We help faith communities and other BIPOC anchor institutions harness the power of their assets in order to be a catalyst for communal transformation and economic renewal.
Fishing Differently® Conference 2026 Registration
For the fourth year, the Oikos Institute’s Fishing Differently® Conference will connect faith-inspired leaders and place-based investors/funders with anchor institutions, including faith communities and organizations for people of color, to leverage their assets for positive change. We are elevating our Pre-conference to equip participants with timely resources for economic, mental, and spiritual resilience. This year we offer a Pre-Conference activity in partnership with Freedom Road, LLC, The Clearing, included in your Conference 2026 registration.
The Clearing: An Intervention, September 9, 2026, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, is facilitated by Lisa Sharon Harper (President and Founder, Freedom Road Consulting, LLC), with Financial Advisor Brian K. Walls, and Licensed Clinical Psychologist Claudia Owens Shields, PhD.
Inspired by Baby Suggs Holy’s call to radical self-love in Toni Morrison’s Beloved, The Clearing is a national intervention, seeding and resourcing locally-rooted networks of mutual care across the United States. In the context of mounting economic crisis, including the expulsion of nearly 700,000 Black women from the U.S. economy in 2025 and drastically cut healthcare access, this one-day retreat will equip participants with timely resources for economic, mental and spiritual resilience. Participants will also learn about key mutual aid organizations across the Philadelphia area.
Come to The Clearing. Connect and equip yourself to meet the challenges of our times.
This special offering has limited capacity. Register today and reserve your space at The Clearing.
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