We are delighted to invite you to our upcoming IN4RF gathering, Resonance-Reshaping Regenerative Futures on May 2-3, 2025, at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
This two-day event will be a vibrant space for dialogues and collaboration as we explore transformative and transdisciplinary pathways through our collected seeds and scenarios. Together, we’ll engage both IN4RF members and students in shaping innovative approaches to regenerative futures.
| Wolfville is located in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. It’s home to the province’s mildest climate, amazingly high tides, bountiful farms, and vibrant towns and villages. Our campus is located in the ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq People, and history abounds throughout the Valley, from the National Historic Site in Grand-Pré to the early French and British colonial settlements in Annapolis Royal. Wolfville is a special place to live and learn, and we think you’ll agree. |
| Tentative Agenda |
| Day 1: Friday, May 2nd Theme: Setting the Stage for Transformational Change 8:30-9:00 AM Welcome Breakfast: Light refreshments and coffee at the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre. 9:00-9:15 AM Land Acknowledgment by Oonagh Proudfoot: Honoring the Mi’kmaq territory and introducing the importance of place in regenerative education. 9:15-10:15 AM Opening Keynote: “Rethinking Education for Flourishing Futures” by Dr. Eduard Müller- a leading scholar in regenerative-sustainability and transformative learning. Frame the “H3 Vision”: what does a regenerative education future look like? Invite participants to jot seed ideas sparked by the talk. His bio can be found here. 10:15-11:45 AM Interactive Session: Exploring the Seeds for Transformation Participants will break into small groups to analyze pre-identified “seeds” (innovative educational practices) using the Future Wheel methodology. Use Future Wheel to analyze 3–4 pre-identified seeds. Connect to H2: “What ripple effects might emerge?” Introduce early tensions and levers. Objective: Identify transformative potential and initial pathways for action. 11:45 AM-12:00 PM Plenary Reflections: Sharing key insights from group work. Harvest H2 tensions and signals identified across tables. Use color coded stickies or cards for visual mapping. 12:00-1:00 PM Lunch Break: Enjoy a hands-on lunch experience at Front Street Community Oven, where each person will craft their own personal wood-fired pizza using fresh, local ingredients. 1:00-2:30 PM Workshop held at the Community Oven: Action Pathways for Regenerative Futures. Participants will use the Three Horizons Framework to develop scenarios for integrating transformative practices into higher education. Introduce Three Horizons explicitly. Use tablecloth-sized templates with H1–H3 + MONA quadrants. Participants sketch how seeds (from morning) evolve over time. 2:30-3:00 PM Break: Walk back to the KCIC centre, and enjoy a coffee and cookie break. 3:00-4:30 PM Student-Led Innovations Panel: Emerging scholars present projects and ideas linked to the network’s objectives, focusing on practical implementation and community impact. Frame as living H2 case studies. Ask the audience: “How do these stories shift our sense of what’s possible in education?” Students map. 6:30-8:30 PM Dinner and Networking: Lightfoot & Wolfville Winery, featuring a locally inspired menu and an informal fireside chat on leadership in sustainability. Encourage relaxed dialogue around leadership tensions in H2, and how we lead within uncertainty and complexity. Day 2: Saturday, May 3rd Theme: From Vision to Action 8:30-9:00 AM Breakfast & Coffee: Informal dialogues to start the day. 9:00-10:30 AM Nature Walk and Dialogue: Guided exploration of the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, integrating critical discussions on interconnectedness and ecological stewardship. Use nature immersion to envision H3 — what does a learning ecosystem feel like when it’s in harmony with life? Invite journaling or sketching of future. Facilitator: Local Indigenous Elder or environmental leader. 10:30-12:00 PM Collaborative Design Sprint: Building Regenerative Education Models Participants collaborate in cross-disciplinary teams to co-design strategies for implementing transformative practices in education. Use H3 → H2 backcasting. Each team imagines a “Regenerative University Learning Ecosystem” in 2035 (H3). 12:00-1:00 PM Lunch Break: Networking opportunity in the Garden Room over local cuisine. 1:00-2:30 PM Creative Synthesis: Using creative storytelling and visual tools, participants present their designed models, supported by student artists capturing narratives in real-time. Teams present stories of transformation. Student artists illustrate the transitions visually: What’s shifting? What’s emerging? 2:30-4:00 PM Impact Roadmap: Developing a collective impact plan to guide network actions, including research dissemination, student engagement, and grant applications. Use a large-scale MONA Map as a wall mural. Sections include: • Shared values • System change areas • Next actions • Research directions. 4:00-4:30 PM Closing Reflections: Shared commitments and next steps for IN4RF. Closing remarks by Dr. Kent Williams. Bring back the horizon maps and reflect on movement: Where did we begin? Where are we headed? What’s one commitment we’ll carry forward? 6:30-8:30 PM Farewell Long-table Dinner: The Noodle Guy, celebrating the outcomes and connections made during the gathering. *Optional dinner to be held on Thursday, May 1st at The Church Brewing, for those who wish to attend. ** Also, an opportunity for Leader’s Nature Retreat for those interested from May 4-6. Contact Kent about this opportunity. |
| K.C Irving Environmental Centre |
Our summit will take place at the K.C Irving Centre located on campus at Acadia University.
“The natural world is essential to life. Finite, delicate and irreplaceable, it faces myriad challenges from civilization. Exemplifying what is at stake is the Acadian Forest Region, a wild, biodiverse, and breathtaking setting. Come learn firsthand about the environment, its challenges, and the solutions you might apply both here and in the wider world.”
– K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens
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