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IN COUNTRIES SUCH AS NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, AND AMONG TRIBAL NATIONS IN THE U.S., it is commonplace, even policy, to open events and gatherings by acknowledging the traditional Indigenous inhabitants of that land. While some individuals and cultural and educational institutions in the United States have adopted this custom, the vast majority have not. Together, we can spark a movement to change that.
We call on all individuals and organizations to open public events and gatherings with acknowledgment of the traditional Native inhabitants of the land.
Acknowledgment is a simple, powerful way of showing respect and a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous people's history and culture and toward inviting and honoring the truth. Imagine this practice widely adopted: imagine cultural venues, classrooms, conference settings, places of worship, sports stadiums, and town halls, acknowledging traditional lands. Millions would be exposed-many for the first time-to the names of the traditional Indigenous inhabitants of the lands they are on, inspiring them to ongoing awareness and action.

For more than five hundred years, Native communities across the Americas have demonstrated resilience and resistance in the face of violent efforts to separate them from their land, culture, and each other. They remain at the forefront of movements to protect Mother Earth and the life it sustains. Today, corporate greed and federal policy push agendas to extract wealth from the earth, degrading sacred land in blatant disregard of treaty rights. Acknowledgment is a critical public intervention, a necessary step toward honoring Native communities and enacting the much larger project of decolonization and reconciliation. Join us in adopting, calling for, and spreading this practice.

We are eager to share this #HonorNativeLand Virtual Acknowledgement Pack as an effort to renew our commitment to acknowledging place and the ancestral and contemporary stewards of these irreplaceable resources of land, air, water and cosmos.

With this release of these digital tools, we encourage folks to find creative ways to weave in acknowledgment as they host events and staff meetings in the digital space.

In this pack you will find:

A series of images formatted to share as a series on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere. These images reinforce why it is important to continue the practice of acknowledging space, even in the digital world.

Our #HonorNativeLand poster series. You can print these to use at home, a house of worship, a school, wherever you find yourself building a home base.

Please stay tuned for more information about the #HonorNativeLand work as we embark on Phase 2: moving from acknowledgement to action.

Download the GuideCreated in partnership with Native allies and organizations, the Guide offers context about the practice of acknowledgment, gives step-by-step instructions for how to begin wherever you are, and provides tips for moving beyond acknowledgment into action.
WHY INTRODUCE THE PRACTICE OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT?

Offer recognition and respect.

Counter the "doctrine of discovery" with the true story of the people who were already here.

Create a broader public awareness of the history that has led to this moment.

Begin to repair relationships with Native communities and with the land.

Support larger truth-telling and reconciliation efforts.

Remind people that colonization is an ongoing process, with Native lands still occupied due to deceptive and broken treaties.

Take a cue from Indigenous protocol, opening up space with reverence and respect.

Inspire ongoing action and relationship.

Acknowledgment by itself is a small gesture. It becomes meaningful when coupled with authentic relationship and informed action. But this beginning can be an opening to greater public consciousness of Native sovereignty and cultural rights, a step toward equitable relationship and reconciliation.

We urge organizations, collectives, institutions, and agencies to publicly commit to practicing traditional Native land acknowledgment. To stand and be counted and to inspire others with your commitment, take the pledge.

As a step toward honoring the truth and achieving healing and reconciliation, our organization commits to open all public events and gatherings with a statement acknowledging the traditional Native lands on which we stand. Such statements become truly meaningful when coupled with authentic relationships and sustained commitment. We therefore commit to move beyond words into programs and actions that fully embody a commitment to Indigenous rights and cultural equity.

Hundreds of organizations have pledged to #HonorNativeLand in their spaces and events, including:

Artist's Laboratory Theatre

Arts in a Changing America (ArtChangeUS)

California Indian Culture & Sovereignty Center

Dancing Earth

Democracy at Work Institute

Emerging Arts Leaders/Los Angeles

Indigenous Women Rise in Gallup

Ink People, Inc.

