Before we start!
We are recording this meeting today. I will attempt to edit out faces and voices as much as possible in the final video, but I cannot guarantee that your image and voice will not appear. My intention is to only publish the parts with slide presentations, and to edit out/pause recording during group activities/discussions, but again, I cannot guarantee that you’ll be completely edited out. Before we start, I want to give you the opportunity to change your name on the Zoom meeting and turn off your camera if desired.
How to Talk to People You *REALLY* Don’t Agree With
When There’s More at Stake than Winning an Argument
Changemaker Workshops ~ October 6th, 2022
~ Getting Present in the Space ~
“All the World Is One” by Peter Mayer - https://open.spotify.com/track/1GASGQq8Ej9qko9Otdq7Wb?si=a935618e105d43f3
Tech Info
We strive to be an actively accessible space
Intros & Connection Game
Welcome!!
Acknowledgements & Contributions
Please consider donating to the following groups today if you are in the financial position to do so! The Changemaker Workshops are kept intentionally free, partially so that folks with the means to do so can put our money where our mouth is by contributing between $25-$100 to groups that are already doing this work in real time.
Listed in the next slide are groups that have directly contributed to the ideas we're learning about today, often with no direct compensation for their world-changing work. If you are privileged to live comfortably in this society, I invite you to consider wealth redistribution as part of your contribution to the movement!
Acknowledgements & Contributions
Agenda for Today
Objectives for Today
Today will be an opportunity to try out what community building and relationship-strengthening looks like in real time, important tools for building a strong volunteer base. As we learn from each other about what works well for volunteer organizing, we will also be practicing some of these community-holding tools with each other in real time. I invite you to notice what you’re feeling as we create space together today - What feels good? What feels challenging? What could you see yourself bringing to other spaces you are a part of?
As usual, I don’t pretend to be an expert, and am just as much a student of learning how to hold space together as we all are! I am looking forward to learning and experimenting with you all today. <3
Covenant & Group Agreements (Shortened Version)
Full covenant at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kNoMMp-HXw5Lw95IxJPWbtJzrelaqumSs9KB-t3M9oI/edit
“The world would be a paradise of peace and justice if global citizens shared a common definition of love which would guide our thoughts and action.”
~ bell hooks
WHY are we having these conversations where we *REALLY* don’t agree with the other person? What do we feel is at stake in these conversations?
*What is our GOAL when talking to people “on the other side”?*
How would we like our values to show up in these conversations?
How does our context and relationship to the other person shape how we are able to interact?
~ Small Group Activity ~
Break into groups of two’s - one of you will share about a conversation with someone you didn’t agree with that you feel went BADLY, and the other will share about a time you feel it went WELL.
Part 1
Person A: Share about a time you had a conversation with someone you didn’t agree with and it went BADLY. What went wrong?
Person B: Make a few mental or written notes about Person A’s story, then discuss.
Part 2
Person B: Share about a time you had a conversation with someone you didn’t agree with and it went WELL. What helped make the conversation better?
Person A: Make a few mental or written notes about Person B’s story, then discuss.
Group discussion - What were the key differences that changed how a conversation went?
A quick note about positionality…
A quick note about positionality…
A quick note about positionality…
“Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. ”
~ Paulo Freire
During the break, you may want to grab some paper and drawing utensils for our final activity!
30-Minute Break
Using the tools we’ve developed today, how might we approach these fictional scenarios?
~ Arts & Crafts Reflection ~
Draw, write, or take a mental note of one thing that you learned from folks in the space that you are taking with you today. If you are writing or drawing, consider making it look nice so you can put it up on your fridge or wall somewhere to remind you!
Closing: Excerpt from Beyond Survival: Strategies & Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement
The primary offering here is a space to be.
Be here.
Be all over the place.
Be messy.
Be wrong.
Be bold in your hopefulness.
Be confused in community.
Be reaching past isolation.
Be part of the problem.
Be hungry for the after.
Be helpful in the midst.
Be so early in the process.
Be broken by belief.
Be bolstered by brave comrades.
Be unbelievably unready.
Be alive.
Image description: A pink and cream-colored heart on a dark brown background looks like it’s created from globby streaks of paint or glue or icing creating a very messy, alive-looking image. Image from marriagegeek.com.
Acknowledgements & Contributions
Resources