ally skills workshop facilitator training valerie aurora director of training the ada initiative ...
TRANSCRIPT
Ally Skills WorkshopFacilitator Training
Valerie AuroraDirector of TrainingThe Ada Initiative
http://[email protected]
All materials CC BY-SA Ada Initiative
Format of this class
10:00am Introduction
10:10am Example Ally Skills Workshop
11:00am Review of teaching techniques
12:00pm Lunch break
1:30pm Students teach a scenario with teacher feedback (with break)
4:00pm Question and answer session
4:30pm Freeform discussion
What is the Ally Skills Workshop?
Focused on teaching men how to support women in their daily lives
Audience: volunteer-only, agrees sexism already exists, wants to end it, 20-40% women ideally
Mainly small group discussion, alternating with all-workshop report-out
“Ally skills” vs. “allies”: focuses on actions rather than self-identification
Why facilitating the Ally Skills Workshop is fun
People love it! “Can we get more training like that?” actual comment from student
Get to watch people have “Aha” moments Taking action to end social injustice is
super fulfilling Highly interactive, time flies No two workshops are ever the same
Why facilitating the Ally Skills Workshop is hard
People ask tough questions People say discriminatory things without
realizing it If you teach it long enough, you will have
to kick someone out HR really wants you to say things that
help the company, but your focus is the people
Preparing yourself for teaching the workshop
Read the facilitator's guide: http://supportada.org/allies
Read Geek Feminism Wiki: http://geekfeminism.wikia.com
Read “Feminism is for Everybody” by bell hooks and “Women, Class, and Race” by Angela Davis
Practice reframing questions
Workshop structure and participants
Participants must be volunteers Avoid large power differences between
participants Ideal class size is 20 to 30 participants Aim for 20-40% women Ideal time is 3 hours (2 can be done) Take breaks each hour or so
Typical workshop format
20 minute introduction 50 minutes discussion of scenarios 10 minute break (with snacks) 50 minutes discussion of scenarios 10 minute break (with snacks) 50 minutes discussion of scenarios 10 minute wrap-up
What to bring to the workshop
A clicker and video input/output converter A stopwatch or timer (to time the
scenario discussions) A bell to signal the end of scenario
discussions Printouts of the Ally Skills Workshop
handout for all participants
Choosing scenarios
Scenarios are real-world examples of situations in which people can act as allies
Start with easy scenarios Example slides include more scenarios
than you can cover in 3 hours Ask participants for suggestions in
advance and/or take requests during workshop if you feel prepared
Introducing the workshop
Introduce yourself Optionally stall for time by asking why
people came to the workshop Give credit according to the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license
Describe the high level format and schedule
Define terms for gender
Workshop designed for men who want to support women, which can lead to the assumption that those are all the genders that exist
Easy to get cis-sexist in this workshop Define “cis” before “trans” Also a good chance to discourage using
“girls” and “females”
Explain the focus on men as allies
Reduce self-doubt Increase likelihood of taking action Introduce concept of male privilege Set higher expectations for responses
Set the scope
The workshop is for people who already believe sexism is a problem and want to help
Even with volunteer-only policy, people will show up who don't agree
Arguing Feminism 101 will take up too much time and probably not change anyone's mind, so don't do it
Set rules for creating a safer space
Workshop only works if people feels safe asking genuine questions and making mistakes
Don't record the workshop Ask people not to repeat unflattering
things Lead by example
Describe discussion format
Participants cannot be told enough times what to expect
Split into groups of 4 - 6 people Listen to scenario Discuss scenario 3 - 5 minutes Report out to whole workshop Brief closing Optional post-workshop discussion
Break the tension
Everyone is pretty nervous! Talking about sexism, sex, gender is super hard
Use cat photos or some form of inoffensive unrelated humor to break the tension
If it doesn't work right away, keep talking about how awkward the awkwardness is until the tension does break
Give basic guidelines of responding to sexism
People have tons of self-imposed rules for responding to sexism: must be witty, compelling, well-researched, etc.
Identifying and lowering these standards increases chances of taking action
Participants are usually relieved
Encourage people to form groups
Most people hate this Point out that this is a room full of
volunteers for an ally skills workshop Emphasize importance of diversity in
groups: gender, other axes if possible Be ready to help people make decisions,
swap people around, etc. Don't assume gender based on
presentation
Help groups form a tiny bit of structure
Participants want a little more guidance If someone is dominating their
conversation they don't know what to do Ask them to pick a “gatekeeper” to
moderate the conversation Ask them to pick someone to report out The person to report out can and should
rotate per scenario
Guiding scenario discussion
Each scenario takes about 12 - 15 minutes total
Read the scenario Tell them to discuss for 3 - 5 minutes Pay attention to rhythm of discussion, if
someone is dominating, etc. Give 30 seconds warning before ending
discussion
Guiding scenario report-out
Ask everyone to stop talking (they won't) - a bell may be useful
Starting with a different group, ask them to report out major points of discussion
Briefly affirm good suggestions Briefly explain bad suggestions Wait till end of report-out to add any
missed points - give participants a chance to discover them first
Intersperse useful tips
Certain questions almost certainly will come up in certain scenarios
Example slides come with “tips” slides in between scenarios
Discussion leader skills
Let participants come up with answers first
Summarize missed points at end of discussion
Use real-world examples when possible Affirm and praise frequently
Discussion leader skills
Interrupt people when necessary Reframe questions when necessary Be willing to say “I don't know” Practice saying “Let's take that off-line” Be compassionate and understanding
Reframing questions
Will get genuine “But this is a logical contradiction!” kind of questions
Affirm the validity of the question Look for the assumptions that turn anti-
sexism into a logical error Reframe the question with feminist
assumptions
Reframing questions
“You say you want us to treat women like everyone else, but then you want us to act differently. That's illogical!”
Assumption: the way men treat men in this field is the norm and they like it
Reframe: Want people to treat everyone with respect, need to redefine “norm” as not just white straight cis men in an abusive culture
Reframing questions
“Making jokes about sex isn't sexist. Women like to have sex too.”
Assumption: Societal attitudes about sex are the same for women as for men
Reframe: In the context of societal attitudes about women and sex, talking about sex shifts the conversation into an area where women are by default objectified, shamed, and victimized
Reframing questions
“You are infringing on free speech, and how can we have an open and free society without it?”
Assumptions: people should (and already do) feel safe speaking their minds, have legally protected right to do so anywhere
Reframe: Safer spaces increase speech of marginalized people, legal rights only apply to government censorship
Ending the workshop
Explain more advanced ways to continue education in ally skills
Give pointers to more resources: Geek Feminism Wiki
Thank everyone for participating Stick around for questions and discussion
Lunch break
Be back at 1:15pm Next: practice scenario discussions Not enough time for everyone Choose your scenario from the list in the
handout
Optional discussion and Q&A
All resources are at: http://supportada.org/allies
Valerie Aurora
http://adainitiative.org
All materials CC BY-SA Ada Initiative