Understanding, Navigating & Challenging Oppression to Better Support System Involved Youth & Those that Support Them

Natalie Thoreson

Training Description

Once we become aware of racism, sexism, and other systems of oppression and have the skills to notice them in real time and the language to name them, what do we do next? It’s common to get stuck in a gap between awareness and action, or to rush through that space and take action that leaves us and the people with whom we interact feeling confused, drained, and disconnected. How can we address oppression, live in alignment with our values, and have and maintain healthy, interdependent connections that truly create change that supports improved outcomes for system involved youth?

In this interactive workshop, we will reflect on our socialization into systems of oppression and how we might challenge ourselves and each other to co-create the dynamics and change we would like to see within our efforts to support system involved youth. We will work to discover what keeps us stuck and unpack common challenges of navigating conversations around social justice without doing harm and will develop facilitation skills to effectively navigate these conversations and challenges in individual and group interactions. Attendees will learn how to navigate our own discomfort to engage difficult dialogues, leveraging them as learning opportunities with system involved youth and those that support them.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

· Identify 2-3 ways their socialization may impact their interpersonal interactions

· Acquire 2-3 strategies for managing the discomfort of difficult conversations around oppression

· Acquire and apply 1-2 tools they can use to engage in difficult conversations within efforts to support system involved youth.

Agenda

9:00 – 9:15am  Settle in, sign in, general information

9:15 – 9:25am  Agenda and objective review

9:25 – 9:40am  Group agreements & Virtual workshop guidelines

9:40 – 9:45am  Land acknowledgement

9:45 – 10:00am  Lecture – framing oppression in the context of settler colonization

10:00 – 10:15am  Pair share process – socialization into and impacts of oppression

10:15 – 10:30am  Large group introductions

10:30 – 10:45am  Break (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

10:45 – 11:00am  Large group share out – impacts of oppression on clients and colleagues

11:00 – 11:15am  Lecture – cycle of oppression

11:15 – 11:30am  Lecture – additional oppression related definitions

11:30 – 11:45am  Videos – frameworks of oppression

11:45am – 12pm  Small group – video learnings and process

12:00 – 12:15pm  Large group – video learnings and process

12:15 – 1:15pm  Lunch (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

1:15 – 1:30pm  Lecture – early memories – learning systems of oppression

1:30 – 1:45pm  Small group – early memories activity

1:45 – 2:00pm  Large group – early memories process

2:00 – 2:15pm  Interactive Lecture – skills to challenge oppressive socialization

2:15 – 2:30pm  Large group – early memories application of knowledge to client support

2:30 – 2:45pm  Journal activity – navigating difficult conversations: failures and successes

2:45 – 3:00pm  Break (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

2:45 – 3:30pm  Small group – navigating difficult conversations: failures and successes

3:30 – 3:45pm  Lecture - skills to navigate difficult conversations

3:45 – 4:00pm  Small group – skills practice

4:00 – 4:15pm  Small group – process effectiveness of techniques

4:30 – 4:45pm  Large group – final Questions & Answers

4:45 – 5:00pm  Closure

Meet Our Trainer

Natalie has facilitated anti-oppression workshops for over 20 years, founding rEVOLution with the goal of findin’ the LOVE in revolution, and connecting in community to bring social justice and positive social change into our daily lives, collective experiences, and shared future. Their techniques foster critical examination of systems of oppression, and the way we have been socialized to uphold these systems of inequality. She is committed to building communities in which people’s differences are valued and seen as assets to the overall group and where we can work to combat our socialization to collectively work toward change. This work is not about making people feel guilty, bad about themselves, or singled out. Nor does it involve band-aid fixes, avoiding challenging issues, and “Can’t we all just get along?” conversations. Rather, hebelieves meaningful change happens when people lean into discomfort, are allowed to feel angry or confused, listen to one another with empathy, and find ways to connect and collaborate in moving forward.

Natalie organically nurtures a sense of community with finely honed skills, shaping safe, welcoming, creative, and productive spaces based in love, understanding, respect, and authenticity. In his hands, sensitive topics that often leave participants feeling raw and wounded, become accessible and actionable. She provides tools to allow participants to think critically about their own backgrounds and biases, while simultaneously dissecting concepts like oppression, colonization, prejudice, and stereotyping. Their consistently open, trusting, and fun educational environments are based on first-hand experiences as a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-gendered, queer individual living in the margins of identity. Natalie believes that creating loving, interdependent communities is the heart of true rEVOLutionary change.

Natalie resides on the rightful lands of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area, in what is now known as Oakland, CA with her life partner Gin, dog Tasi, and two stinky guinea pigs Apigigi and Butters. In his spare time Natalie loves to fix and make things including working on her Harley and Jeep CJ7, repairing home appliances, designing and printing 3D projects, sewing, baking, cooking, and more.

This course meets the qualifications for (6.5) BBS CE hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.