notes from the allied media conference :)
amc opening:
crisis not as destruction, but the darkness that exists in the womb when birth is happening
light recognizes light!
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dinner conversation with rich feldman:
what do we want? what do we believe? ground your work in your principles.
short term solutions has led to the end of many movements. remain visionary.
leadership is not having a solution and leading folks to it but supporting the creation of an environment where people are coming up with the answers together.
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the magic of popular education and strategies for using it in unmagical education settings (led by mark gonzales):
popular education as what you feel and what is relevant to your life
shakespeare isn’t going to liberate my community
public education as an institution has scarred us, can be very traumatic
what does freedom look like to you and your community?
schools as reproduction, cloning. very few move up, it is about keeping poor people poor, rich people rich. schools are not broken, they are doing what they are designed to do!
life work description v. a job description. we need a new description for the goals we have for ourselves
mine is: i want to live in a community where we can do right by each other, support each other, love each other, heal each other, hold each other accountable, live and have relationships that transform and grow us
you can’t expect people to open up in emotional space until you do so. to do so is to be reckless
what are the issues attacking your community? how do they come into your work and how do you engage them?
check yrself before you wreck someone else!
be aware of opening wounds before having the knowledge and skills needed to heal
recognize that all committed to change but not all are in same proximity to vulnerability
how are you engaging with code-switching?
regardless of language (body, words, action), always ask yourself “what is the truth this person is trying to communicate to me?”
i am beyond rhetoric, i want relationships
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purpose of education panel (notes below from during grace lee bogg’s portion):
exodus of students out of schools to sell crack in 1980s is a great critique of the academy. what is the purpose of education? schools need to be about learning about relationships, being more of use to one another and growing in our humanity.
factory systems of top-down education doesn’t work, it’s not relevant
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facilitating for truth and reconcilation (led by adrienne maree brown):
the 4 agreements:
don’t take things personally. let dynamics of room happen. if you are self-focused, you can’t absorb what is happening
don’t make assumptions. there is so much stuff you can’t even know. ask why are you upset? do you need to bring something to the room?
be impeccable with your word. don’t lie about time or skill set.
always do your best. be fully present.
when in conflict, ask yourself: do you care? why are you upset? what do you need?
how to A.C.T. right:
A: awareness
C: communication
T: truth and reconciliation
must have complete awareness of who you are, triggers you have, your communication styles. recognize when people are speaking from a place of non-awareness or insecurity.
what are your facilitation strengths? triggers that effect your facilitation ability?
trick for facilitation: when you folks divide into small groups, give them one single question to ask each other repeatedly. this makes it so they can listen wholly without mind thinking about what they’re going to ask or say next
exercise with a partner:
what is a lie that has saved your life? after partners tell each other, point out that lying is a survival technique, if you are going to take away someone’s lie you better make sure they survive.
when have you experienced truth and reconcilitation?
where do you need truth and reconcilitation? two partners act as triggers for each other, causing pain but figuring out how to work through that
