The Salmon Journey Workshop

The Workshops — The Living Heart of This Project

The Salmon Journey workshops are immersive, joyful, and transformative experiences for participants of all ages. Through movement, music, storytelling, games, and hands-on collage making, participants connect deeply with the story of the salmon, the Yuba River ecosystem, and the wisdom of the indigenous peoples of this region.

A unique feature of every workshop: participants create their own collage artwork — and we envision a growing online gallery where children’s creations are exhibited and celebrated.

Who are workshops designed for?
  • Schools — grade-specific, curriculum-aligned sessions
  • Museums and cultural centers — family and children’s programs with illustration exhibits
  • Community organizations — intergenerational gatherings where grandparents, parents, and children learn together
  • Cultural spaces — galleries, museums, and community centers — bringing awareness of the indigenous peoples of this region, their deep connection to the land, the river, and all living beings
  • Community stewardship — every workshop inspires participants to become active caretakers of their local ecosystems, moving from awareness to action in their daily lives

Participants learn about:

  • The salmon — its cycle, its journey, and why it matters
  • The Yuba River as an ecosystem — and how rivers everywhere, in every country, share the same origins and rhythms
  • Interdependence — how everything in an ecosystem is connected
  • Biodiversity — why having many different kinds of life keeps an ecosystem strong
  • Community — that each of us is an important part of it, and that our individual choices, thoughts, and actions shape the world we share
  • The native people of this land — their story, and their relationship with it
  • How colonization and the Gold Rush changed the land — impacting the river, the ecosystem, and the community
  • That we are part of nature, not separate from it
  • Organizations working to protect and restore land and water

Participants engage through interactive, experiential activities — including:

  • Movement
  • Singing
  • Play
  • Collage-making
  • Sensory and mindfulness activities, experiencing interdependence directly
  • Teamwork — learning cooperation and the importance of community

We begin with questions that spark curiosity — not facts. Some participants may already know something about the salmon, the river, or the ecosystem, and we want to hear it first: what they know, what they wonder, how they already see their own community. From there, facts are woven in — through imagery, song, interactive dynamics, and games — and that’s how the story comes alive, in real time.

The workshop runs about 2 hours, in three parts:

  • A presentation (song, story, and imagery) — about 45–50 minutes
  • A hands-on collage-making session — about 45 minutes
  • A closing circle of reflection — about 15 minutes, where participants leave with materials on how they can support their local ecosystem and community

We’ll need a projector for the presentation. If your space already has one, great — if not, we’re happy to bring one along for an added cost.

We’ll also need chairs set up in a circle or semicircle, with open space in the center for movement and interactive games as the story unfolds — plus tables for collage-making.

Bring the Workshop to Your Group

Follow the links below for more information about the workshops.

Contact us to discuss your group.

Workshops by Region

Workshop Gallery

~ Click images to enlarge ~

Community

Every River Starts in Your Backyard

You don’t have to live near the Yuba to help the salmon — or the countless other creatures depending on healthy water, air, and land. What we do at home ripples outward.

For Kids
  • Make art inspired by the salmon — and share it with family, friends, or your teacher
  • Pick up trash before it reaches a storm drain — it flows to a river, even from far away
  • Be gentle with all creatures — insects, birds, fish, and animals big and small all belong here too
  • Take shorter showers — try finishing before your favorite song ends
  • Volunteer with a river group, wherever you live — many cities have one
  • Choose native, drought-tolerant plants for your yard
  • Support organizations and people working to protect nature — locally or wherever you are

More regional groups will be added here as we bring the Salmon Journey to new communities.