Inclusivity, Culture & Code of Conduct
Culture & Inclusivity Overview
The Wild Medicine Conference is hosted by The Cavewoman Way, a trauma-informed nature-centered counseling practice based in Chattanooga, TN. The standards and ethics of The Cavewoman Way guide the operations of the Wild Medicine Conference.
A Welcoming Space for All
We are a BIPOC-friendly and LGBTQIA-inclusive event.
We want herbal medicine and traditional wisdom to be accessible to everyone and we intend for our conference to be a place of peace and safety. We have attendees of many political views, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, lifestyles and food preferences at our event. We expect everyone to work together to create a welcoming, discrimination free, healing environment for all attendees.
Event Culture
The Wild Medicine Conference is an herbal conference with a strong emphasis on eco-herbalism and nature-spirit medicine. Special activities and many of our workshops focus on reciprocity with nature, sacred plant and mushroom medicine, nature-based ceremony, celebrating the Wheel of the Year, animism, and mystical and/or spiritual experiences with nature. This is one of the things that makes our conference wildly unique! You can view the program pages as well as the list of workshops on our website for more information.
When you register, you are agreeing to the following code of conduct and policies.
These are not "cover our butt" policies. These represent the culture of our conference, and we want to provide this information in advance so that people can make an informed choice when considering attending.
Inclusivity Policy
Wild Medicine is an LGBTQIA-friendly and BIPOC-friendly event. We are committed to creating a welcoming, discrimination-free, healing environment for all attendees. No mistreatment, discrimination or intolerances of any kind will be tolerated. Wild Medicine staff reserve the right to determine what constitutes as inappropriate and anyone not adhering to this code of conduct in both spirit and letter will be required to leave the event immediately without refund or credit.
A Drug Free Space
While many members of The Wild Medicine Community support changes in the legal status of certain plants, mushrooms, and holistic medicines, The Wild Medicine Conference has a very strict policy regarding illegal drugs and substances. We cannot allow attendees to bring, share, or partake in substances, plants, or mushrooms that are illegal in the state of Alabama. We reserve the right to require anyone engaging in any illegal substances or activities to leave the conference immediately without refund, credit, or other consideration.
No Politics Policy
Our no-politics policy exists to keep the conference running smoothly and to ensure all individuals feel safe at our event. We will not tolerate political evangelism or political marketing of any kind. No candidate-endorsing or politician-endorsing clothing or signage is allowed at the conference. We reserve the right to require anyone not abiding by both the spirit and letter of this policy to leave immediately without refund.
Individual Healthcare Sovereignty
The Wild Medicine Conference requires that all presenters and participants maintain a culture of honor and respect for differing opinions, beliefs, and approaches related to individual health and medical choices. We do not require vaccinations, nor do we allow any activism related to vaccines. We support body sovereignty and autonomy of all genders and expect everyone in attendance to mind their own business when it comes to other people's choices.
Bridging Folk Traditions and Science
The Wild Medicine Conference is not opposed to science or western medicine. While the conference does focus on and highlight folk traditions, natural healing, and reciprocal relationship with nature, we also recognize that science, research, and conventional medicine can be valuable in certain circumstances. Some of our classes are exclusively rooted in traditional practices or ancestral wisdom, whereas some of our classes incorporate scientific discoveries or research-derived information.
Class Etiquette
We expect presenters to respect attendees and, likewise, we expect attendees to respect presenters. We encourage questions and information sharing at the discretion of the presenter, but we ask that attendees refrain from interrupting classes to insert their own expertise (unless invited) or challenge presenters in disrespectful ways. We encourage attendees to ask complex/personal or controversial questions after class.
Questions or Concerns?
If you have concerns about our code of conduct, inclusivity policies, or event culture, we encourage you to ask before you register. If you have already registered and no longer wish to attend specifically because of our event culture or policies, we will consider refund requests through 11/21/24. Requests can be submitted via email.