Alyssa Ackerman, a visionary Grief Tender and Death Doula from Portland, Oregon. Through heartfelt storytelling, Alyssa will invite us to rethink our approach to loss and explore the transformative power of grief rituals rooted in vulnerability, connection, and community care. Alyssa Rose stands at the threshold of life's profound transitions, illuminating paths through our deepest grief. As Portland's visionary Grief Tender and Death Doula, she weaves together the wisdom of ancient ritual arts with modern somatic and trauma-informed healing to create transformative spaces of honoring and integrating loss of all kinds. As a facilitator, speaker and doula in the death-positive movement, Alyssa challenges our culture's relationship with mortality and invites us to re-imagine our relationship with loss, ritual, and community care. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Pamela Slaughter, a prominent advocate for outdoor access and inclusion. Pamela will reconnect us to our roots in nature, discussing the profound impact environmental education has on our communities. She calls on us to nurture a love for the outdoors and stand as environmental advocates alongside our youth, who are already leading the way to ignite hope and take action toward creating a livable planet for generations to come. Pamela Slaughter is a prominent advocate for outdoor access and inclusion in Portland, Oregon. She is the founder and executive director of People of Color Outdoors (POCO), an organization dedicated to creating safe and inclusive outdoor experiences for people of color.Pamela has been recognized for her work with several accolades, including being the first recipient of the Joey Pope Award from the Portland Parks Foundation in 2022, and being selected by adidas to join the Adidas Community Lab Accelerator as one of an eight-person cohort of community leaders and entrepreneurs and nonprofit founders in 2023, and being featured on OPB’s Think Out Loud radio show and “Oregon Field Guide” television show in 2024. Her efforts have significantly contributed to increasing visibility and access to natural spaces for marginalized communities in Portland. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx