Healing Colonial Legacies: Reconnecting with Personal & Land-Based Histories

How can we build authentic relationships with ourselves, our communities, and the earth? This five-day workshop invites participants to reflect on past experiences and foster empathy, forgiveness, generosity, and balance in the present. Activities include cultural mapping, mindfulness, intention setting, an empathy journal, arts integration, and discussions rooted in applied decolonization.

Guest speakers Moises Gonzales (Genizaro) and Johnny Valdez (Southern Ute) will share insights about building lasting connections to land and community, highlighting how history continues to impact us. Participants will examine their personal histories, exploring belonging, trauma, and reconnection, and consider how these shape identity.

The workshop concludes by focusing on collective healing and responsibility, equipping attendees with practical tools for community engagement and connection to the land. It is open to anyone affected by colonialism, including Indigenous peoples, descendants of settlers, and those impacted or displaced.

Through a combination of interactive learning, group conversations, and creative exercises, the workshop creates a supportive environment for individuals to deepen their understanding of themselves and others. Cultural mapping encourages participants to trace their roots and identify patterns of displacement or continuity, providing a visual and emotional context for personal narratives. Mindfulness practices and intention setting help ground the experience and cultivate awareness, supporting growth and resilience. The empathy journal serves as a reflective tool, guiding participants to observe shifts in perspective and develop compassion for self and community.

Arts integration introduces various mediums—painting, storytelling, music—as a means of expressing complex emotions and experiences related to colonial history and its ongoing effects. Discussions on applied decolonization offer actionable strategies for dismantling oppressive systems and rebuilding equitable relationships. By the end of the workshop, participants will have developed a toolkit for fostering meaningful connection and active participation within their unique contexts, supporting continued healing and empowerment.

This workshop features “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World” with Robin Wall Kimmerer, September 5th. 

Please click here for a brief introduction and course overview from the instructors, supply list and workshop schedule.