How to Talk to Your Racist Uncle
This is the first workshop we developed together and we have run this many times with fantastic feedback. Participants learn how to engage with racism in ways that make space for meaningful change and minimise defensive reactions. Participants:
Develop skills to make quick decisions about when intervention is necessary and what type of intervention might be most effective
Practice skills for holding conversations which can challenge racism in a way that is productive and less damaging, such as compassionate enquiry and externalisation
Focus on how to have loving relationships that also hold people accountable when they have views that can hurt people.
Contact us on fireside.collective.aotearoa@gmail.com if you’d like to hear more about these workshops or set one up in your community.
Compassionate Conversations about The Tough Stuff
This workshop has a similar format to ‘How to Talk to Your Racist Uncle’, but is broader in focus.
Many of us have people in our lives who hold problematic views that may contribute to harming others, such as racist, conspiratorial or sexist views. It can be really tough to have conversations that value relationships and compassion, while still sticking to our values and opening space for change. If you find yourself feeling upset, angry, overwhelmed and exhausted by conversations that go nowhere with these loved ones, friends, acquaintances or colleagues, and want to learn some new skills, this workshop might be for you. You will:
Learn a framework that can help us decide when and how to engage
Practice some skills that help us with these conversations - compassionate enquiry and externalisation
Practice holding conversations using examples from our own life or prompts
Reflect on our own responses to these views and conversations, and how we can stay grounded and compassionate and look after ourselves when having challenging conversations
“Thank you so much for the workshop! It was wonderful! Really well run and so very valuable.”
—Workshop attendee