As people who care deeply about their local landscapes, we know we need to be effective stewards. How do we find others who will help co-create the conditions for openness, curiosity, cooperation, and learning? And how do we catalyze and embody the cultural and worldview shifts necessary for the regeneration of the planet, our bioregion, and our local communities?
Regenerate Cascadia partnered with the Design School for Regenerating Earth as part of their 2024 learning journey, "Birthing Bioregional Learning Centers," beginning March 19, 2024 and running for six months. The goal was to birth a planetary network of bioregional learning centers, working in parallel with local groups around North America and the world.
Regenerate Cascadia formed a cohort as part of this learning journey, using the six-month opportunity to work with organizers from around Cascadia who were interested in creating processes for initiating Landscape Hubs, each of which would host a Bioregional Learning Center within their unique landscape.
Course Information
Duration: March through September 2024 (six months)
Days: Tuesday and Thursday
Time: 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM Pacific
Cost: $50, or free with the Regenerate Cascadia Cohort
Time Commitment: 3 to 5 hours per week
For participants from within Cascadia who were interested in developing or growing a bioregional learning site or learning center in their landscape, Regenerate Cascadia covered the costs of the Learning Journey and a one-year membership to the Design School for Regenerating Earth.
Course Structure
The course blended theory and practice, beginning by creating shared contexts of ideas, language, models, and frameworks. This flowed into the self-organizing of participants into cohorts that worked in their own landscapes to apply what they learned in real-world settings. As part of this worldwide endeavor, Cascadia joined other regional organizing clusters, including the Great Lakes, the North East, and the Northern Andes.
The six-month duration provided an opportunity for members of Regenerate Cascadia to learn together and build on what was already emerging in various groups and guilds. The sessions were designed to provide developmental learning and clear next steps for local bioregional work while allowing for parallel learning from across the planet. This structure supported the formation of core backbone teams able to hold bioregional learning processes in their landscapes.
Regenerative organizers were encouraged to sign up with friends and local groups to organize their own cohort. For example, organizers on Vancouver Island in British Columbia gathered with other local organizers to form their own team. The hope was to stimulate the creation of bioregional learning centers around the world through the learning journey and the supportive exchanges that emerged afterward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Bioregional Learning Center the same as a Landscape Hub?
A Bioregional Learning Center is slightly different from a Landscape Hub. However, learning centers play a critical role for every hub, as they develop a story of place, an informational commons, and a portfolio of regenerative projects. A BLC may or may not have a physical location, and there might be several bioregional learning sites within a single landscape.
Can I join even if I am not interested in forming a Landscape Hub?
Yes. The learning journey was open to anyone interested in the broader movement and learning ecosystem, regardless of whether they intended to form a Regenerate Cascadia Landscape Hub.
What if I need to leave or join later?
Flexibility was built into the process. The primary goal was to grow a group of people who could work together, develop trust, and build coherence through the six-month process. Regenerate Cascadia also used this program to identify 5 to 10 potential leadership teams to form landscape hubs in 2025.
What if I cannot attend the full program or am outside Cascadia?
Priority was given to participants within the Cascadia bioregion who could commit to the full program. However, where resources allowed, the program was open to additional participants regardless of location.
For more information, see Joe Brewer's essay: A Learning Journey to Regenerate Bioregions.