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The Shaping Change Facilitator Festival returns for its second year as a gathering for facilitators, organizers, cooperative builders, and community leaders committed to strengthening Chicago’s solidarity economy ecosystem.

Last year, more than 60 participants came together for a powerful day of exchange and relationship-building. Participants described the experience as:

“A tangible way to connect and build solidarity.”
“Welcoming and accessible in a way that fostered closeness and care.”
“Simple in structure, but deep and powerful.”
“Energizing, inspiring, and healing in times that feel isolating.”

Dozens of new collaborations were sparked. Skills were exchanged. Resources moved. People left not just inspired—but connected.

In 2026, we build on that momentum.

This full-day experience centers the art and practice of facilitation as infrastructure for social transformation. The day begins with a 2-hour Offers and Needs Market (OANM)—a structured exchange that helps participants surface skills, articulate needs, and form meaningful collaborations.

We will then gather for a keynote conversation exploring facilitation as a critical tool for movement-building, democratic culture, and cooperative economic development.

In the afternoon, we will host a Rotating Credit Club (RCC)—a dynamic format learned from Eric Liu during the Chicago Civic Collaboratory—in which selected participants present a 5–7 minute overview of a project they are developing, followed by structured commitments of support from the room. The RCC provides concrete offers of social, intellectual, institutional, and, at times, financial capital to move projects forward.

Whether you are an experienced facilitator or an emerging community host, this festival offers an opportunity to:

Strengthen your facilitation practice
Build reciprocal relationships across Chicago’s ecosystem
Move real projects forward through collective support
Experience tools that grow solidarity beyond rhetoric

Come ready to share, ask, commit, and build.

Parking

There is off-street parking around Experimental Station. Please allow a few extra minutes to find parking and walk over.

Public Transportation
CTA Bus

#59, #171, #172 all stop at 61st and Dorchester, which is 1 block west of Experimental Station.
#2 stops at 60th and Blackstone, which is 1 block north of Experimental Station
#6, #15, #28, and #63 all stop at 59th and Stony Island, which is 2 blocks east of Experimental Station.
Metra Rail

The Metra Electric has a stop at 59th and University, which is 2 blocks north of Experimental Station.

Festival Schedule

8:45 AM – Doors Open
9:00 – 9:20 AM – Welcome & Grounding - Grounding, context setting, and overview of the day
9:20 – 11:20 AM – Offers and Needs Market (OANM) - Structured exchange of skills, resources, and commitments
11:20 – 11:30 AM – Break
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM – Keynote Conversation - Facilitation as infrastructure for solidarity and systemic change
12:15 – 1:00 PM – Lunch & Unstructured Connection
1:00 – 1:50 PM – Rotating Credit Club (RCC) - Live project pitches and structured call for commitments of support
1:50 – 2:00 PM – Closing Circle - Harvest, reflections, and next steps