceramics, paintings, jewelry, and more!

The exhibit by Shirley Parker-Benjamin and Onaje Benjamin is on display and available for sale as well. 

We are committed to uplifting the work of BIPOC artists, creators and makers as part of the Just Transition framework.

We have made the decision to require masks at this indoor event. Depending on the weather, parts of the event will be outdoors, but with the rising number of cases and increased transmissibility, we will be requiring masks. We will be asking people to eat or drink outdoors if weather allows, or to socially distance while eating or drinking, and to replace masks as soon as you’re done. Let’s keep everyone safe so we can do this again. Thanks.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME! No registration needed.