2024 Spring Convergence
March 2, 2024 | 9am-9pm
Location: Sweetwater Organic Community Farm
7318 Comanche Ave Tampa, FL 33634
Our inaugural convergence brought together community members across generations for a day of inspiring, life-centered experiences, workshops, and panels.
This gathering was dedicated to engaging our community in conversation about environmental stewardship and community building through the lens of Regenerative Culture.
See our speaker list
Photo Gallery
Opening circle welcoming all participants
What We Explored
All Ages Fun
- Toy Swap! Share your toys and come home with something new (to you)
- Intergenerational workshops for the whole family
- Hands-on workshops including rainwater harvesting and Learning from Nature
- Drumming and Dancing
- Campfire S’Mores
Network & Connect
Network with new people and teachers in our Connections & Tea space, where participants could search and input on a physical map of resources in the region—making visible the regenerative network across Tampa Bay.
Schedule
Morning
| Location | Time | Activity | | —- | —- | —- | | Meet in front of Farmhouse | 10:00 - 10:30am | Sweetwater Farm Tour with Cristy Abbott | | Main Stage | 10:30 - 11:00am | Opening Circle | | Main Stage | 11:00 - 11:45am | Intergenerational Exploration Workshop with Donna Angelou | | Farm House | 11:00 - 12:00pm | Regenerative Business Panel | | Connections Barn | All morning | Connections Mapping / We Regenerate | | Market | All morning | Vending and Tabling |
Early Afternoon
| Location | Time | Activity | | —- | —- | —- | | Meet in front of Farmhouse | 12:30 - 1:30pm | Learning from Nature Workshop with Liztere Fiol and Caleb Quaid | | Zone 00 | 1:30 - 2:30pm | Sound Healing w/ Jennifer McClure | | Farmhouse | 12:30 - 1:15pm | Intro to Permaculture w/ Bill Bilodeau | | School House | 1:30 - 2:15pm | Heart Walk Celebration w/ Cindy Casterlin | | Main Stage | 1:30 - 2:30pm | Food System Panel | | Meet in front of Farmhouse | 1:30 - 2:30pm | Rainwater Harvesting Tour with Diane Willis | | School House | 2:30 - 3:15pm | Toy Swap | | Connections Barn | All afternoon | Connections Mapping / We Regenerate | | Market | All afternoon | Vending and Tabling |
Late Afternoon
| Location | Time | Activity | |——-|——–|———| | Main Stage | 3:00 - 4:00pm | Land and Water Use Panel | | Zone 00 | 3:00 - 4:00pm | Open | | School House | 3:30 - 4:15pm | Garden Grampa Lasagna Composting with Albert Risemberg | | Main Stage | 4:30 - 6:00pm | Elder Wisdom Panel | | Zone 00 | 5:00 - 5:45pm | Zone 00 All Ages Embodiment with Tatiana Rodeiro | | Connections Barn | All afternoon | Connections Mapping / We Regenerate | | Market | All afternoon | Vending and Tabling |
Evening
| Location | Time | Activity | | —- | —- | —- | | Zone 00 | 6:30 - 9:00pm | 00 Lounge | | Main Stage | 6:30 - 7:30pm | Idea Hour | | Fire Pit | 7:00 - 9:00pm | Fireside Chat / S’mores | | Main Stage | 7:45 - 9:00pm | Music with Sunya | | Connections Barn | All afternoon | Connections Mapping / We Regenerate | | Market | All afternoon | Vending and Tabling |
Our Value-for-Value Experiment
We embraced “value for value” pricing—a new way of thinking about exchange that puts relationships and access at the center:
The Pricing Model
We offered:
- 💙 Pay Nothing ($0) - Community support ensured everyone could attend
- 💚 Contribute a Little ($10) - Helped cover basic costs
- 💛 Cover Event Cost ($30) - Standard attendance support
- 🧡 Support the Community ($60) - Fair compensation for speakers and organizers, plus seed funding for future events
Why This Approach?
From our event description:
“We believe in the transformative power of shared experiences and the principle of ‘value for value.’ This event is not just about attendance; it’s about shared experiences and connecting us to life.”
This experimental approach helped us tell a new story of economics—putting life at the center of money. See Regenerative Economics for more on this approach.
Key Learnings
1. People Hunger for Authentic Connection
In a culture of fragmentation, intentional gathering across difference creates something alive.
2. Intergenerational Exchange Enriches Everyone
From elders sharing wisdom to children reminding us to play, to youth bringing fresh vision—all ages together strengthened the whole.
3. Place-Based Learning Matters
Many attendees had never visited Sweetwater Farm before. Meeting on working land that demonstrates more mindful land stewardship made regenerative principles tangible and real.
4. Economic Experiments Shift Consciousness
The value-for-value model showed that access and relationship can be prioritized over extraction.
5. Community Wants This
The energy, engagement, and feedback was clear: people are hungry for spaces like this. The convergence planted seeds for ongoing gatherings and deeper connections.
Participant Reflections
“This felt different from other events. People really showed up with their hearts.”
“I loved seeing my kids learning alongside elders. That doesn’t happen enough.”
“I met so many people doing regenerative work in Tampa Bay I didn’t know about. We need to connect more.”
Looking Forward
This convergence was the beginning, not the end. It showed us:
- The appetite for regenerative gathering in Tampa Bay
- The power of Circle Process and intentional design
- The possibility of [[ Value-for-Value Economics ]] in practice
- The importance of Community Gatherings as foundation for culture shift
Future events will build on what we learned here.
Get Involved
Want to participate in future gatherings or help organize?
- Join Us - Connect with the community
- Stay tuned for announcements of future events
Explore Further
- Past Events - Archive of gatherings
- Events - Main events page
- Community Gatherings - Our approach to gathering
- Circle Process - How we hold space
- Regenerative Culture - The principles we practice
- [[ Value-for-Value Economics ]] - Our economic experiments
