Why Curate Space for Learning, Play, & Rest....
Creating space for learning, play, and rest in corporate environments is essential to dismantling the pervasive influences of White Supremacy and Patriarchy. These systems prioritize constant productivity, hierarchy, and competition at the expense of our human need for safety, care, and love. By integrating practices of learning, play, and rest, organizations can foster creativity, collaboration, and inclusivity, challenging oppressive norms that devalue authenticity. Curate spaces that honor diverse ways of knowing, prioritize mental and emotional health, and allow creativity to thrive. These practices disrupt harmful ideologies and affirm the inherent worth and dignity of BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, disabled people, and women, paving the way for equitable and just workplaces.
Discussion Topics
Reclaim at least 15 minutes of your time for learning, play, and rest, and bring intentionality to your gathering spaces by using the discussion topics and accompanying facilitation guidelines provided below.
WTF: We manage up and down and all around, and sometimes we just need to acknowledge what in the f*** was that!
Ways to facilitate WTF discussions
Vent only: get it off your chest so you can move on about your life
Vent to receive advice: avoid the spiral and get advice from your community
Vent and escalate the issue: sometimes issues are too deep and harmful and formal actions need to be taken, particularly to cover yourself
Brainstorm with trusted peers to devise an escalation plan and the people that are the safest to talk to that have access to power
Learning Together: What's a concept, skill, or ideas related to your work that your peers could benefit from learning
What is the thing you want to teach
Why does it matters to you, your work, or the world
How did you learn about it
How can your peers apply it to their work or life
Communing with our Community: Spend time connecting through unstructured discussion and play
Learning to Lead: We lead in both formal and informal ways. Share how you are standing tall as a leader!
Self-development: Share what you’ve been learning as you develop your leadership style and skills
Leading others: Share examples of how you have been (or are) putting your leadership skills to work and what you’ve learned from these experiences
Did you Know: We can't know everything, and our systems are designed to repress education anyway. So, remove the notion that you have to know everything about the world and share the pieces that you do
Share a historical or current event with the group
Share a book, movie, podcast, song, or art related to the event to facilitate learning
Prep at least one discussion question
I need a moment: Sometimes, we just need to pause, so take a moment to do that and dismantle White Supremacy’s demand for productivity in the process
Cultural Expression: Cultural practices help us resist oppression and envision and demand a future rooted in equity and justice. Share some of the cultural practices you or your ancestors practiced with the group
Cultural practices can include art, music, dance, storytelling, food and other types of artistic expression that help you drown out the noise of White Supremacy