IU First Nations Educational & Cultural Center

Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection

Marietta Ohio Arts Innovation Lab

National Council for Science and Faith

Native American Music Awards

Native Arts and Cultures Foundation

New Economy Coalition

Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA)

Artivists LA

Kamiah Community Library

Peñasco Theatre Collective

Self Help Graphics & Art

YWCA Olympia

We are grateful to all of the partners whose work inspired this campaign. Special thanks to the following individuals who offered insight and support in its creation: T. Lulani Arquette (Native Hawaiian), Daniel Banks, Sherry Salway Black (Oglala Lakota), Mary Bordeaux (Sicangu Lakota), Ron Martinez Looking Elk (Isleta Pueblo), Lori Pourier (Oglala Lakota), Shirley Sneve (Rosebud Sioux), Rulan Tangen (mixed Indigenous heritage), Josh Reid (Snohomish), Tanaya Winder (Duckwater Shoshone/Pyramid Lake Paiute/Southern Ute), Warren "Guss" Yellowhair (Northern Cheyenne/Oglala Lakota), and Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Nation Lakota) and Ty Defoe (Ojibwe/Oneida) of Indigenous Direction. Thank you to Nicholas Ward, Connie Fitzpatrick, and the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation for use of their photographs, and Keith BraveHeart (Oceti Sakowin: Oglala Lakota), Bunky Echo-Hawk (Pawnee/Yakama), jetsonorama, Warren Montoya (Tamaya & Kha'po Owingeh), Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota), Bryan D. Parker (Muscogee Creek/ Choctaw/White Mountain Apache), Remy (Diné), Jaclyn Roessel (Diné), and William Wilson (Diné) for the use of their artwork. Any omissions or errors are the responsibility of the USDAC.

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#HonorNativeLand - U.S. Department of Arts and Culture

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A call to action and guide to open public events and gatherings with acknowledgment of the traditional Native inhabitants of the land. Acknowledgment is a simple, powerful way of showing respect and a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous people's history and cultu

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The Challenge in Diversifying Green Spaces

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The Challenge in Diversifying Green Spaces

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* People of color are 36% of the U.S. population, and comprise 29% of the science and engineering workforce but they do not exceed 16% of the staff in any of the organizations surveyed. * For decades, environmental organizations have stressed the value of diversity however the diversity compostion has not broken the 16% green ceilling. * People of color support environmental protection at a higher rate than whites. However, environmental organizations are not adequetely reaching out to organizations representing people of color communities.

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People of color are 36% of the U.S. population, and comprise 29% of the science and engineering workforce but they do not exceed 16% of the staff in any of the organizations surveyed. * For decades, environmental organizations have stressed the value of diversity however the diversity compostion has not broken the 16% green ceilling.

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Understanding how school discipline policies can contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline is essential for educators and families. Harsh punishments, automatic out-of-class time and police involvement for discipline can push young people out of classrooms and into the criminal legal system. But educators, parents and caregivers can help to change this harmful system by advocating for and implementing practices that prioritize mental health and well-being.

We offer this new resource page that highlights LFJ articles and content to open dialogue, shift practices and foster change to benefit all young people.

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Learning for Justice | Education Resources

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Learning for Justice provides free resources to educators-teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners-who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants.

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Talking About Race with K-5: Honoring Teachable Race Moments

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A guide to turning spontaneous racial incidents into teachable race moments.

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​Dismantling Racism Works (dRworks) is no longer offering workshops and race equity consulting (see About dRworks page). We are pleased to offer our workbook. We hope you find the material here...

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ENDING RACISM AND INJUSTICE IN THE FOOD SYSTEM

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Leon Ford was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. He is a community leader, activist, mentor, and motivational speaker. Leon's entry into activism was sparked after experiencing a life-threatening act of police brutality.

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Leon Ford was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. He is a community leader, activist, mentor, and motivational speaker. Leon's entry into activism was sparked after experiencing a life-threatening act of police brutality.

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From Garden Warriors to Good Seeds: Indigenizing the Local Food Movement

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From Garden Warriors to Good Seeds: Indigenizing the Local Food Movement

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1. Rooted in the Earth: Reclaiming the African American Environmental Heritage, by Dianne D. Glave

2. The Earth Knows My Name, by Patricia Klindienst

3. Colors in Nature: Cultural, Identity, and the Natural World, by Alison Hawthorne Deming & Lauret E. Savoy

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The PQHP is an oral history and media archive, focusing on LGBT nightlife in Pittsburgh, PA from 1960 to 1990. Founded by Harrison Apple in 2012, the project began as an investigation of gay-owned-and-operated after-hours nightclubs.

