2019 Workshops & Instructors
2019 Workshops, Activities, & Instructors
Workshops listed below with limited room for people will have sign-up sheets at our Information Booth posted at 8am of the morning they are scheduled.
Native American Songs & Teachings
We will learn about Native American culture through traditional songs.
Instructor: Michael Colscott
The Forager’s Code
Explore the what, why, when, where, how, and how much of foraging. This hands-on experience will give you ideas to develop your own sense of how to forage responsibly. Whether you are making a salad or making a potent herbal remedy, this experience will allow you to delve into the philosophical, spiritual, emotion, and ethical aspects of foraging. Experience organoleptics, the herbal eye, the forager’s step, and the ethical boundaries of native and non-native plants. This experience is facilitated by forager and herbalist Leah Wolfe from the Trillium Center (trilliumcenter.org).
Instructor: Leah Wolfe, Trillium Center
Leah Wolfe, MPH, is a full-time herbalist in NE Ohio. She has a background in public health research and health education but has a penchant for the unexplainable, the great mystery. The Trillium Center (trilliumcenter.org), is an educational center for natural arts run out of BLD farm, a small homesteading farm where she teaches people how to identify, process, and use wild plants while at the same time helping them connect with plants and nature on emotional and spiritual levels. Classes are taught in a classroom made with salvaged materials, local clay, straw bales, and cattail fluff.
Racial Equity in and through Cooperative Economics
Presentation and facilitated dialogue on the topic of cooperative economics, including: 1. the history of cooperative economics in the African American community, 2. Cooperation Jackson in Mississippi, & 3. the inter-relationship of racial equity and cooperative economics
Instructor: Morgan Bulger
In 2018 I received my PhD in Organizational Behavior from Case Western Reserve University. My dissertation focused on the design and practice of social inclusion in mixed-income communities. I am currently a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. I’ve worked on various activist campaigns including the election of Jasmin Santana (Cleveland’s first Hispanic councilwoman), CLASH lead safe housing ballot, reform of the Cuyahoga County jail, Black Lives Matter, direct support to immigrants affected by the 2018 immigration raids, direct support to low-income families of color, and organization against Trump’s migrant concentration camps. Currently I work with residents and organizational partners of Woodhill Homes, a public housing site in Cleveland, as they engage in a participatory planning process funded by HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, and am in the planning stages of starting a cooperative laundry business with Woodhill Homes residents.
Kid’s Workshop: Children’s Textile Experiences
Jes Burns, Kelly Clark, and Laurel Simkoff will work together to offer a variety of ongoing textile experiences for children of all ages. These offerings may include needle felting, weaving, cyanotype (sun printing using natural materials the children scavenge for), papier-mâché, and eco-friendly dye tie-dying. The materials created will ideally be used to craft costume pieces or decorations for a children’s parade sometime during the weekend. Children are welcome to freely choose to opt-in to a variety of these activities at various times during the weekend
Instructor: Laurel Simkoff, Jessica Burns, & Kelly Clark
See elsewhere for Jes Burns & Kelly Clark. Laurel Simkoff is a mother, partner, educator, explorer, dancer, and artist. She has worked with children in some capacity for 20+ years, and finds inspiration in children’s sense of wonder and creative thinking. Currently she is teaching in the children’s hagiga program at Kol Halev- Cleveland’s Reconstructionist Jewish community, and volunteers on various committees. She spends time with her family and friends camping, going to concerts and music festivals, geocaching, and traveling. She is a professionally trained modern dancer for 25+ years and believes everyone is a dancer even if they believe they “have no rhythm.”
Medicinal Gardening
Blend medicine in with your food when gardening each year and treat most maladies and conditions with people’s medicine- herbs! This class combines determining a short list of herbs your family might need, companion planting, and planting for your terrain/plot so that you leave the workshop with a plan to get started. Resources on where to obtain your medicinals is also included.
Instructor: Lily Kunning, Haven Herbs, Herbalists Without Borders
Lily is a community and clinical herbalist working in Columbus Ohio to make health care justice a reality. She volunteers to organize and staff People’s Clinic events and creates formulas for its People’s Apothecary (a sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds endeavor). She teaches free classes at Cancer Support Community. And she is working to create Ohio’s annual herb gathering, Sassafras.
Phenology & Lunar Cycles
Explore the rhythms of the world through the phases of the Moon. We will examine the lunar cycle through the seasons, the soil, and our human lives and bodies. Learn how to plant by the moon, and make your own lunar tracking calendar. Tuning into the lunar cycle is an easy and gratifying way to reconnect with the natural world and balance your energies.
