qat̓ᶿɛtštəms p̓apɛm
qa-THet-shtums P’aP’ehm
working together
“There is no requirement of sameness or expectation of agreement, rather there is a requirement to recognize and be responsible in all of our relations.”
*(Kerr, Jeannie, and Katya Adamov Ferguson. “Ethical Relationality and Indigenous Storywork Principles as Methodology: Addressing Settler-Colonial Divides in Inner-City Educational Research.” Qualitative Inquiry, vol. 27, no. 6, July 2021, pp. 706–715, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1077800420971864)
Strong feelings or reactions might come up as you engage with this material. Responses could include defensiveness, anger, shame, guilt. Our goal is not to “fix” or “control” these responses, but to explore them from a place of curiosity. In this way, we will strive to meet ourselves and others where we are at, with respect for our differences and a belief in our capacity to grow and change.
Your Invitation
Through experiential learning and reflective discussions, we will explore power, power dynamics, power sharing, and culture shift, while building respect-based relationships that can hold us as we work together over two sessions. We will all arrive with different goals, ideas, experiences, fears, anxieties, and needs. While we are together, we will find where our values and goals align, find ways to support each other’s work, and build affinity.
We’d like everyone to agree to be guided by The Four Agreements of Courageous Conversations
Adapted from Glenn E. Singleton’s Courageous Conversations about Race; https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/BTB_23_PRECON_Make_It_Plain_2.pdf
We’d like everyone to agree to be guided by The Four Agreements of Courageous Conversations
Adapted from Glenn E. Singleton’s Courageous Conversations about Race; https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/BTB_23_PRECON_Make_It_Plain_2.pdf
Expect and accept discomfort
You will feel uncomfortable at times: when you feel it, accept it, explore it, ask yourself “why am I feeling uncomfortable”.
You will feel uncomfortable at times: when you feel it, accept it, explore it, ask yourself “why am I feeling uncomfortable”.
Expect and accept non-closure
We will not have an answer, a solution or closure at the end of our workshops. We will have more questions, thoughts and feelings.
We will not have an answer, a solution or closure at the end of our workshops. We will have more questions, thoughts and feelings.
Stay engaged
With all the discomfort and non-closure you may be tempted to dis-engage with the material or people - this will block any movement forward. Take a break when you need to, and return when you are ready.
With all the discomfort and non-closure you may be tempted to dis-engage with the material or people - this will block any movement forward. Take a break when you need to, and return when you are ready.
Speak your truth
There is not a single Truth, in fact, things can be dialectic - opposite and yet both true. If you speak from ‘your truth’ there is room for other beliefs to be shared and heard. If you hear something that changes your truth you have space for it to develop.
There is not a single Truth, in fact, things can be dialectic - opposite and yet both true. If you speak from ‘your truth’ there is room for other beliefs to be shared and heard. If you hear something that changes your truth you have space for it to develop.
Before the workshop
We are providing you with many thought provoking resources: this toolkit is designed for you to go over in more than one sitting. One of our four agreements is to ‘accept nonclosure,’ which we can practice as we work through this toolkit. Another is ‘stay engaged,’ so please come back to these materials more than once. We ask you to follow your intuition and sense of desire in choosing which resources you want to explore and in which order. What speaks to you? What do you feel drawn to? You will have lots to think about, and we encourage you to share with people in your life, both in this material, what we cover in the workshops, and the further resources we will send you off with. This is also why we would like to encourage your group to continue gathering after the workshop, so that you can support each other, sharing reflections, accountability and inspiration, as you come back to this material again and again.
We have created a package of readings, audio pieces, and other materials to prepare you for the workshop, and to create a sense of shared language and understanding.
Using your curiosity, feelings, and reactions to guide you, make connections to the material. These might be:
- connections to yourself and your experiences
- connections to feelings, emotions, or physical sensations you are experiencing
- connections to other things you know or have read about
- connections to events happening in the world
- connections to yourself and your experiences
- connections to feelings, emotions, or physical sensations you are experiencing
- connections to other things you know or have read about
- connections to events happening in the world
Goals for the close of this workshop:
> Participants will feel that they are part of a larger affinity network of people who
share their values, concerns, and cares, and will be given resources to help continue
the work.
share their values, concerns, and cares, and will be given resources to help continue
the work.
> Participants will be able to observe and recognize power dynamics in their life.
> Participants will have been supported in thinking about reciprocity and how they
can start sharing any abundant “unearned power assets”.
can start sharing any abundant “unearned power assets”.
> Participants will have tools to speak up, intervene and make other key changes
in thoughts and behaviours to act against both external and internalized forms
of oppression.
in thoughts and behaviours to act against both external and internalized forms
of oppression.
> Participants will have set short and long term goals for how they want to continue
to be in relationship, supporting each other in this work.
to be in relationship, supporting each other in this work.
During the workshop
During our time together we'll debrief your responses to materials from the toolkit. Pay attention to how you are feeling while you engage with these resources. We will invite you to share what you noticed, using the following statements:
I learned…
I noticed…
I liked…
I felt…
I wonder…