November 17 - 18, 2026
Richmond Metro Area
The Summit is a no-cost, two-day convening of organizers, advocates, and institutional leaders from across Virginia’s progressive ecosystem. It is an emergent space where attendees set the agenda. The Summit is designed to deepen relationships, strengthen collaboration, and grow the collective impact of VCET’s expansive network. It features participatory workshops and discussion groups that build community, deepen coordination, and support a liberatory, people-powered democracy in Virginia.
What do you mean by emergent space?
The Summit isn’t your typical conference. It has an unconference approach. Although the container and schedule is set by having different blocks of sessions, what is discussed in those sessions and what the workshops are is determined entirely by the attendees who register for the Summit. In the registration form, there is a question that asks what topics you want discussed at different sessions. Our team pools all the responses and builds the agenda from there, making it attendee-driven.
Day 1
Illuminating Our North Star: Guiding Our Agenda for Change
The first day of the Summit is centered on the work we do in our organizations, how we drive change, and how we can work more collaboratively to move forward shared goals.
Day 2
Connecting Our Constellation: Navigating Internal Practices + Culture
The second day of the Summit is devoted to spending time at the work inside our ecosystem — how we act in relationship with each other, how we lead organizations and teams, and how we support our people.