Detroit will host a three-day summit focused on individual, communal and ecological wellbeing when Hearth Summit Detroit takes place Oct. 8–10.
Hosted by Be Well Beautiful People in collaboration with The Wellbeing Project, the event is expected to bring together up to 200 social entrepreneurs, educators, artists, funders, mental health professionals and holistic practitioners. Detroit is the third U.S. city to host a regional Hearth Summit.
The summit will focus on a range of issues connected to wellbeing, including trauma and resilience, organizational wellness, philanthropy, food systems, technology, sustainability and the future of wellbeing in a gentrifying Detroit. Programming will also incorporate art through poetry, dance, theater, sound, visual art and movement.
“Detroit has a particular story to tell about wellbeing because so much of what people have built here has come from lived experience,” said Demarra West, founder of Be Well Beautiful People and curator of Hearth Summit Detroit. “Hearth gives us an opportunity to celebrate the many ways wellbeing shows up through people, community, creativity and our relationship with the land, while making space for Detroit’s perspectives to be part of a larger conversation.”
According to organizers, the summit is designed to explore wellbeing through multiple formats rather than traditional panel discussions alone. Participants will engage with art, movement, sound, food, reflection and community connection throughout the three-day event.
“We wanted people to experience wellbeing in different ways throughout the summit rather than only talk about it,” West said. “Art, movement, sound, food, reflection and connection create different ways for people to engage, and that is an important part of what Hearth is designed to offer.”
Hearth Summit Detroit will open with a reception at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Main programming will continue at Kintsugi Village in Corktown, and the summit will conclude at The Love Building.
Organizers say the gathering will highlight local perspectives and community-based approaches to healing, care, creativity and connection while linking Detroit’s work to a broader conversation around social change and wellbeing.
Be Well Beautiful People is a nonprofit organization that provides retreats, therapy, coaching, training, advocacy and other services focused on healing and liberation. The Wellbeing Project works internationally to support the wellbeing of people and organizations involved in social change through research, organizational support, convenings, storytelling and partnerships.
Registration information, the full agenda and details about needs-based scholarships are available at hearthsummitdetroit.com.