Instructor: Jessica Burns
Born basic in the suburbs, raised to be a productive member of human society, rebelled against that training, currently having a mid-life crisis as I struggle to raise a child and live more in harmony with natural cycles.
The Basics of Folk Medicine-Making
There is much more to herbalism than chamomile tea. In this workshop we will try and learn about a variety of herbal medicines and talk about the roles and benefits of each. I teach the folk method of medicine making so it’s accessible to anyone who is interested in learning. We will touch on tinctures, soups, vinegars, teas, honeys, salves, and steams, as well as some harvesting and processing basics. Anyone who is interested at the end of class can make an 8 oz herbal vinegar tincture to take home for $5.
Instructor: Aniko Zala, Wild Origins
Aniko is a folk herbalist in Central Ohio. She apprenticed for two years under an ethnobotanist / herb farmer who studied with Rosemary Gladstar and for the better part of a decade she has been growing, working with, and studying medicinal plants. Through Wild Origins she sells herbal products and teaches empowering herbalism workshops. She is especially drawn to the connections between self empowerment, self care, and the natural world.
Wild Mushroom Identification
Learn how to find and identify wild mushrooms, and how to properly harvest edible species.
Instructor: Don King, The Mushroom Hunter
Don can often be found hiking the forests of Ohio and neighboring states in search of wild mushrooms and other delicious and healthy edibles, which he considers to be the pinnacle of sustainable, local foods. Don’s enthusiasm for wild foods stems from his passion for cooking, where he believes that the freshest ingredients yield the tastiest results. This philosophy has led to five Vegan Iron Chef titles, an annual event sponsored by Standing Rock Cultural Arts.
Don loves to share his knowledge of wild foods and how to prepare them through private and group identification workshops and wild edible hunts, as well as video tutorials and other appearances. He has been featured several times on Fox 8’s New Day Cleveland and NPR’s Good Eats with Vivian Goodman. Follow Don on Facebook (The Mushroom Hunter), Instagram (@donthemushroomhunter) and his website, themushroomhunter.com.
Soul Nourishing with Flowers
Make flower crowns out of natural materials, while appreciating the interconnectedness of our ecosystem.
Instructor: Emily Pek
I’m in my fourth season farming, a passion I came to through my love of food and understanding agricultural systems. I grew up in Cleveland, moved around after school and “boomeranged” back home two years ago. I currently work full time at CWRU Farm, where we grow vegetables for the dining halls and local restaurants as well as provide educational opportunities.
I also independently steward land in Geauga County where I grow cut flowers and flax (for linen). I use regenerative farming practices, many experimental, techniques that I love sharing with others! I studied and received a B.A in Psychology and have remained enthusiastic about learning from, and sharing with others because of it.
*For this skill shares’ purposes I would be representing with product and experience from Frayed Knot Farm*
Kid’s Workshop: Sock it to ya! Sock puppets for all!
Join us for a creative adventure in puppetry! Come learn to work in the creative in-between space of puppets. In between what? In between self and the other, in between performing and play, in between laughs and more laughs, and serious time. There is a lot of creativity and exploration of ones’ creative mind that can/must be uncovered in order to be both comfortable with a puppet and comfortable with puppeteering. We’ll each use socks, felt, buttons, thread, and glue (at least!) to create new puppets, the whole time learning and sharing the ways to bring these puppets to life. This class is for anyone interested! There will be use of hot glue and/or needle and thread, assistance and help with either of those will be available.
Instructors: Bradley Williams and Zoe Apisdorf
My name is Bradley, I love taking my time and walking at mushroom-speed through the woods — seeing all of my plant, animal, and fungus friends.
Kid’s Workshop: Acorn Dyeing with Kids
We will explore different techniques of natural dyeing using acorns! Instructor will supply up to 20 bandanas for kids to dye. Participants are more than welcome to bring shirts, scrap fabric and cloth for additional dyeing.
Instructor: Che Leetch
I’m a mother, co-owner of a family run glass shop, kids yoga & mindfulness teacher, and nature-loving, muddy adventuring, wild and free childhood advocate at heart.
Restore in Nature
Be supported by the Earth! We’ll stay close to the ground, allowing our breath to lead our movements. As we prepare for a few restorative poses, we’ll allow space for the subtle openings. It’s important to meet the bustle of learning and socializing with the balance of rest. Lets breath and be still together!
