On March 15th Exchange members attended the third of four members-only community engagement workshops. Facilitated by Sam Novak, Co-founding Director of Loam, the workshop set out to teach participants about facilitation mindsets, techniques, and skills that engage diverse communities, animate equitable collaboration, and inspire collective dreaming, decision-making, and action.
Facilitation for social change requires a different way of being. In a recent conversation, participants highlighted the need to reflect on facilitation techniques and explore the intersections of facilitation, social justice, and systems thinking. The meeting identified anti-oppressive facilitation as a key approach to facilitating social change, consisting of five characteristics: relational, adaptive, emergent, fractal, and complex. The importance of humility was also emphasized, as it allows everyone to feel heard and promotes deep collaboration and engagement.
Creating a safe space where everyone can voice their opinions and be heard is crucial for success in community meetings. When people feel understood and heard, they are more likely to participate in promoting and practicing social change. The meeting also stressed the importance of setting boundaries and expectations early on to ensure a productive and safe meeting space. As Atlanta member Amanda Hallauer noted, “If you set the expectation early on, it sets the tone.” Overall, the discussion underscored the need for a different approach to facilitation and the critical role it plays in driving social change efforts.
A number of exercises were shared for continued exploration into the world of facilitation for social change through the lens of anti-oppression and systems thinking. An additional resource, the Anti-Oppression Framework (chart), can be found here.
You can view the full slide deck from the Community Engagement Workshop: Facilitation for Social Change here.
This workshop was built on the foundations and frameworks of anti-oppression, systems thinking, and emergent strategy. It includes two free resources for continued, self-guided reflection that explore inspiring concepts, make deeper meaning, and find a sense of solidarity in the joys and challenges of facilitating social change.
This work would not be possible without the generous support of the Kresge Foundation that has enabled us to deepen our commitment to building the leadership skills of current and future local government leaders. If you’re an Exchange member, please be sure that you’re subscribed to our newsletter so that you don’t miss out on future workshops. To sign up, use the form embedded in the footer of any page on our website.