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You're probably used to seeing handicapped parking spaces in front of stores and restaurants, or perhaps even familiar with the growing number of automatic doors into public buildings that are handicapped-accessible. And to someone who's never had the experience of being disabled, these small conveniences might seem almost like a luxury. Did you know, however, that nearly one in five Americans has a disability - and that more than half of them identify it as severe?

For people who live with a disability, simple things like parking spaces and door buttons are not a convenience, but a necessity. Many disabled people struggle to do things like housework or even fixing meals. They often have difficulty lifting items like grocery bags or grasping a glass of water. But aside from overcoming physical challenges of daily life, many people with disabilities also suffer from discrimination.

What is Ableism?

The term ableism the "practices and dominant attitudes in society that devalue and limit the potential of persons with disabilities." When we talk about ableism, we're talking about not treating those with disabilities as whole people. Ableism assumes that able-bodied people are superior to anyone living with a disability.

If you've never heard this word before, you're not alone. Unlike racism or sexism, which are two types of prejudices that are widely referenced and discussed, ableism is not as mainstream. Does this mean that ableist beliefs are not as harmful or negative? Absolutely not. Discrimination towards people with disabilities is just as damaging. And because ableism is not talked about as commonly as other inequalities, it may actually be harder to know when you are contributing towards ableist tendencies.

What Can You Do to Stop Ableism?

The world might be predominantly built for able-bodied individuals, but that doesn't mean there aren't simple ways to make a difference. Read on for a few easy ways to help do your part to stop ableism:

Watch what you say. It's easy to brush off using certain words as "no big deal," but to people living with a disability, these terms can be both disrespectful and hurtful. And maybe it's a no-brainer that a word like is not okay to use, but things like or or also have harmful effects. Be sure to refrain from using any sort of language that targets someone with a disability (and for a helpful, more detailed guide - ).

Be considerate. As an able-bodied person, you might forget that you have access to just about everywhere - and that someone with a disability might not. Places like handicapped bathroom stalls and the front seats of public transportation were put there for a reason. Though you might not be intentionally discriminating against people with disabilities, you are inadvertently doing just that by utilizing the resources there for them. So instead of taking the elevator and crowding it for someone who needs it, take the stairs or the escalator.

Always ask before assisting. One of the worst assumptions that an able-bodied person can make is that everyone with a disability is incapable of helping themselves. People living with disabilities know how to ask for help, and will when they need it. However, if you see someone who seems to be struggling, be sure to ask permission beforehand. Even if they decline, they will likely appreciate the gesture.

In addition to these simple ways to do your part to fight ableism, take the time to learn more about people who live with disabilities. Participate in the Dignity & Respect Campaign's Building Cultural Awareness Initiative and download our discussion guide and reading list for this month. Ask yourself questions about living with a disability, such as how you talk about disabilities or who should be responsible for supporting disabled persons.

Remember: differences are only barriers if we allow them to be. Do your part and learn how you can help to make this world a better place - for ALL to live.

Posted in Tagged Build Cultural Awareness ableism, awareness, Dignity & Respect, Disabilities, disability, initiatives

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You're probably used to seeing handicapped parking spaces in front of stores and restaurants, or perhaps even familiar with the growing number of automatic doors into public buildings that are handicapped-accessible. And to someone who's never had the experience of being disabled, these small conveniences might seem almost like a luxury.

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The Pittsburgh Accessibility Guide | Information & Questions

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Get all the information you need about accessibility for your trip to Pittsburgh, find transportation, parking, medical services and much more.

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Each year, California's Sequoia National Park draws a million people to commune with nature and be dwarfed by some of the largest living things on earth. Visitors pass trees recognizing presidents and heroes of war: Washington, Sherman, Lincoln, Grant. A summit trail bears the name of John Muir, known as the father of our national parks.