Instructor: Cassandra Sirl
Cassandra is a mother, partner, movement instructor, birth worker and community advocate. She completed an Embodied Practice training at Abide Yoga as well as the never ending class of self study. Providing spaces for vulnerability in movement and rest are a true passion! As we allow nature to lead the way and inspire our work, there becomes so much room to grow and expand, as well as rest and quietly nurture.
Introduction to Nonviolent Communication
This workshop will provide an introduction to Nonviolent Communication (NVC). NVC is a language tool and a way of looking at the world which helps people connect compassionately with others, and it can be useful to build community and resolve conflicts. In this workshop, the facilitator will guide you through the basic framework of NVC. You will also have an opportunity to practice using NVC on scenarios that participants bring up during the workshop.
Instructor: John L. Clark
John grew up in Northeast Ohio without a deep exposure to the wild. He studied mathematics and computer science, used computers professionally for a while, and then began to look around and notice that his cybernetic, civilized life was unsustainable, unsatisfying, isolating, and essentially inhuman. He took time to study what he had missed for so long, and grew sad as he saw the broad scope of societal problems, steeped in fear and violence. Now he wants to see the world turn in a dramatically different direction, a turn toward the wild.
For John, the wild world is one of community and trust, and of mutual understanding. One of the tools that he has encountered for fostering these elements is Nonviolent Communication (NVC), which focuses on compassion and aims to help us to build connections with other people, meet our needs, and resolve conflicts. John is excited to use NVC to help foster a general social movement towards intentional communities. He participated in one community experiment in Cleveland Heights several years ago, and he has recently joined an intentional community in Madison, Ohio. He enjoys watching as this community deploys a growing array of wild skills to connect with each other and the land around them.
Chicken Processing
Keeping chickens is one way to supply some of your own food including eggs and meat. As omnivores, chickens can also help with converting your compost into fertilizer. Even if you only keep chickens for eggs, there may be the need to process the occasional rooster or old hen. In this hands-on workshop we will slaughter (using a knife and cone), pluck and butcher the chickens for Saturday’s dinner.
Appropriate for adults and mature children.
Earth Restoration in Northeast Ohio
I will be describingthe concept of Earth Restoration Camps and will discuss how to get such a project going in our area. You can expect and interactive conversation meant to develope a restoration project for our region.
Chagrin Valley School as Social Permaculture
I will present the philosophy and implementation of Chagrin Valley School and the ways in which it exemplifies permaculture concepts and practices.
Instructor: Kelly Clark
Who Goes There? Reading Track and Sign
You ever wonder what you are missing when you are walking through the woods? Want to know who left that track in the mud? Or how to tell the difference between a coyote, fox and dog track?
Track and sign is a bottomless pit that is hopelessly addicting. In this workshop we will go over the basic rules to ID’ing the tracks of our common mammals. We will also chat about scat, chews, lays, gaits, trailing animals and whatever else folks want to learn. We’ll go to the woods, do some hands-on activities there as well.
Instructor: Sandy Reed
As classroom educator for 31 years, Sandy began her career when she graduated from The Ohio State University with a BS degree in Education, followed by a Masters degree in Gifted Education through Ashland University. Sandy has created curriculum and international programs for her district for students K-12. Her favorite program is STEM Expeditions, credit bearing field study courses that included taking students on trips throughout the US and internationally to South Africa. Sandy has been an instructor with Coyote Trails School of Nature since 2006 where she has taught survival and earth-based living skills to youth, adults and families in Oregon, West Virginia and Ohio. She is a Level 2 International Wildlife Tracker, in both the US and South Africa, certified through Cybertracker in track ID and Trailing. She loves to organize adult and student trips to South Africa and has visited there five times. She is looking forward to visiting the Okavango Delta in 2019 and to bringing HS students back to South Africa for science, photography and art courses in 2020.
Sandy lives with her husband Cal and two children in Pataskala, Ohio.
Building an Outdoor Kitchen from Cob
Come learn how to build your very own outdoor kitchen and cooking space. We will be covering the basics of building with cob and how to design an outdoor stove to fit your needs. You can expect to learn about digging and processing your own sandy clay soil, building a foundation, collecting and building with natural materials form the forest, and of course rocket stoves!
Instructor: Chris McClellen
A work from Mud “Whatever questions life throws at us, we are surrounded by answers. Beautiful, simple answers in the mud and rocks under our feet, in the trees we think of as weeds, the junk we throw away. Most of the answers require work, but all the best ones also require play. Play fires the Imagination. The Imagination finds answers. Answers that please your soul in a way that the plastic-wrapped answers we buy at the store can’t.
