Active Solidarity & Empowerment

Systems of oppression often sustain themselves when we are unable to acknowledge and work well with the power dynamics, privileges and mechanisms of discrimination that exist in our groups, communities and societies. In anti-oppression training we carefully unravel those structures, gradually building a safe ground that can support us to explore these challenging themes step by step. Although the training content and process will address a wide range of discrimination and oppression structures, the main emphasis will be on how we can work with the dynamics that exist in smaller groups.

• The learning process will be held by facilitators using exercises and activities supporting self-reflection and self-evaluation around the following topics:
• stereotypes and prejudices that we carry
• experience of oppression (both external and internalized)
• understanding privilege related to the social groups we identify ourselves with or that we are identified with in the eyes of others/society
• intersectionality of oppression
• discrimination mechanism reproduced in our activist groups and movements

Applying foundational knowledge, frameworks and concepts used in anti-oppression work, participants will be invited to explore ways to deal with discrimination and oppression at the individual, organizational and systemic levels. Part of this work will be connected to identifying interdependence and interconnectedness through the lens of the intersectionality of struggles, learning how discrimination often intersects in complex ways (e.g. gender – race – – age – economic status).

We will encourage participants to step out beyond shaming and blaming strategies, and to reflect on the personal capacities and boundaries that grow out of the unique experience of our own conditioning. The focus will be on identifying ways of empowering people with experience of oppression in order to be able to build more sustainable social movements, as well as reflecting on the links between anti-oppression approach and solidarity practices.

Like all the other Ulex courses, this one will be held in the rural setting of the pre-Pyrenean mountains, enabling us to integrate some nature connection and awareness practices, working with body and mind. Those practices will help us to be more present in our training experience as well as providing the inspiration to look at our activism in a more holistic way.

The three facilitators will bring different approaches to anti-oppression work, coming from diverse cultural, activist and organisational backgrounds. Read more about them below.