After creating relationships and community with the women I worked with in the Moms for Yes on Measure 91 group and the Portland Women Grow chapter, it became obvious to me that there was a need for women to be able to engage in community building and social cannabis consumption together. Well, that need has been answered in Portland by a new event platform called Tokeativity
Tokeavity has cannabis consumption friendly events and essentially strives to create a safe and nurturing space for women. In keeping the events exclusive to women, it not only allows space for women to become vulnerable with each other, but it also for women to work on skills and traits they need to succeed in life, however that may look for each individual.
I was given the honor of speaking at the launch of Tokeativity at Prism House PDX a few weeks ago. I had never done public speaking in a space that was set up to be so supportive and accepting of everyone. Because of this, I was able to be transparent and vulnerable when talking about my life and my journey with cannabis in a way I had never had the opportunity to do so in my previous speeches and talks.
While Tokeativity states that it provides “cannabis events for women” and there is definitely a cannabis industry component to this series of ongoing events, it is certainly much more than that. This is something bigger. It is a place where women can go to find the support to succeed…physically, emotionally, financially, and in all other places of their lives.
Founder and hostess Lisa A. Caperello-Snyder, said, “Our intention is to nurture a safe space for women to create, learn and connect. Empowering women to find strength and comfort in their own lives is extremely important to me and has felt like a deep calling in my life. I want women to know they are powerful, they are creative, they are knowledgeable, and completely capable of expressing themselves creatively, growing personally and professionally, and getting the support and wisdom of women around them. We have consumption friendly events, so that women are empowered to connect with each other and commune with marijuana in a way that opens the mind, heart and spirit, and allows for some real work to be done.”
Samantha Montanaro, owner and operator of Prism House PDX and co-hostess of Tokeativity said, “As much as I want every event to be inclusive for everyone at Prism House, when there is an intentional group that comes together who have experienced or love similar things, really powerful shifts happen. There is definitely a need for a space for women who love cannabis to come together – I don’t know of anything else out there like this. I really want to foster a space where women can come and really let their hair down and open up without fear of judgement. When we can be in a space like that, we can be our truest and best selves and that is where real growth happens.”
Tokeativty plans to host a variety of events that include workshops, speakers, art projects, wellness days, socials, and just about everything in between. At the first event we all made empowering vision boards for 2017, and they have 2 events coming up in February.
The first, a workshop that will be held on February 11th, is titled “Get That F*cking Job! How to Break In, Out, or Move Up in Cannabis & Other Industries” and will help attendees learn how to hone into the skills and resources you already have access to and leave with tangible next steps and attainable goals. There will be a guest speaker (Sara Batterby, CEO of Hifi Farms) as well as current entrepreneurs, writers, designers and a woman owned staffing agency (Jayne Jobs) at hand to help you work on all your career goals.
The second will be a social event just before Valentine’s Day with the theme of “Loving Yourself” where they’ll have a love letter to your future self station (write yourself a letter and they’ll mail it to you 6 months later!), a Valentine making station, and chair massages.
There are both giveaways and scholarships to Tokeativity events, and attendees are asked to bring their own cannabis to all events.
Founder Lisa A. Caperello-Snyder added, “There is something magical that happens in environments where patriarchal energy is reduced or there is a void. You discover a new, inner source of spirit that feeds you that can create a life-altering experience to be on a truly equal level with all your peers. Cannabis has always had a healing energy and has brought people together. Now that we have recreational Cannabis in Oregon, we have the opportunity to consume without shame or guilt. It was important to me to find an environment where we could have these gatherings and also have the freedom to consume.”
Learn more about this group and how you can be involved here or here.