Atlatls for Fun!
Participants will make atlatls out of river cane. These atlatls are for fun and will not have sharp points on the darts. They are great to use with kids and families while introducing them to the fun of atlatl recreation. Participants will be able to keep the atlatl and take it home. Participants need to be aware that they will be carving with a knife and should bring their own knives. Fixed blades are best.
Instructor: Cal Reed
Growing up on the gulf in Hitchcock, Texas, Cal spent his youth learning primitive skills that would enable him to bring home food to the table. He spent huge amounts of time immersed in nature which naturally led to mastery in many types of primitive skills.
He is a self-taught primitive archer, capable of making a complete archery outfit from materials directly from the landscape. He has taught many earth-based living skills to youth and adults including self-bow making, flint knapping, basketry, hide tanning, primitive cooking, traps, wild edibles and awareness skills, to name a few.
His proudest achievement is when he harvested a deer in 1997 with all home-made materials including an osage bow and a cane shafted flint tipped arrow he flint-knapped and fashioned himself.
As a student, Cal has taken numerous classes from the Tracker School in New Jersey and was a two-time presenter at national Mid Atlantic Primitive Skills Gatherings (MAPS Meet). He has traveled to South Africa and enjoyed traversing the landscape, checking out the knapping ability of the rocks. He explored wood types for bow making and also experimented with wood types for fire by friction methods. He strives to have command of all skills necessary to live purely in nature with no fabricated resources.
He loves being in nature and gives freely of his time to any youth and adults interested in strengthening their connections to the Earth. He is currently a primitive skills instructor for Coyote Trails School of Nature and assists with programming in Ohio and West Virginia.
Taking the Starving out of Artist
A group discussion on how to be strategic, flexible, and organized as you try to make a living from your art. We will explore ideas of local vs universal, community-building as marketing and showing up with curiosity and confidence.
Instructor: Steve Leetch
Steve Leetch has been working with Art Glass for over 25 years. Steve’s work can be found in collections around the globe.
BFA in Art Glass – Ohio State University
MFA in Art Glass – Rochester Institute of Technology
Edible Weeds of Wayside Places
In this class we will talk about common weeds of the landscape and what they tell us about the region we live in. We’ll talk guidelines for respectable foraging, making proper identification, and preparation. We will dive into weeds in the gardens, lawns, and forests with a short walk.
Instructor: John Wright
I’ve been leading workshops based in gardening and horticulture for over 10 years. . My education is in horticulture, permaculture and crop science. I have run farms and gardens from 1-50 acres in size. Some for educational purposes and others for production. I have always strived to be organic or better. I now have a small nursery and farm whose main mission is to educate folks on culturally significant plants of the world.
In recent years consultations have been more prevalent as I work to help folks to grow more of their own food in a holistic way. I am now focused on creating and helping others to create diverse orchards, food forests, and homescale foodscapes for subsistence living.
Finding Empathy Creatively
This workshop, based on Joanna Macy’s work, will pair you up with somebody to talk through the issues closest to your heart in relation to the environment/justice/ways of being in the world. In the process, you’ll also get to write about what you discover.
Instructor: Kate Beutner
I teach creative writing & literature at the College of Wooster, where I’m part of the Environmental Studies curriculum committee. My first novel came out in 2010 and I’m currently working on a novel about climate change protesters.
So Ya Wanna Grow Some Pawpaws?
This will be a tiptoe through the process of growing pawpaws.
1) Why do you wanna grow pawpaws? A) Fruit, B) Zebra Swallowtail, C) Cool pyramidal shape. This answer will help determine:
2) Starting from seed versus buying seedlings versus buying grafts versus grafting your own. This will basically be a pros and cons type discussion of all of the above that will include topics like cost, timeframes, trademarks.
3) Pawpaw Peculiarities. Watering, pH, over wintering in containers, landscape fabric, drip irrigation, bringing in pollinators.
4) Questions?
Instructor: Justin Husher
I learned to farm in the wilds of Western Cleveland circa 2009, turning some of the worst soils in America into scrumptious rainbow heirloom veggies. After five years of renting land in Cleveland, the uptight suburb of Lakewood, Ohio sold me two 5,000 square foot properties in 2014. This allowed me to pursue my longer term goal of orcharding. Specifically, pawpaws. In the Spring of 2015, 82 grafted trees were planted in three separate rows with asparagus alley-cropped between them. In 2018, me and my peeps who helped me along the way, celebrated the first harvest. Right now in 2019, the trees are loaded with fruit with expected yields around 300 pounds.
