Light Work for Heavy Times: Networks as Fuel for Long-Term Collective Wellbeing

Who Should Attend?

This session is ideal for anyone interested in social change, equitable wellbeing, and new ways of building stronger communities and grounded in trust, alignment, and distributed action in the service of sustainability, equity, and justice.

Why This Matters Now

These are both challenging and promising times. Low vibrations and descendant energies seem to be everywhere. It is vital to defend against efforts intended to harm people and take away their sovereignty. And there is a point at which, if we are all or only responding to negativity, we let that energy set the terms of the conversation and what moves forward. The fact is that light is always present, in and around us. What may be required is some fuel. This is where we at IISC see networks and network weaving playing an essential role.

To counter forces that aim to isolate and keep us from one another, we make and maintain meaningful contact. To keep fear from taking hold, we show up warm-hearted and generous in our interactions. To support collective clarity, we share accurate and timely information and remind each other of what matters most.

This is all the work of network weaving. In these times, we see it as “light work”: a way to ease the load, spread warmth, and reconnect with our shared purpose.

Join us for an interactive webinar with two special guests, partners, and “light workers” in their own right:

• Noel Didla, Center for Mississippi Food Systems
• Keith Bergthold, Rural Communities Rising in Fresno County, California.

We will explore strategies to weave stronger load-bearing and light-sharing networks, so that you and the communities you care about can move through these times with clarity and conviction.

What You’ll Learn

• The Power of Networks: What are they, how do they work, and how can we tap their potential?
• Pathways to Wellbeing: What are the core determinants of shared prosperity and equitable wellbeing, and how do networks support these?
• Guiding Principles for Action: What are the core network principles to guide our work for the more beautiful world we know is possible?
  

Interactive & Engaging Format

This session is highly interactive, designed to promote meaningful dialogue and collaboration. It will include:

• Core Concept Presentations – Learn key frameworks and strategies
• Small Group Breakouts – Engage in meaningful discussions
• Real-World Case Studies – Learn from successful partner networks focused on regenerative food systems and economic development in Mississippi and Fresno County, California.
• Guided Reflection Activities – Exercises to encourage personal and professional insights on equity and network leadership practices.
• Coaching session with participants? (still exploring if this might work)

Session Details & Pricing

️ Tuesday, July 15, 2025 | 1 PM – 3 PM ET

(10 AM– 12 PM PT | 11 AM – 1 PM MT | 12 PM – 2 PM CT)

Pricing:

• $25/person (Grassroots)
• $75/person (Nonprofit)
• $95/person (Foundation)
• $115/person (For-Profit/Social Venture)

REGISTER HERE →

Your Facilitators

Curtis Ogden is a Senior Associate with the Interaction Institute for Social Change (IISC), where he has worked for two decades supporting social change leaders, organizations and networks as a coach, consultant, facilitator, trainer and network weaver. He has helped to start the Food Solutions New England Network, Vermont Farm to Plate Network, Cancer Free Economy Network, Digital Navigators Network, Diverse Teacher Workforce Coalition, DC Social Justice Transformations Network and supported numerous other local, state-wide, regional, national and international collaborative efforts. In addition to his work at IISC, Curtis is an advisor to The Transformations Community, Rural Communities Rising, FLOW Public Trust for the Great Lakes and the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership. He also writes regularly on the IISC Blog. He lives in the Connecticut River Watershed in Western Massachusetts with his wife, teenage daughters and a flock of laying hens.

nisha purushotham is a queer femme, leadership coach, facilitator, musician, and writer with 30 years of movement building experience as an organizer, researcher, youth worker, and artist in residence. She is the Founder and Principal of Kriya Coaching and Consulting and has worked as an affiliate consultant with IISC since 2017. nisha’s work is informed by the lens of healing justice, an abolitionist vision, and a deep trust in ancestral wisdom, our bodies’ intuition, and the natural intelligence of Land. She lives in Lenapehoking in the unceded territory of the Ramapough Munsee Lenape, Mohican, and Schatigoke peoples with her son, a musical gamer who loves anime. nisha is grateful for her collaboration with Curtis Ogden which has deepened her understanding of network weaving for healing and transformative change.