But few Americans know the name or story of the man who carved this national park into being: Charles Young, a black Army Captain born into slavery in Mays Lick, Ky. It was Young, with his segregated company and crosscut saws, who transformed Sequoia from an impenetrable wilderness to a tourist mecca. In 1903, with teams of mules hitched to wagons, Young's mountaineers became the first to enter the Giant Forest on four wheels.

When we think of great conservationists, or just ordinary Americans trekking in the outdoors, we don't typically picture black faces. There are reasons for that: Today, more than a century since Young's team opened up Sequoia National Park, blacks are still far less likely to explore its trails. A 2011 survey commissioned by the National Park Service showed that only 7 percent of visitors to the parks system were black. (Blacks make up nearly twice that percentage of the US population.) Latinos were similarly underrepresented.

But if African-Americans don't figure in our notion of America's great outdoors, geographer Carolyn Finney argues, it is also because of how the story has been told, and who has been left out-black pioneers and ordinary folk whose contributions to the land have long gone ignored. Reclaiming those stories, she contends, could have huge implications for protecting our wilderness in the future.

Finney, an assistant professor of environmental science, policy, and management at the University of California at Berkeley, spent years researching African-Americans' connection to natural spaces. In a new book, "Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors," she finds that that connection is rich, but also distinct and fraught-rooted in a history of racial violence and exclusion that sharply limited black engagement with nature. Those barriers, Finney writes, would come to shape our most basic perceptions about who cherishes nature and who belongs in it.

Weaving scholarly analysis with interviews of leading black environmentalists and ordinary Americans, Finney traces the environmental legacy of slavery and Jim Crow segregation, which mapped the wilderness as a terrain of extreme terror and struggle for generations of blacks-as well as a place of refuge.

The book comes as the Park Service and other conservation agencies struggle to respond to America's changing demographics and diversify the ranks of visitors and employees. In doing so, they are increasingly turning to a national movement of black outdoor enthusiasts spearheading initiatives that celebrate African-American connections in nature. But to Finney, who serves as chair of the Relevancy Committee for the National Parks Advisory Board, any serious effort to broaden participation in the parks has to begin with getting the history right.

"There's this prevailing myth of black Americans as alienated from nature, as urban, as deeply unattached. Well, I push back on that, because I think we are actually very attached," said Finney, speaking about her work in 2012. "There are people of color who have invested blood, sweat, and tears into the land whose stories aren't acknowledged at all, let alone being recognized as people who care about the environment."

Finney spoke to Ideas from her home in Berkeley, Calif.

IDEAS: Describe your relationship to nature as an African-American girl growing up in New York.

FINNEY: My parents grew up poor in the South. When my father came back from the Korean War, they decided to move north to New York. His sister was living there and came up with two opportunities: He could be a janitor in Syracuse, or he could be a caretaker living on a wealthy estate just outside the city. That's where he and my mother moved. The estate was 12 acres, with a pond and lots of fish, vegetable gardens, snapping turtles, deer, geese....I can remember finding the strangest worm, knowing it was out of place and wondering how it got there. I had a favorite rock, which was carved out in the middle, and I would ride it like a horse. And of course I watched my parents tend to the land. The first conservationists I ever knew were my parents.

IDEAS: How did those experiences begin to shape your views about the relationship between black Americans and the outdoors?

FINNEY: After my parents left and moved to Virginia, neighbors of the estate would send letters whenever something significant happened. In 2005 or 2006, my father got a letter saying that there had been a conservation easement placed on the property. In perpetuity, nothing could be changed and no new buildings could be added. And they were thanking the new owner for his conservation-mindedness. In reading it, I couldn't help thinking, where was the thanks to my parents, who cared for that land for 50 years? That got me thinking about all the people in our history whose stories are unsung or invisible. We don't hear about them because nobody calls that "conservation." They don't fit into the way we talk about environmentalism in the mainstream. So how do we recognize and honor those other stories?

IDEAS: In your book you talk about the stereotype that blacks don't "do" nature. When did you start to bump up against that?

FINNEY: I think the first thing I came up against was just that black people are different, period-that being black didn't fit into the dominant culture's picture of a lot of things I wanted to do. "Black people don't do" fill-in-the-blank. So it makes sense that that would roll right into ideas about black people and the environment. In the late '80s and early '90s, I spent about five years backpacking around the world. And often times it was the Americans who would ask where I was from. Even though the way I am is very American, and I was dressed in backpacker gear and all that, it really messed with their minds that I could possibly be from the US. My presence, in nature, literally colored the way people were able to see me.