But enough about my personal life, professionally I work for Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District, where I head our urban agriculture program. The job can be all over the place. In three years, I’ve taught cover crop, soil health, “Gardener’s Guide to Organic Fertilizers,” seed starting, native North American Fruits, tomato stringing, and fruit grafting workshops. Other duties have included growing over a thousand wildflower plugs for pollinator plantings, soil test interpretations for citizens of Cuyahoga County, and rain garden installations.
Somewhere along the way, I got a Bachelor’s of Science in Botany and a MBA from Cleveland State. In 2018, I had the most popular presentation at Pawpaw Fest with my “Growing Pawpaws in an Urban Environment” presentation. I was immediately invited back for 2019.
Making rope from the wilds
In this class we’ll be making cordage from materials regional and exotic. We’ll go over proper harvesting and processing and if we have time we’ll go on a walk and find some local plants perfect for rope making. There will be materials for making cordage and folks will get to take some home.
Limit: 10 people
Weaving Baskets with drip tape
In this class we’ll use a waste material in farming called drip tape to weave a berry basket.
Limit: 10 people
Instructor: Isaac Coblentz 
I’m an artist and craftsman and enjoy using scavenged recycled and repurposed materials in my projects.
Solar/Wind Off-Grid Electric 101
Learn the basics for a solar and/or wind powered off-grid electric system. I’ll cover the components needed for any off-grid renewable energy system, cost and labor estimates, the current market for buying components, and direction on where to go next to learn more. I have zero experience with grid-tied systems; this class is for those curious about off-grid electric.
Instructor: Stephanie Blessing, Red Beet Row
Steph designed and installed her own solar and wind powered off-grid electric system for her small farm in Ashtabula County, OH. She spent the last 3 years learning how to teach basic electrical classes to adults. Her skills also lie in grassroots community organizing, instructing hands-on home repair workshops, and natural building. She loves teaching how to build and creatively construct the world we wish to live in! She runs a permaculture farm with her husband in northeast Ohio – check them out at www.redbeetrow.com
Beginner Beekeeping
Have you ever thought about beekeeping? Let me help you in discussing what it takes to get started!
Instructor: Danielle Thompson
Danielle Thompson- Backyard Beekeeper
My name is Danielle. I am a Kent State graduate in Hospitality Management. I live in Parma Ohio. I work for Maxim Healthcare as a Program Manager in their medical coding division as well as part time for a Hilton Garden Inn as a Banquet Server. I enjoy hiking, traveling, and eating!
I first became interested in beekeeping in spring of 2018. I researched and attended a course by the Greater Cleveland Beekeepers Association (GCBA) in February and got my hives in April 2019. I would love to share with you why I am excited about bees!
Backyard bee barf workshop
More than 2/3 of beekeepers will quit within the first five years.
This is beyond beekeeping 101. Yes it’s basic beekeeping, plus more. Learn success and failure stories from all levels of beeks and how to apply it to you back yard hives to ensure you getting the best insect puke you’ll ever taste.
Also base on pollinator hotels that attract and house other pollinating insect.
Instructor: John Ransom, Urbandale Apiary
Married, 6 children, all part of the beekeeping full time business. Sold gun range last October to focus on bees full time. Very passionate about then and saving them. Love permaculture. Listen to Spirko’s podcast regularly.
Slingshot Building
I can provide season tree forks, band and pouch material and ammo. I can cover carving the fork, tieing the band set, and set up a target range or multiple courses depending on space. The course can stay set up for people to shoot or reshoot throughout the day. $5 Materials Fee
Instructor: James, Burning River Bushcraft, Campcraft Outdoors
Formal training and classes,
The Pathfinder School, Basic Survival, Pioneer, Advanced, Trapping
Campcraft Outdoors, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Winter Survival, Wilderness First Aid, Instructor Program
ESEE/Randell Adventure Training, Advanced Bushcraft
Herbal Academy, Intro to Herbalism, Intermediate Herbalism, Botany and Wildcrafting
Basket weaving
Bow making
Flint knapping
Green wood working
Compost Build
Ever wonder how to build you own compost bin? We will be covering the basics of bin design and construction by building three bins from various materials and scrap wood. Optional: Bring your own hammer and power tools. We will also cover the safe use of drills and other power equipment.
