Gathering Cascadia
Cascadia Day 2026.
A casual event being planned in Portland, Oregon, May 18th for Stories and Discussion to Celebrate Bioregional Solidarity and Community Belonging. Let's collaborate. Subscribe for updates at the form below.LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED. SEE UPDATES IN THE "WE ARE SEEKING..." SECTION.
Belonging.
For people that attend:Learning, healing and resiliency-building.Moxie People are ones that embody grit and perseverance through the Long Dark.This gathering is designed to meet many levels of understanding about the point in time we're in; offering space for mental wellness, personal healing, and the development of grounded, resilient leadership. We aim to support moxie leaders at every stage, strengthening confidence at a gradual, intentional pace. The conversation around bioregionalism is growing, and the moment is here in 2026.Gathering Cascadia will be an experience for frontline workers, community organizers, activists, and elders; those carrying both visible and invisible burdens and the working class. Gen Z folks are especially encouraged to attend.We envision culture-bearers and artists, across all forms of expression, collaborating to shift the frame -- speaking from the heart: singers, artists, poets, craftspeople, and facilitators.Bioregioning a place is at the heart of the resilience movement. This event is a step in that direction—inviting people not just to participate, but to embody the movement in ways that are pro-future, sustainable, and human.Cascadia Day PDX 2026 is for everyone: LGBTQ+, disabled, neurodivergent, BIPOC, and faith and immigrant communities. All political identities are welcome. We value diversity of thought.If this resonates with you, we invite you to join us at the May 18th Gathering Cascadia event. Together, we can better understand the moment we’re in, support one another, and explore what it means to move forward with clarity, care, and purpose.We encourage respect for all perspectives and invite a spirit of curious humility; because the next generations depend on it.
Intent.
For Community Organizers:The intent of Gathering Cascadia is to encourage moxie behaviors: Ordinary people shifting the ways in which they practice their passion projects. Moxie People are ones that embody grit and perseverance through the Long Dark. We aim to encourage moxie leaders at every stage, strengthening confidence at a gradual, intentional pace.We need storytellers of all backgrounds, elders, community organizers (like you) and especially those carrying both visible and invisible burdens.The intent is to solve a problem.One of the biggest challenges community organizers face is sustaining engagement without burnout. We envision this gathering as an on-ramp for participants to build sustainable skills needed as we move through the Great Turning, and essentially getting closer to finding a sense of belonging in the age of the metacrisis. Gathering Cascadia dreams of building leaders, while also tending to the emotional and mental well-being required to stay in the work.Bioregionalists are dreamers. This event may be too dreamy to be as big as it could be, but it could hold many perspectives while communicators and community organizers help to unpack the seriousness of the metacrisis, with care and intention for about 100 guests.We are living through what analysts are calling “The Great Unraveling,” a term first used over a decade ago to describe growing economic instability. In the work of Joanna Macy, this period is also described as “The Long Dark”—a time shaped not only by the climate crisis, but by what is increasingly understood as a metacrisis.A metacrisis goes beyond any single issue. It reflects the convergence of multiple, interconnected challenges—social, ecological, economic, and cultural—that compound and accelerate one another. Many people are feeling the weight of this shift, as familiar systems and expectations around daily life in North America change more quickly than we are prepared for.In this context, tending to mental and emotional well-being is essential. The need for place-based and peer-group organizing will continue to grow. Gathering Cascadia will support resilience, reflection, and meaningful connection— a gathering that provides containers to hold and nurture people where they are, without judgment or expectation.
Listening. Curiosity. Empathy.
A cross-sector gathering. Learning to discover hope, a break from feelings of anger and overwhelm to feeling empowered through knowledge, emergency preparedness, personal climate resilience (mental health), and beginning to embody what this all really means. How do we reckon with things to come, when it feels safer to withdraw or disassociate from the gravity of the situation. The long-term goal of Gathering Cascadia is to shift folx from a place of negative or apathetic attitudes to finding where they can better apply themselves.Monday, May 18th, from 4-8:00 PM, this gathering will have something for everyone. We have big dreams....Education for all levels of understanding, small group discussions or demonstrations, organizations tabling, musicians/DJs/Poets, Artist displays and/or table sales, vendors, a group activity, food & beverages.A “drop-in” format, where it isn’t necessary to attend the entire period of time; programing can repeat, and/or mini-workshops can rotate.A cross-generational event. GenX and Boomers are encouraged to facilitate or offer their talents; your perspectives are valuable.
We are seeking community participation.
CURRENT UPDATE: 04/01/26
Thank you to Burgerville on SE 25th & Powell and the dozens of folks that got some grub on 3/18. Our total fundraising total sits at close to $1,000. We are venue-seeking now, continuing outreach for collaborators, partners, and sponsorships.The planning committee consists of six core planners and three advisors. Our next planning meeting is 4/4 at The Haven PDX at 4PM.Contact Form below.Gathering Cascadia can only be as awesome and big as those that can feasibly hold it, meaning volunteer time to organize -- and the financial support needed. It may end up being at the park, again, or it might have a venue, food budget, coordinated & facilitated workshops, performers, and doughnuts (?).Bioregionalists are dreamers. True story.
about us
We are a group of volunteers with full-time jobs, health challenges, and college studies collaborating in our free time to plan a cool event. We are creatives, activists, community organizers, educators, and bioregionalists; a partnership with CASACDIASTACK.ORG and CASCADIANACTION.ORG. #stackandactionConsider joining the core planning team:
Kate Alperin
Aidan Thibedeaux
Brennan Miller
Meridian Green
Hannah Skutt
Drew Alcoser
CONTACT: [email protected]This event is primarily overseen by Cascadia Stack, a fiscal project of CascadiaNOW! tax ID 47-1954164