'There were words on paper saying these protected spaces were meant for everyone, but we know they weren't really meant for everyone.'

IDEAS: Who were some of the African-Americans environmentalists whose contributions surprised you most?

FINNEY: I interviewed so many people with amazing stories I had never heard of, stories I couldn't believe the mainstream environmental movement hadn't picked up on. Like John Francis, who spent 22 years walking across the US and Latin America to raise awareness about the environment. He did 17 years of that without talking! Or MaVynee Betsch, a black woman who gave away all her wealth, over $750,000, to environmental causes. Or Betty Reid Soskin, who at 92 is the oldest park ranger in the country, and who helped to get the Rosie the Riveter National Park on the books. What all of this says to me is the mainstream still has so much work to do to embrace and engage these stories, not just as black stories but as human stories that we can all relate to at a really basic level.

IDEAS: Your book draws parallels between pivotal moments in environmental history and pivotal moments in black history. How are they related?

FINNEY: Well, for example, the Homestead Act of 1862 made it possible for European immigrants to come here and go out West and grab large tracts of land, literally just by grabbing it before anybody else did. And you could just live on it for five years, and build a home and grow food, and it could be yours. That's amazing. And they were the only ones allowed to participate. That land, we know already, used to belong to Native Americans. And black people weren't allowed to participate at all.

On the heels of that, you have John Muir talking about preservation of the land and the idea of the national parks as these beautiful spaces that are going to be public treasures for everyone, every American....But meanwhile, enslaved people had just gotten freed, were given land, had that land taken away, and then were living under the threat of Jim Crow segregation for all those years afterward.

That's a real cognitive dissonance: There were words on paper saying these protected spaces were meant for everyone, but we know they weren't really meant for everyone, because everything else that was going on in the country at the time indicated that.

IDEAS: Your book describes recent efforts by the National Parks Service to broaden participation of African-Americans and other underrepresented groups in recreation and preservation. Why does broadening participation matter?

FINNEY: If you're someone who believes in the protection and preservation of a natural space, who's going to do that? It's going to be people. The changing demographics in this country mean that those people aren't going to look like the people from 60 or 70 years ago who were doing it. If you're going to engage people in terms of stewardship and protecting natural spaces, boy, there has to be a big overhaul. You can't talk about conservation without talking about people and difference and access. And making that connection is part of the big challenge.

Related:

* 10 great hikes near Boston

* Cape Cod Canal's 100th anniversary

* Opinion: Taking stock of inequality then and now

* Some slam 'racist' stereotypes in play at Newton North

Francie Latour writes about race, culture and identity for the Globe, TheRoot.com, and Essence magazine. She lives in Boston.

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Hiking while black: The untold story of black people in the great outdoors - The Boston Globe

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Each year, California's Sequoia National Park draws a million people to commune with nature and be dwarfed by some of the largest living things on earth. Visitors pass trees recognizing presidents and heroes of war: Washington, Sherman, Lincoln, Grant. A summit trail bears the name of John Muir, known as the father of our national parks.

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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack’ and ‘Some Notes for Facilitators’ | National SEED Project

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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack Downloadable PDF © 1989 Peggy McIntosh ‘White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack’ first appeared in Peace and Freedom Magazine, July/August, 1989, pp. 10-12, a publication of the Women’s Inte…

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Anti-Oppression Resource & Training Alliance

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Anti-Oppression Resource & Training Alliance

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MAKING MEETINGS AWESOME FOR EVERYONE
Updated June 2017
Download Handout

Inefficient and ineffective meetings can leave people feeling drained, exhausted or discouraged, rather than inspired and energized. Good meetings help build strong, effective organizations and successful projects. Even organizations with great meeting process inadvertently perpetuate barriers to full participation and access to democratic process. This happens through group dynamics of power, privilege and oppression that often marginalize women, people of color, queer, trans and gender non-conforming folks, people with disabilities and those with limited access to the cultural cues and financial resources that come with class privilege.