Instructor: Nick Fazekas, Fazekas Workshop
I am a self taught maker of things and I’ve always tried to find the line between practicality and price. I am an electrical/mechanical engineer so I can help answer questions on solar energy.
Intro to Lampwork Glass
In this class I will teach a short history of the art as well as cover the topics of types of glass, safety, setup, equipment, costs and how to save money. There will be a short demonstration and attendees will then have the opportunity if they wish to melt some glass and perhaps make something to take home.
Dangerous for Children
Limit: 8 People
Instructor: Derrek O’Hara, Marine Street Glass
I’m an artist, creative, jack of all trades type of person. I’ve had many professions over the years and currently run a small window restoration and house painting business. While I work with a multitude of mediums in my pursuit for artistic expression I’ve found my passion in beadwork and beaded jewelry. For many years I had wanted to lampwork glass and after my mother passed away I realized I wasn’t getting any younger so I bought the equipment and built my own home based studio. Now I make beads and pendants for my jewelry business Marine Street Glass.
Survival & Awareness
A short discussion covering realms of survival and awareness with a few simple excercises you can take home. We will cover many topics including gear to have on standby, manufacturing tools and gear out of found objects, camp alarms, becoming the gray man and more. As the workshop is discussion based conversation is intended to maintain fluidity. This is great for beginners and experienced alike!
Limit: 10 People
Sewing: Field repairs and found items
Lets open our eyes to the unlimited possibilities around us, there is useful materials waiting nearby! Together we will explore the possibilities of making or fixing our own clothing and gear by using items found on the landscape around us. If you have favorite clothing that needs mending or something you would like to add a pocket to bring it along! I will have an assortment of items i have made or modified and participants are free to come along to take part in discussion or get involved with sewing a project, no pressure!!
Limit: 10 people
Instructor: Joe Butterbaugh 
Joe started learning street and earth skills over a decade ago. He has rode freight trains and lived in the bushes, settling down in recent days to live in a tiny off grid shack with his partner endless meghan and his doggy spike.
Kid’s Workshop: Water World
We will explore the different routes that water takes, why it’s important, what it does, and how we can help protect our waterways!
Kid’s Workshop: Art in Nature
We will discuss what art is, where we can find it, and make our own masterpieces with found objects.
Instructor: Nik Davis, Cuyahoga River Restoration
Nik has a love for working with children and has spent the last four years teaching environmental science and arts to campers, scouts, and students. Her purpose in life is to discourage the disconnect between humans and nature through education. Nik received a bachelors degree in Geology/Geography from KSU in 2018 and is certified as an instructor of Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources: Projects WILD/WET. She currently works for Cuyahoga River Restoration, their mission is to restore and protect the environmental quality of the river and surrounding watersheds.
Biohacking: Light, Water & Magnetism
Biohacking focuses on cutting edge research in the fields of human optimization and longevity. This presentation will cover simple and FREE lifestyle strategies which most people have never heard of, to help you take control of your health and bring you to your full potential.
Instructor: Ian, Chagrin Valley School & Kelly’s Working Well Farm
Natural health & biohacking enthusiast who has been obsessively studying health for 8 years through various media, having worked and spent time in retreats, conferences and health centers around the world. Currently a staff member of Chagrin Valley School, a self-directed learning school empowering children to become independent life long learners.
Civil Disobedience Training
In this interactive workshop, we outline and discuss types of violence (interpersonal, institutional) and responses to violence (avoidance, accommodation, counter-violence). We engage participants in identifying violence in the language and culture around us. We introduce nonviolence both in theory (MLK’s principles of nonviolence) and in practice (exercises). Participants learn about nonviolent conflict resolution and practice nonviolent interpersonal communication techniques. Participants see how nonviolence has been used as a successful strategy in both historical (e.g., farm workers, civil rights) and current day social movements.
Instructor: Christine Stonebraker-Martinez, InterReligious Task Force On Central America and Colombia
Chrissy was raised in the rust-belt town of Youngstown, Ohio. Chrissy devotes passion for social justice to a union-laborer father and concern for Latin American solidarity to a mother, who found refuge in the US from Medellin, Colombia during the height of the civil war in the 1980s. Chrissy received a BA in International and Financial Management from Hiram College and an MA/MEd in Higher Education Administration and Counseling from Kent State University. At Kent, Chrissy worked in Student Affairs, coordinated experiential education, civic engagement and service learning trips, taught Student Development and Leadership courses and served on the staff Sustainability, Equity and Professional Development committees. While studying at Hiram Chrissy helped with the creation of the 501c3 Hiram Farm Living and Learning community for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and was co-founder of the Olive Branch fair trade store in Hiram, OH.
