The 2026 USET Resilience Writing Retreat will be hosted by the USET Community Resilience Program and Pamunkey Indian Tribe. USET member Tribal Nation staff, leaders, and citizens working on community resilience documents, such as vulnerability assessments, adaptation plans, climate action plans, and hazard mitigation plans, are invited to participate. During the 3-day event, individuals or teams from each Tribal Nation will have structured work time with facilitators and subject experts to focus on writing their community resilience document that may otherwise be hard to prioritize among day-to-day tasks. The retreat will also prioritize peer editing, reflection, presentations, and identifying areas that may require additional resources, community input, or research.

When: January 13-15, 2026, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Eastern each day
We recommend arriving on January 12 and traveling home the evening of January 15 or on January 16.

Where: The retreat will be hosted on the sovereign territory of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe at the new Pamunkey Cultural Resources & Community Center (225 Lay Landing Rd, King William, VA). We recommend one of the following hotels:

• Holiday Inn Express Richmond-Mechanicsville, 7441 Bell Creek Rd, Mechanicsville, VA 23111 (804) 559-0022
• Hampton Inn Richmond-Mechanicsville, 7433 Bell Creek Rd, Mechanicsville, VA 23111 (804) 559-0559

A limited number of stipends are available to USET member Tribal Nation staff/citizens on a first-come, first-served basis to offset the costs of travel, lodging, and meals; please note your request for a travel stipend on the registration form. Stipends will be distributed after the event has concluded.

Who should attend: USET member Tribal Nation staff, leaders, and citizens working on community resilience documents, such as vulnerability assessments, adaptation plans, climate action plans, and hazard mitigation plans.

Learning objectives:

• Learn strategies for tackling large writing projects.
• Learn from peers and partners working in similar fields.
• Make progress on resilience document drafts.
• Identify information inputs still needed.

Registration is open through December 19! After registering, USET Community Resilience Staff will reach out to discuss the project you will bring to the retreat to identify facilitators or topic experts that may support your work.

Questions? Contact Bre Knudsen, USET Community Resilience Program Manager (bknudsen@usetinc.org or 629-277-1160) and/or Steph Courtney, Community Resilience Liaison (scourtney@usetinc.org).

Draft agenda at-a-glance

Tuesday, January 13

• Introductions and welcome to Pamunkey lands 
• Teams set goals and intentions for the Retreat
• Structured writing time 
• Field trip to nearby resilience project(s) 

Wednesday, January 14

• Structured writing time 
• Peer reflection and review 
• Presentations from subject matter experts 
• Local cultural presentation or activity 

Thursday, January 15

• Structured writing time 
• Peer reflection and review 
• Presentations from subject matter experts 
• Closing reflections and celebration