Whether or not you act as facilitator at meetings you attend, building your facilitation skills will help you make your meetings better, more inclusive, and more fully democratic! Here are some foundational tips and suggestions that can have big impacts on your meetings.

WHAT IS FACILITATION, ANYWAY?
Facilitation ensures that the group is empowered as a whole. Effective facilitation:

Ensures that everyone gets to participate and share ideas in a meeting, not just those who feel most comfortable speaking up and making cases for their ideas or proposals.

Helps prevent or interrupt any (conscious or unconscious) attempts by individuals or groups to overpower the group as a whole.

Mitigates and interrupts social power dynamics. Points out and addresses discrepancies in who is talking/whose voices are being heard.

Helps the group come to the decisions that are best for the organization/whole group. Helps people keep an eye on what's best for the group, rather than their personal preference.

Ensures the group follows it's own agreed-upon process and meeting agreements.

The facilitator keeps an eye on time, and juggles it with the (ever present) need for more time.

Offers periodic time checks where needed.

Helps keep the group conversation on topic and relevant. Prevents ramblings and tangents.

Makes process suggestions to help the group along.

Summarizes discussion, synthesizes people's comments when helpful, and notes key areas of agreement, to help move the group forward.

Some things facilitators don't do:

Dominate the speaking space.

Comment on people's ideas.

Let individuals take the group off-topic and off-task.

CONTAINERS FOR YOUR MEETINGS

Things like community agreements, an agenda, an available chart of your group's decision making process, and a place to store important topics for future conversations, next steps, etc. are important foundations for a meeting-we call them "containers." They act as visual tools that participants and facilitators can come back to throughout the meeting to help keep the group focused, on track, and on the same page. They also offer direction for moments when things get sticky or tense.
Community Agreements
Community agreements help define your role as facilitator and clarify the group's expectations of you. One of your big responsibilities to the group is to make sure these agreements are upheld. This isn't about creating rules-it's about creating and clarifying agreements and expectations that allow everyone in the group to participate. In order for these to be meaningful, they need to come from the group itself. Once a group creates its agreements, they can be used over and over. As a facilitator, you get to contribute to this list, too.

Below are some community agreements that can be helpful in meetings. Not all of these will be useful for every group, depending on the culture and preferences of the group and the individuals within it. (Some of these were developed/adapted by AORTA, others have been crowdsourced over time from our broader galaxy of facilitation colleagues.)

ONE DIVA, ONE MIC

Please, one person speak at a time. (It can also be useful to ask people to leave a few moments in between speakers, for those who need more time to process words, or are less comfortable interjecting in a conversation.)

NO ONE KNOWS EVERYTHING; TOGETHER WE KNOW A LOT

In any conversation, especially ones about systemic power (race, class, gender, etc), we know that each person is coming to the conversation with different levels of lived experience and embodied expertise. We also believe that each person has something to contribute to the conversation. This agreement asks that we all practice being humble, and look for what we have to learn from each person in the room. It asks us to share what we know, as well as our questions, so that others may learn from us.

MOVE UP, MOVE UP

If you're someone who tends to not speak a lot, please move up into a role of speaking more. If you tend to speak a lot, please move up into a role of listening more. This is a twist on the on the more commonly heard "step up, step back." The "up/up" confirms that in both experiences, growth is happening. (You don't go "back" by learning to be a better listener. In fact, listening is a frequently feminized skill that is often seen as a lack of something. On the contrary, choosing to learn how to listen moves both you and the group up.) Saying "move" instead of "step" recognizes that not everyone can take steps, while we can all move in body or spirit.

WE CAN'T BE ARTICULATE ALL THE TIME

As much as we may wish we could! Often people feel hesitant to participate in a workshop or meeting for fear of "messing up" or stumbling over their words. We want everyone to feel comfortable participating, even if you don't feel you have the perfect words to express your thoughts.

BE AWARE OF TIME

This is helpful for your facilitator, and helps to respect everyone's time and commitment. Please come back on time from breaks, and refrain from speaking in long monologues.

EMBRACE CURIOUSITY

We make better decisions when we approach our problems and challenges with questions ("What if we...?") and curiosity. Allow space for play, curiosity, and creative thinking.