Chrissy joined IRTF as co-coordinator in 2013. Currently, Chrissy serves as Co-Moderator of the Disciples Peace Fellowship (DPF), Co-Chair of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR/FORUSA), Chair of the Ohio Fair Trade Network (OFTN), on the Council of School of Americas Watch (SOAW), and as a steering committee member of the Ohio Poor Peoples Campaign (PPC) and Christian Peacemaker Teams (ECAP-Colombia, CPT IK-Iraqi Kurdistan). They are proud to be a community organizer, organizing in the greater Cleveland area, with groups such as the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), the Student Farmworker Alliance (SFA), Alliance for Fair Food with the Fair Food Program (AFF/FFP), Witness Against Torture (WAT), Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD), Tree of Life Education Fund (Israel/Palestine), the Asociacion de Trabajadores del Campo Nicaragua (ATC), Refugee and Immigration Ministries with Disciples Home Missions (RIM DHM) and others. Her favorite organizing groups in Cleveland are: Amplifying BIPOC (AMPNEO), Clevelanders for Public Transit (CPT), the Social Justice Institute at Case Western Reserve University (SJI), and the Cleveland chapter of DSA.
Korean Natural Farming: An Intro
Korean Natural Farming is a system of organic farming involving low cost inputs aimed at re-invigorating soil ecosystems. Drawing on Traditional Chinese Medicine, microbiology, and permaculture, this set of preparations and practices can help grow healthy vigorous plants anywhere.
Instructor: Nathan Rutz, Rust Belt Riders
Life is amazing and crazy! There’s so much to learn! After getting a degree in philosophy and working in environmental justice organizations for some years, Nathan stuck his hands in the soil and was immediately enthralled. He’s had soil under his fingernails for the last 4 years learning into the bewildering magical world of soil and agriculture. He has a strict no-gurus policy recognizing that no one person has the whole truth of ecosystems, but many have important insights. A student forever, he teaches stuff he thinks is probably helpful, and at worst will be somewhat amusing in its re-telling.
Kids Workshop: A Conversation about Consent! (For Kids & Teens)
I will be leading a discussion about practicing good consent – what is consent and why is it important? We will practice setting and honoring boundaries together.
Instructor: Cecilia Li 
Cecilia Li is a Cleveland based artist and cuddle professional. She loves to help people establish better boundaries and learn to communicate more effectively through the training she received from Cuddle Party.
Extra Activity: Qigon with Beth Gatchell – Saturday 4:00-4:45pm
Qigong is the foundation of Tai Chi and Gung Fu (also called Kung Fu). At the heart of Qigong is learning how to manage our energy, maintain our physical bodies, and move efficiently. Join me for a 45-minute class that introduces foundational principles and an entry-level series of movements called Bat Dun Gam – 8 pieces of brocade.
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Beth is a song-wrangling, yoga-posing, Gung Fu-kicking, energy-moving cat mama. She originally hails from southern Ohio and currently lives in Lakewood, Ohio. She’s been writing music for years and playing out for the last 13. She is currently working on her first singer-songwriter album and has yogic chanting and other albums on deck. A book on moving through Lyme and mold-poisoning is in the works too. She’s excited to offer original music and Qigong at Reeds and Roots and looks forward to learning how to create some cool herbal concoctions at this year’s festival.
Extra Activity: All Levels Yoga
Check the final schedule for yoga opportunities! Classes are designed for all levels of students. Classes consist of: relaxation and gentle poses to begin, followed by more active poses, and then winding back down with relaxing poses and meditation. There will be a focus on breathing throughout the classes. Modifications and alternatives will be given throughout class to support newer students. Mats or towels would be helpful though students are welcome to practice on the ground.
Instructor: Sarah Husher
Sarah is a certified yoga teacher with over a decade of experience teaching a variety of yoga and meditation classes. After 10 years of being a student, Sarah decided to take her love for the practice to the next level in 2009, completing her 200-hour teacher certification with the well-respected Marni Task. She believes, “yoga is about uniting the breath, body, and mind. It is a beautiful journey inward, which results in outward changes.” Her teaching style is empathic, intuitive and fun. She has an uncanny ability to meet each student where they are as an individual. She is committed to her belief that yoga can be accessible to all levels and backgrounds of students. “We learn so much about ourselves when we take the seat of the observer, noticing our habits, our patterns, where we hold our breath, where we check out.”
Wellness Village!
