Ayana Young offers workshops & skillshares in the following–

FUNGI, FORESTS & FURY

Wild ones who hear the primordial call of the Earth Mother, as kin, we come to this gathering with hearts intertwined in the service of continued Life We will venture into the last ancient forests, diving into the mycelial web to be awed by the intelligence and mystery of millions of years of evolution. We will discuss how fungi have evolved to be Earth stewards, connecting and feeding their ecological communities, remediating oil spills and heavy metal contamination; cleansing and filtering toxic runoff; boosting tree and crop growth and building soil at amazing speeds; strengthening the immunities of bees and other pollinators; producing biofuels; and extracting radioactive particles from soil following nuclear disasters. We will also explore the inner dialogue of the forest, listening deeply and observing how she nurtures thriving communities of Life. Let us give thanks to the oxygen, medicine, food, carbon sequestration, water and much more that the forest offers freely.

Yet the time has come where we can not continue taking the forest’s gifts without reciprocating. This is a time for fury, passion, dedication and commitment. To fall in love with the forests is to awaken to the realties of their present state. Our kind has destroyed 98% of old growth forests through horrific logging practices and yet globally forests still continue to fall even as I write. So in the face of this destruction, WE STAND, we fight and we love the Forest even more fiercely in the face of their collapse.

SISTERS BONDED IN ACTION: Facilitators Training w/ Ayana Young & Sisters

We are all awakening to Gaia’s dilemma with a sob, and we wonder, “What can a person do?” Not be one person! When our identity extends beyond ourselves and aligns with a movement, changing the world is no longer the realm of idealism. Obstacles to empowerment fall away, the fear, uncertainty, self-imposed limitations. Dreaming of a thriving planet and an aligned society is the daily bread of this journey.
Each of us can bring our community’s struggles to the table, seek alliances with sisters interested in similar issues, and look for patterns emerging that tie all our struggles together. We will lay out the gamut of resources, both within and outside the official avenues, to take back the power over our lands and livelihoods. We will make sense of our local and global struggles by seeing how effective resistance movements throughout history have proceeded, and by critiquing and finding a way forward for our current movements. Take part in a radical analysis of this huge juncture in Earth’s history and find out how dislodging patriarchy, capitalism, racism and colonialism with a global women’s empowerment movement is the oft-overlooked prerequisite to a regenerative society.

If you like to start a local chapter of Sisters Bonded in Action in your community, join us in this training!

TENDING THE WILD 

As modern humans living at the crest of ecological destruction, it is easy to forget our legacy as Earth healers. Before the conquest of North America, humans were actually ecosystem engineers, taking deliberate action as stewards that made the land more diverse and abundant. This class is about remembering that our hands evolved in the soil, with rootlets and mycelium under our fingernails.

Regeneration of natural communities–which goes far beyond sustainability–is our call to action.

We will nurture blue oak saplings (Quercus douglasii) at the gathering. This extraordinary native tree has the power to survive severe droughts, with its UV protective bluish leaves which are dropped if necessary to lessen moisture requirements. The blue oak provides medicine, dyes, construction and basketry materials, and highly desirable acorns for food. She is cherished by many Sierra Nevada cultures.

To offset the absence of fire, we will bring biochar, a pure crystalline charcoal made from chipped wood. We will offer this to the soil around the Grandmother Oaks, Madrones, and Pines, which will hold water around the root system and provide some added protection against drought. The biochar will enliven the soil with bacterial and fungal activity, and thereby create fertility for the trees and plants. In these moist beds, we will leave endangered wildflower seeds imbued with our prayers for resilience.

With our tangible efforts on the ground, and with our united voices, we call for a culture of Earth defense. We will leave Lake Concow with seedlings sprouting in our footprints.