ACKNOWLEDGE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTENT AND IMPACT

We have noticed that most often in the spaces we facilitate, when someone does or says something that causes harm or supports the values of oppressive systems, it is not their intention to do so. But when we use our good intentions to deny (or avoid being accountable for) the harm, more harm is caused. The ask in this community agreement is that we each do the work to acknowledge that our intent and the impact of our actions are two different things, and to take responsibility for any negative impact we have. (This can be as simple as apologizing.)

NOTE: There are a few community agreements that participants often bring up that we don't tend to use or bring with us. Two of the most common ones are "assume best intentions" and "default to trust." The reason we don't use these is because when someone is unable to do this (say they're feeling untrusting of someone, or unsafe), having a community agreement telling them to do so isn't going to change anything. These agreements aren't always realistic, especially when we take into consideration that when people have been harmed by sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, they/we build up necessary tools to care for and protect themselves/ourselves. Agreements we offer instead that capture the spirit of these are "we can't be articulate all the time," "be generous with each other," or "this is a space for learning."
The Magic of an Agenda
There are many different ways to build an agenda to match the style, culture, and needs of each group or meeting. However you do it, a clear and well-constructed agenda that all participants can agree to is a crucial step for an efficient, inclusive, and awesome meeting. The facilitator's job (generally) is to keep the participants on track by following the agenda as well as paying attention to when the agenda isn't working and changes need to happen. Here are some best practices regarding agendas:

Set the agenda before the meeting starts. You can build it over email, through a list that is kept in an office, or at the end of the previous meeting. This helps everyone come well researched and mentally and emotionally prepared. If that's not possible, create the agenda at the beginning of the meeting.

Some groups like a more emergent and organic style for building an agenda. If this is your group, participants can spend the beginning of a meeting writing each agenda item they'd like to discuss on an index card, and then the group can use different visual tools to select the card(s) people are most moved to talk about. The down side: you don't know what you're talking about in advance, so you can't prepare or share your thoughts if you're not able to attend.

Review the agenda at the beginning of the meeting. Share your reasoning before asking for amendments or changes. It is important that the whole group be on board with the agenda.

Announcements and report-backs at the beginning of the meeting can save a lot of time.

Give it variety: mix up the length and type of agenda items.

Put agenda items that will be easy successes early in the meeting. This sets a positive tone and builds momentum!

Follow with the "big stuff."

Break after big discussions.

Schedule breaks for any meeting more than 90 minutes. After this length of time, groups fall into the trap of "decision fatigue," making big decisions rashly or getting stuck talking in circles on smaller decisions.

Finish on something short and easy-end with a good tone.

Display the agenda so that all can see it (either on flip chart, blackboard, projector, or printed out).

Label items with their expected actions: decision, discussion, play, evaluate, brainstorm, review, update, silence, feedback, appreciations and concerns. The expected action or desired outcome will/should inform how you design your facilitation approach for that item.

Garden/Bike Rack/Topics for Future Meetings
Whatever your group chooses to call it, have a sheet or ongoing list to write down ideas, questions, and topics for future meetings that arise. Often in the course of talking about one topic, really important things surface that need to be addressed, but are not on the current meeting's agenda. Unless they are urgent/time sensitive, it can really help keep the group on topic to have a space to note them so that they can be incorporated into future meetings (and not forgotten about!).
Next Steps/Who, What, When, Priority
It can be very helpful to keep a sheet where you're taking running notes on any next steps or tasks that are coming out of the meeting. We sometimes do this in three (or four) columns: one for who is doing the next step or task (this could be an individual or a group), what it is they're going to do, by when they will have done it, and what priority level the task is (1-3, 1-5). You can end the meeting by reviewing this sheet and filling in missing details. You can also start your meetings by checking in with the sheet from the previous meeting.

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AORTA | Anti-Oppressive Facilitation Guide

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Updated June 2017 Download Handout Inefficient and ineffective meetings can leave people feeling drained, exhausted or discouraged, rather than inspired and energized. Good meetings help build strong, effective organizations and successful projects. Even organizations with great meeting process inadvertently perpetuate barriers to full participation and access to democratic process.