developing social change leaders: practices and perspectives on fostering an intersectional...

Developing Social Change Leaders: Practices and Perspectives on Fostering an Intersectional Approach

Tuesday, August 6, 2013 11am-12pm PDT

Our Story• Founded in the early 1990s

by a multiracial coalition of organizations uniting to respond to growing intergroup tensions and violence

• First LDIR cohort graduated from a 9-month program in 1992, a few weeks after the Los Angeles 1992 civil unrest

Values and Practices

From the beginning…• Early research informed the program’s paradigm around

social change leadership

• Sought to provide what others weren’t: a space for building analysis and skills, combined with the opportunity to practically apply both

• Program curriculum was designed to support relationship building, dialogue, sharing of personal stories

• Facilitation approach honored the knowledge in the group, supported a participatory growth process

Defining social change leadership

• Committed to social justice

• Emphasizes collaboration and relationship building—understands leadership as a collective process

• Engages holistic and systemic strategies

Expanding our lens• A singular focus on race/ethnicity undermined the work

• Supporting leadership from a social justice perspective required an intersectional approach to identity

• Curriculum had to emphasize how privilege and power pivot around not only race/ethnicity, but also class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, nation of citizenship/immigration status, and religion

Race Age

Ability

Sex

ual

O

rienta

tion

Religion/Faith

Class

Gen

de

r

Nat

ion

of

Citiz

ensh

ip

Your

Identifi

er

Dominant

Group

Keeping best practices• Dedicate enough time and attention to preparation with

facilitators, tailoring of curriculum, and participant demographics and dynamics

• Recruit a diverse group of people to support a process of learning from one another’s lived experiences of privilege and oppression. If an identity is not represented, encourage the group to note how that may influence conversations

• Facilitate in diverse teams—with different identities, communication styles, leadership styles

• Create affinity spaces, with facilitators to support them

• Emphasize discussion guidelines, allowing participants to brainstorm their own if time allows, or bringing preset guidelines

Keeping best practices• Start by building trust to pave the way for deeper processing

around identity, privilege, power, and agency

• Never assume prior understanding of the vocabulary used—build a shared understanding of concepts such as privilege, ally, cisgender, etc.

• Expect and embrace conflict, supporting participants in using conflict as an opportunity to learn

• Maintain flexibility, checking in with facilitation team throughout sessions to make changes to a curriculum per group needs

• Always allow participants sufficient time to reflect and absorb, both individually and collectively, silently and aloud

Ways we work

• Intensive series

• Capacity-building

• Consulting services and customized workshops

• Public workshops

Intensive Series

• Facilitation for Social Change

• LDIRs in Health

• Leadership for Social Change

• Healing for Social Change

Central Valley Leadership for Social Change

Resource Highlight: Allyship

1. Self-awareness

2. Self-education

3. Creating and open and supportive environment

4. Taking action

Allies understand the many layers of oppression, can identify positions of privilege they hold, and actively work to rectify inequity. They are committed to:

Healing for Social Change

Resource Highlight: Isms at WorkA liberatory space is one that is free from racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, heterosexism, classism, citizenship privilege, religious privilege, ageism and other –isms that affect our access to resources and our general safety in this society.

We live in a context where all of the –isms are alive and well, which means the –isms are literally at work with us.

Capacity Building

• Philadelphia, PA

• Flint, MI

• Central Valley, CA

• Solano Coalition for Better Health

• Gender Justice LA

Consulting Services

• LA Public Health Department

• Center for Nonprofit Management

• Riverside Human Relations Commission

Public Workshops

• Facilitating Intergroup Dialogue

• Strategies to Manage Conflict

• Supervising to Empower

Q&A

Thank you

Keep in touch!ldir.org

facebook.com/ldirprogramtwitter @leaders4actionactivistsoul.tumblr.com

linkedin.com/company/ldir