Unlike traditional conferences where you might sit and listen to presentations, the Gathering is an immersive experience where every participant actively contributes. You’ll engage in deep discussions, collaborative exercises, community exploration, and creative problem-solving. Think of it as a living laboratory where diverse perspectives come together to explore and shape the future of housing and community development.

Each day weaves together different types of engagement: deep dialogue sessions, community site visits, collaborative workshops, reflection time, and evening community-building activities. 

The flow of the event will help all participants evolve their capacity to see the system.  The first day will invite you into the lives of South Berkeley residents and encourage you to reflect on your individual essence and the role you play in your community and the housing system.  The second day will focus on collaborative work – results of the work in South Berkeley and through the Innovators Network.  And the final day will invite you to consider the housing system as a whole and discuss what we can do individually and collectively to transform it.

The specific agenda will be based on participant input and emerging needs, but you can expect to:

• Engage with Berkeley’s community history and current innovations
• Participate in facilitated discussions and working sessions
• Connect with peers during structured and unstructured time
• Contribute your leadership to collective vision-building and action planning

Yes. Like an ecosystem, each participant plays a vital role in the Gathering’s success. The experience is designed to build progressively, with each session informing the next. We ask all participants to commit to the full three days, including evening activities.

The following values have been identified by the network’s Steering Committee and/or in partnership with our host community partner, Healthy Black Families, Inc.:

• We value spaces that center community. We honor the experience and perspective of the community in South Berkeley.
• We value human dignity. We believe in the right of every person to be respected and to realize their individual potential.
• We pursue knowledge and insight. We thrive through learning.
• We value honesty and human worth. We respect and value people for who they are, not just what they do. Our work is grounded in trust and honesty.
• We search for meaning. We, as individuals and as a collective, strive to discover our unique contributions to the world.
• We organize for synergy. We foster harmonious and energized relationships. We know this creates possibilities that far surpass our individual abilities.
• We share, listen, and trust.
• We are fully present, so that others not only feel heard, but also see themselves with more clarity.