A tendency towards polarization - division into sharply contrasting ideological groups - is very alive in today’s world. This urge to “other” each other and create a binary between “us” and “them” prevents us from empathizing with each other and organizing for change across differences. In this workshop, we will consciously move away from polarization and explore how our sense of kinship, connection, and presence may deepen outside of these simplified stories.

This workshop specifically seeks to encounter and provide an alternative to the “militant social justice culture” that emerges as we awaken to the oppressive ideologies and systems we are steeped in, and try to “fix” them from a binary, polarized perspective. When we seek to create cultural change from a binary framework of “right” and “wrong,” we will continue to operate within a culture of perfectionism where we will continually fall short of the standard of what is “right,” and police ourselves and each other along the way. This rigid approach to cultural change leads us astray along the path towards cultural healing that our souls so desperately seek. 

Even as we try to move from what we realize is “wrong” (supremacy, racism, patriarchy) to what we know is “right” (collectivism, inclusion, equity), if we are doing so in a way that is rules-based, shame-inducing, and arrogant, we are perpetuating key aspects of our cultural baggage that we want to leave behind. Although we may be changing the direction of the needle, we are still following a compass instead of following our souls. 

This full-day, in-person workshop is an invitation to try on another way of being together. We will engage in both conversation and embodied exercises to feel our way through complexity with empathy. In this container, we will commit to “staying with the trouble” - the undefined, complex (and often uncomfortable) areas where borders are fuzzy and responsibility is shared. 

The perspectives and exercises we will explore in this workshop are heavily influenced by teachings on Indigenous Worldview, Nonviolence, and Abolitionism. Some of the wisdom-keepers who influenced the facilitator’s understandings are Leticia Nieto, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Joanna Macy, Prentis Hemphill, Bayo Akomolafe, Miki Kashtan, Kazu Haga, Kai Cheng Thom, Resmaa Menakem, Rain Crowe, adrienne maree brown, Tyson Yunkaporta, Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows), and Darcia Narvaez. 

The title of this program - Staying with the Trouble - is inspired by Donna Haraway’s book Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene.

• Finding truth in paradox and inhabiting a space of both/and.

• Moving beyond a rigid and reactive sense of right and wrong. 

• Understanding dualities as complementary rather than opposing.

• Contacting our urge to polarize and choosing to embody a different way.

• Practicing holding complexity by seeking to understand those we disagree with.

• Honoring the validity of personal responsibility and systemic/cultural influences.

• Experiencing an embodied sense of dignity and centered accountability.

To learn more before registering, or if you have a question about your registration or your payment arrangement, please contact us.

Financial Aid is always available.

In-Person Course

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