The air was filled with joy and a reflective energy this past October, as our community of funders and movement leaders gathered in the San Francisco Bay Area for Blue Sky’s 10th Anniversary Convening. Together, we celebrated ten years of shared purpose and progress in outdoor access and environmental education—a journey powered by the dedication of our community. Blue Sky would not be where it is today without the partners, leaders, and supporters committed to building a world where connections to nature are a right, not a privilege.
As we look toward an uncertain future for our communities, one thing is clear: the urgency and scale of our work dedicated to land, power, and justice demand our strongest commitment yet. These guiding themes remain as relevant as ever at Blue Sky and grounded us at the convening as we explored essential questions together:
- How do we heal the harm done to the land we inhabit?
- How do we shift power in ways that build community autonomy and a sense of shared belonging?
- What does it mean to truly weave justice into the work we do together?
rooting us in the local “herstory”
Reconnecting to Land
At the heart of our convening was a commitment to rediscover and heal our relationships with nature. Corrina Gould of Sogorea Te’ Land Trust rooted us in local history—or “herstory”—and reminded us, “we cannot heal until [Indigenous] language is brought back for us, the plants, and animals.” Led by urban Indigenous women, Sogorea Te’ is dedicated to ‘rematriating’ Indigenous people’s rightful place in relationship with their ancestral land. As an essential part of healing their own relationships with nature, non-Indigenous people are called to support, uplift, and center Indigenous rematriation efforts.
For many, belonging to the land is rooted in personal memories of nature—unstructured play, exploration, a feeling of freedom. We were honored to partner with two local organizations to capture this spirit through water-based activities. In Alameda, the Salted Roots team led a surf class, encouraging participants to reclaim their relationship with the ocean. For many, it felt like returning to childhood, sparking joy as they played and laughed together in the water. Meanwhile, a kayaking trip with Oakland Goes Outdoors and SeaTrek offered a peaceful journey through the Bay’s waterways, allowing participants to connect deeply with nature and each other, grounding our work in shared experience and reminding us the importance of our work. Outdoor spaces offer us healing, places to gather, socialize, learn, or organize for change, and settings for play and discovery—strengthening our communities and building resilience, especially amidst challenging times.
kayaking journey through the Bay’s waterways.
and playing in the water with Salted Roots!
Sharing Power through Belonging
To help us dive deeper into belonging, we were delighted to share space with john a. powell, Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, who explained that building belonging goes beyond mere inclusion. “Assimilation is inclusion on the dominant culture’s terms,” he shared. “Belonging is where people come and co-create the thing they are joining; it wasn’t there before they got there.” His words resonated deeply, especially as we step into a new year shaped by extreme political and social “othering”, reminding us that creating a culture of belonging means embracing the wisdom, stories, and visions of others and inviting them to co-create from the beginning to shape outcomes together.
This spirit of belonging and shared power came alive through a series of flash talks by local and national leaders who shared bold strategies and innovative visions. Gavin Raders and Salvador Mateo from Planting Justice discussed their approach to countering ‘green gentrification’ through a community-led model in the East Bay, creating jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals and promoting food sovereignty. Nationally, Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš of Azul shared polling data revealing the ocean’s deep cultural significance for Latino communities, with over 75% viewing it as central to family traditions. Her insights highlighted how sharing power means centering historically-excluded communities in environmental policy, honoring cultural heritage while building a sense of belonging with the land and waters that sustain us all.
Outdoor spaces offer us healing, places to gather, socialize, learn, or organize for change, and settings for play and discovery—strengthening our communities and building resilience, especially amidst challenging times.
and Belonging, as it relates to our relationships with
each other and with the earth.
Rooting in Justice
Justice wasn’t just a theme, it was indeed the foundation of every discussion, informing our vision of a world where nature is accessible to all. One powerful approach to justice, shared by john a. powell, is ‘targeted universalism,’ which acknowledges that while our goals may be universal, we need tailored strategies to reach them—different solutions designed to meet the unique needs of each community.
Blue Sky’s narrative initiative, Rethink Outside, has focused on reframing and shifting perspectives of time outside as a “necessity” rather than a “nice-to-have” through shared language and storytelling. As we mark five years since the initiative’s launch and enter the next phase, Rethink Outside will further embrace targeted universalism—meeting people where they are and using values-based messaging to bring different communities along in a shared vision of a more just, accessible outdoors.
Our Work Ahead, Shaped by Nature
As we look ahead, we are grounded by the strength of our community and the progress we’ve made building a future where everyone can find joy, healing, and a sense of belonging in the outdoors. Our 2025 strategic planning process, which we glimpsed at the convening in a session with Toby Herzlich and Gina LaMotte of Biomimicry for Social Innovation, will model after nature itself. Toby and Gina reminded us that nature evolves through observation, resilience, and responsiveness rather than rigid plans, guiding us to embrace a similar approach—one that adapts to meet the needs of our communities with agility and purpose.
The road will be challenging, but our strength lies in the relationships we’ve nurtured over the last decade—in the power of our community. Blue Sky remains committed to growing our movement for outdoor access and environmental education, guided by nature’s model of resilience and responsiveness. Here’s to the next ten years of co-creating a world where everyone belongs! Thank you to everyone who has been part of this incredible journey—we couldn’t do it without you.
In community,
The Blue Sky Team (Berkeley, Onika, and Sarah)
Much gratitude to the speakers who shared their insights and stories, grounding our convening in wisdom and inspiration.
A heartfelt thank you to our investors for powering our celebration and investing in the future of outdoor access and nature connection: 11th Hour Project, Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, Pisces Foundation, Gray Family Foundation, and the George B. Storer Foundation.
And finally, to our Design Team members, Staff, and Board for bringing to life a successful celebration!
Curious about our journey over the last ten years? Check out our timeline:
