Community Engagement
Programs
Events for Organizations & Communities
Every community holds stories of memory, identity, landscape, culture, and connection.
Erica's programs invite people into those stories through shared experiences of song, storytelling, reflection, conversation, writing, and guided exploration.
Rooted in her Sense of Place and Story Framework, Erica's work is grounded in a simple truth: we care about what we feel connected to.
For more than two decades, she has partnered with national parks, land trusts, museums, schools, retreat centers, historic sites, and community organizations to create experiences that help people build meaningful relationships with places and communities.
For mission-centered organizations, this is how purpose becomes personal.
People don't simply learn about a place, initiative, or mission. They begin to discover their own connection to it.
Outcomes for Organizations
Stronger community connection and belonging
• Fostering stewardship and care for place
• Encouraging participation and dialogue
• Gathering community stories
• Creating meaningful experiences around a shared mission
• Deepening appreciation for local history, culture, and landscape
• Building lasting connections between people and place
Programs Available
Sense of Place Keynotes
& Concerts
Customized performances that weave together song, story, research, and local themes to create meaningful community experiences.
These programs help audiences connect more deeply to a place, a landscape, a community, or a shared mission through stories that inspire reflection, appreciation, and connection.
Erica crafts her content to enrich your event's sense of place and provide an experience that is meaningful, memorable, and mission-aligned.
Particularly effective for anniversaries, celebrations, stewardship initiatives, heritage projects, conferences, and public events.
Sense of Place
Writing Workshops
Reflective writing experiences that help participants explore stories of place, memory, and belonging.
Through guided prompts, sensory awareness practices, and shared storytelling, participants uncover personal connections to landscapes, communities, and local stories.
Ideal for community storytelling initiatives, cultural preservation efforts, inter-generational programs, public humanities projects, and stewardship initiatives.
Sense of Place
Walks & Saunters
Guided walks that combine story, observation, local history, sensory awareness, and conversation.
Participants experience familiar places in new ways while deepening their connection to the stories, landscapes, and communities around them.
Ideal for parks, museums, heritage sites, conservation organizations, and community events.
Youth Leadership Programs
Place-based storytelling and creative leadership experiences that help young people develop confidence, belonging, stewardship, and a stronger sense of connection to community.
Through writing, reflection, conversation, and creative exploration, participants discover that their experiences, perspectives, and voices matter.Increase
Customized Programs
Every community and organization has its own stories, goals, and opportunities.
These programs can be customized for audience, setting, mission, and desired outcomes.
They can be offered as single events or part of a multi-part series, including educator trainings, leadership retreats, community storytelling initiatives, and larger engagement partnerships.
Areas of focus may include:
• Conservation and stewardship initiatives
• Natural, cultural, and historic sites
• Community celebrations and anniversaries
• Public humanities and arts initiatives
• Intergenerational storytelling projects
• Interpretation and visitor engagement
• Community identity and belonging
Prior Partnerships & Collaborations
Erica has partnered with mission-centered organizations nationwide, supporting initiatives ranging from National Endowment for the Arts–funded community programs to National Park Service engagement projects.
Selected partnerships include:
National Endowment for the Arts – Community workshops, concerts, NEA Big Read programs
Smithsonian Affiliate Programs – Customized sense of place keynotes and writing workshops
National Park Service sites – Public programs, celebrations, and community engagement
National and regional land trusts – Trust for Public Land, Big Sur Land Trust, Land Trust Alliance
Youth programs – Wyoming Youth Congress on Children and Nature, New Bedford Youth Leadership Academy, The Trustees
Educator Trainings - Approaching Walden, Promise of Place, Environmental Educator Conference
“Particularly well suited for land trusts and other conservation organizations, as her art is intimately tied to the landscape and the sense of identity people derive from their surroundings.”
— Leigh Youngblood, Executive Director, Mount Grace Land Trust, MA
“We invited Erica out for a week to help celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Big Sur Land Trust with a variety of events. Her positive impact reverberated throughout our community and continues to this day. Erica’s ability to connect people and place beautifully aligned with our mission to strengthen communities and inspire stewardship.”
— Bill Leahy, Executive Director, Big Sur Land Trust, CA
Let's Collaborate
Whether you're planning a stewardship initiative, public humanities project, community celebration, conference, educational program, or engagement effort, Erica can help create experiences that deepen connection, strengthen belonging, and bring your mission to life.
Ready to explore a program for your community?
