TUPPER LAKE — What can nature teach us about human communities? How can we honor the rights of nature while addressing our own needs? The Adirondack Diversity Initiative invites North Country educators to explore these and other questions through two educational approaches that center the Earth as a teacher and guide.

The event, titled “Where Rivers, Forests and Voices Meet: Co-creating Justice Across Human and Ecological Communities,” will take place on Saturday, Nov. 15, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Wild Center.

“The connection between our shared humanity and nature has always been evident,” ADI Director Tiffany Rea-Fisher said. “Having a chance to come together as a community and dive deeper into this idea and way of thinking is very exciting to me. It feels like it could be a very exciting path forward.”

The event will feature presenters from two regional arts and education initiatives — Diversity Education in Nature and Talking Wing –, who will share ideas, resources and implementation tools for individuals and groups engaged in education through schools, nonprofits and other community organizations.

Camille Simone Edwards and Dan Kreisberg, co-creators of Diversity Education In Nature, will lead a discussion about how biodiversity in nature can inspire us to value and nurture diversity in human communities.

“The Earth is a role model for building communities of belonging and empathy,” Kriesberg said. “This workshop will offer participants an Earth-inspired toolkit to be a positive force for change in their communities.”

Kriesberg has been a middle school science teacher and environmental educator for over 40 years at both public and independent schools. He is the author of two books on outdoor environmental education, over 100 articles on environmental education and essays about his outdoor experiences. He has also presented at national and statewide conferences.

Edwards currently serves as director of student affairs at Friends Academy, a Quaker independent school in Long Island. She brings over a decade of experience in school leadership, community engagement and organizational culture work. Edwards is also the founder and principal consultant of Camille Simone Consulting, where she partners with independent schools, universities, nonprofits and cultural institutions to design strategic initiatives centered on equity, belonging and sustainable leadership.

Blake Lavia and Tzintzun Aguilar-Izzo of Talking Wings will introduce attendees to ecocentric storytelling, which shares the voices of water, rivers and ecosystems through art and circular conversations.

“At a time when humans find themselves more and more divided, we need to get back to the basics,” Lavia said. “We are all part of a shared ecological community, we are all part of Nature. We believe that it is imperative that humans honor their rights, roles and responsibilities in Nature. To do this, we personally advocate for the rights of rivers and our other more-than-human kin.”

They said that during the workshop, they will share “ways that we can all use a language and grammar that breaks down the barriers between us and the rest of Nature, treating Nature not as a commodity, but as a vibrant and sentient tapestry of life.”

Lavia and Aguilar-Izzo are community organizers and storymakers who helped found the nonprofit Talking Rivers, Inc., an organization that educates human communities about rights of rivers and their ecosystems. They are currently working with communities across Adirondack watersheds to create ecocentric governance systems that meet the needs of Nature. They also make up the environmental storytelling group Talking Wings, with whom they have organized numerous conferences, curated art exhibitions and produced visual storytelling pieces that share the voice of land and water.

The workshop’s suggested registration fee of $50 includes networking and coffee starting at 9:30 a.m.; presentations and discussions; lunch and entry to The Wild Center for the day of the event. Other fee options are available to accommodate all who wish to attend. Registration is open at www.adirondack.org/voices-meet.