WHAT IS SPEAKING DOWN BARRIERS?:
Speaking Down Barriers is a nonprofit organization that transforms the way we live together across our differences, including race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national identity, and class.
Through transformational experiences rooted in personal narrative, mindful facilitation, teaching, and the spoken word art form, this work offers brave, communal spaces for people to address and heal inner beliefs and pain as well as embrace personal power in affecting change within and outside of themselves.
These spaces are for all ages and include: community dialogue, training processes, deep listening, and performance.
Speaking Down Barriers is a nonprofit organization that transforms the way we live together across our differences, including race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national identity, and class.
Through transformational experiences rooted in personal narrative, mindful facilitation, teaching, and the spoken word art form, this work offers brave, communal spaces for people to address and heal inner beliefs and pain as well as embrace personal power in affecting change within and outside of themselves.
These spaces are for all ages and include: community dialogue, training processes, deep listening, and performance.
HOW THE NETWORK WORKS:
Through facilitating listening sessions, a community gathering, and a train-the-facilitator training, you will become a network partner of Speaking Down Barriers, gaining access to ongoing resources for deepening your community work across difference, ongoing dialogue support, and an annual retreat & skill-share. However, as a group, organization, or coalition of people or organizations, you remain independent of Speaking Down Barriers.
Through facilitating listening sessions, a community gathering, and a train-the-facilitator training, you will become a network partner of Speaking Down Barriers, gaining access to ongoing resources for deepening your community work across difference, ongoing dialogue support, and an annual retreat & skill-share. However, as a group, organization, or coalition of people or organizations, you remain independent of Speaking Down Barriers.
DEEP LISTENING SESSIONS:
Whenever possible, we begin training processes with a series of one-on-one or small group listening sessions to a cross-section of your community, including community members, informal and formal community leaders, local artists and poets, and other community stakeholders. These sessions help us to understand specific community dynamics, identify patterns or threads of cohesiveness and tension, as well as analyze the personal, interpersonal, and structural layers of oppression and giftedness within your specific location. These are typically one-hour, face-to-face conversations. While time intensive, these sessions are extremely important. Listening sessions help us to better work with you, your team, and your community.
COMMUNITY GATHERINGS:
Speaking Down Barriers has facilitated monthly community dialogue sessions on race and racism since November 2013. These conversations incorporate the power of narrative, the spoken word poetry art form, and careful, mindful group facilitation, all working together to create a healing space across difference. Questions are designed appropriate to the conversation topic and encourage participants to engage in small and large-group dialogue together. Spoken word poets are woven throughout the gathering to act as a grounding source for individuals. Our facilitators are skilled in areas of anti-racist framework, various therapeutic modalities, conflict mediation, group facilitation, and accountable support. These gatherings are appropriate for groups of leaders, community citizens, students, or faculty.
Whenever possible, we begin training processes with a series of one-on-one or small group listening sessions to a cross-section of your community, including community members, informal and formal community leaders, local artists and poets, and other community stakeholders. These sessions help us to understand specific community dynamics, identify patterns or threads of cohesiveness and tension, as well as analyze the personal, interpersonal, and structural layers of oppression and giftedness within your specific location. These are typically one-hour, face-to-face conversations. While time intensive, these sessions are extremely important. Listening sessions help us to better work with you, your team, and your community.
COMMUNITY GATHERINGS:
Speaking Down Barriers has facilitated monthly community dialogue sessions on race and racism since November 2013. These conversations incorporate the power of narrative, the spoken word poetry art form, and careful, mindful group facilitation, all working together to create a healing space across difference. Questions are designed appropriate to the conversation topic and encourage participants to engage in small and large-group dialogue together. Spoken word poets are woven throughout the gathering to act as a grounding source for individuals. Our facilitators are skilled in areas of anti-racist framework, various therapeutic modalities, conflict mediation, group facilitation, and accountable support. These gatherings are appropriate for groups of leaders, community citizens, students, or faculty.
TRAIN-THE-FACILITATOR TRAINING:
The facilitator training would take place in a one-day, 6.5 hour format following a community gathering. Our transformation workers, with backgrounds in the areas of diversity, empowerment, reconciliation, and healing, would come together to engage a group of no more than 8 participants. The training would be a communal exploration of the personal, interpersonal, and structural aspects of racism as well as provide teaching and facilitation skills to participants. This format is designed for potential dialogue facilitators.
TRANSPARENCY OF COST:
A team of four facilitators will come to your city over a 5 day period as the initial step in our network partnership. The total cost is broken down to include travel, lodging, meals, listening sessions, and facilitation.
We encourage you to access your community resources, including grassroots organizations, community organizers, nonprofits, and social justice-oriented foundations in your area. If we can help you identify these resources in your area, please let us know.
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Current Network Partners HealthWest, Muskegon Heights, Muskegon, & Words Out Loud Poetry Society- Muskegon, Michigan |