Our Wellness Village includes first aid, herbal foot baths by Grounded, body work and movement, resting space, meditation, and energy work. Here are a few of the activities we have planned:
Extra Activity: Akhanda Yoga Class
Sunday 7:30-8:15 am
Instructor, Ashley Suzelis
A yoga class based on the Akhanda method. Akhanda is Sanskrit for “Whole or Complete.” It incorporates Grounding, Pranayama, Chanting, Meditation and traditional Hatha postures. This class will bring balance and strength to the mind, body and spirit creating ease and flow within the body’s energetic system and balancing all Chakras. A beautiful space to open the heart and help it to shine a little brighter.
Extra Activity: Sister Wounds
Instructor, Ashley Suzelis
Ashley will be leading a gathering for healing around the “Sister Wound.” It is open to people of all genders, this is an inclusive environment. We will address jealousy and the culture that creates around competition, self-esteem, bullying, trust issues, etc. A sacred container will be created to provide a safe place to share and connect. We’ll start off with gentle movement, breath and meditation to get into our bodies and into connection with our higher selves. We will do some partner exercises and sharing to connect with each other and sing some songs to connect us with the Divine Feminine within us all.
Bio: 
Ashley Suzelis is a Licensed Esthetician specializing in Holistic Skin Care, Yoga Instructor, Reiki Practitioner, Bach Flower Therapy Practitioner, Herbal Medicine Maker and member of the Association of Holistic Skin Care Practitioners. Ashley opened Forest of Youth Holistic Spa in Newton Falls, OH in 2014 where she offers a variety of chemical free spa treatments including Facials and Relaxation Massage as well as Reiki, Bach Flower Therapy Consultations, Yoga, Meditation, handmade herbal skin care and herbal remedies. Her goal is to assist in bringing the mind, body and spirit back into balance so her clients can move forward in living a more vibrant life. Her passion for skin care started as a young adult trying to find healthy skin care and beauty rituals that would add to the health of her skin and clear up her acne and scarring. After attending Casal AVEDA Institute for Esthiology Science in 2011, she discovered her chemical sensitivity and began searching out ways to learn about Holistic Skin Care. She found the Association of Holistic Skin Care Practitioners and has been learning and growing with them ever since. She has been practicing yoga for over 10 years and last spring retreated into the Costa Rican jungle where she received her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification. She is currently studying Herbalism to offer more support and healing.
Forest of Youth
Forest of Youth Facebook Page
Forest of Youth Instagram Page
Extra Activity: Herbs for the Thinning Veil
Friday at Dusk
Instructor, Leah Wolfe (see bio above)
Herbs for the Thinning Veil Friday at dusk Liminal spaces are the parts of our thinking where we operate from a sense of experiences, observations, and needs, which in turn lead to a specific and limited set of conclusions and beliefs. Setting aside all of these things is where we find space in ourselves to change or evolve; transition or transcend. For those of us seeking more, those of us who want to get a sense of not only what is outside our belief systems, but also want a sense of what is beyond the veil, there are some plants have been used to create mental or spiritual journeys and visions beyond the veil. In many traditions, the spaces of veil transcendence are thresholds, forest edges, cliffs, and other natural places and the times of the thinning veil are dreamtime, dawn and dusk, the new and full moons, the solstices, and the transition into Autumn in particular (Halloween, Day of the Dead, and many other traditions). The edge of this veil is where change happens, where diversity is at its highest, where possibilities unfold. Join herbalist Leah Wolfe for a dream provoking experience under the full moon as we begin the transition of late summer to fall.
Extra Activity: Thai Chi
Instructor, Kahlulee (Karl Hess)
Kahlulee is offering Chen style tai chi group instruction during morning movement on Friday and Saturday. Kahlulee has been pracricing tai chi for almost 20 years. He is a Reiki Master Teacher and also offers Intuitive Readings. You can find him during his leisure time reading, playing chess, playing with his dogs, and writing and playing original songs.
Extra Activity: Exploring Masculinity
Instructor, Michael Canton
Michael is facilitating a circle called Exploring Masculinity at Reeds and Roots. This workshop is open to people of all genders. Gender and identity is a continuum within and varies from individual to individual. We seek to build a learning community with diverse backgrounds and identities.
This circle is experiential and includes:
– Embodiment practices anchoring masculine energy
– Emotional awareness & processing techniques
– Learning how to hold space for others
– Partner exercises that develop trust, compassion, self-expression, behavioral change & brotherhood
– A container for processing personal challenges as they arise in the group