Transformative Collaboration for Trans Activists

In whatever way we envisage contributing to the wellbeing of our world, for most of us it is going to mean working with others. It is going to mean collaborating. Collaboration is key to collective agency and empowerment. It’s a basis for effectiveness, a crucial means of embodying our values, and it can bring forth emergent and creative qualities that alone we could barely imagine. And collaboration is not only a root of social transformation, it also provides a vital context for individual transformation, enabling us to share and live out our deepest values.

But working in groups is not always easy. It can feel frustrating, draining and unproductive. Meetings drag, personalities clash, power conflicts arise, chaos reigns and all this gets in the way of achieving what the group or organization set out to do at the beginning.

The workshop is specifically designed to address needs, issues and challenges that people identifying as trans, gender non-conforming or non-binary face in their activism. Being in a space with others, who share similar experience will enable us to explore specific challenges and ways in which we can support each other and ourselves to thrive in our work.This training will help you to learn how to collaborate, communicate and make decisions effectively. It will help you to draw out the best in yourself and others, to stay in healthy relationship, build teams based on shared values – and get things done! This course and related resources provides you with the tools and know how to make your group effective, fun, brilliant, and inspiring.

Effective collaboration requires an understanding of how groups work, it involves learning the skills for organizing and structuring our work together, it also requires deepening self-awareness, the honing of our ethical sensibility and the means to transcend our limiting habits in order to bring forth more helpful and creative capabilities. So this course integrates practical skills and approaches to group and organsational development with reflective and group practices that make the personal-interpersonal interface a truly creative place to be.

This training is for anyone working in a community or organisation, in a social change project, social enterprise or business and who wants to work creatively, dynamically and effectively with others.

Through a blend of participatory education and immersive learning you will learn how to:

• Develop shared purpose and vision
• Create a culture that reflects your shared values
• Keep your approach responsive and relevant in an ever-changing world
• Communicate more collaboratively and understand patterns that help us hold important conversations
• Think strategically to turn vision into effective pathways for action
• Work with power – transforming it, distributing it, and using it well
• Manage conflict creatively
• Use key systems concepts in the design of organisations and groups
• Learn effective decision making skills for a range of contexts, that support accountability, creativity and initiative
• Run effective and enjoyable meetings
• Harness diversity and help each other to bring our best to our teams and groups
• Apply key facilitation skills
• Understand the inner life of group dynamics and cycles
• Ensure participatory processes draw out the collective wisdom and supports individual autonomy
• Recognise the conditions that make our work together a context for individual growth and development
• Use emotional intelligence to support effective collaboration.

Who is it aimed at?

Anyone involved in LGBTQI and feminist activism, who identify as trans*, non-binary and gender non-conforming. We embrace a broad definition of activism, including: Resistance – action preventing further damage to ecosystems and social justice; Renewal – action focused on developing and creating alternatives for healthier societies and communities; and Building Resilience – action supporting increased resilience in communities to weather the uncertain times ahead.

This course grows out of our experience of running the Transformative Collaboration course since 2014.

The main spoken language on the course will be English.

The team will consist of trans* facilitators from different activist backgrounds.

This training is offered in the solidarity economy. You do not need to be able to contribute financially to attend. We are also looking for funding to be able to offer travel bursaries for those who might need it.

Note on using trans with * : as a team of facilitators we have decided to use both “trans*” and “trans” form, even though we are aware the first one is not in use any more in the anglo-american context. It is still in use in different parts of Europe though (like Germany and Eastern Europe) where the history of the feminist and trans right movements is different. We would like to honour that. The aim is to be inclusive and we do not intend to exclude any trans identity, including binary trans identities and transwomen. We embrace a broad definition of what does trans*/trans mean and we believe it is up to you to decide what labels you want to use for yourself!