The BLM uprisings and the COVID19 pandemic that we have been collectively experiencing across the world throughout 2020 and 2021 have underlined the desperate need to tackle the systemic racism that is so deeply embedded in our societies. It’s certainly not new – racial oppression has provided pillars on which patriarchal capitalism has been able to flourish for centuries, repeating and reinforcing ever deeper layers of structural oppression.

BIPoC activists and people working for social change are all too often on the front lines of systemic and structural racial oppression on a personal level, in addition to their work in fighting for social justice. This can often be the case even within the social movements that they are part of, where systemic oppressions present in society are easily replicated, often unknowingly. This presents challenges and obstacles, based on a whole array of aspects of a person’s racial identity – from the colour of their skin to the differing norms of their cultural background – and barriers which are constantly present, and constantly felt in numerous unquantifiable ways, and which white peers don’t have to face and often don’t see. The resulting trauma can have a huge impact on personal wellbeing, contributing to high degrees of stress and burnout.

It can be particularly difficult for BIPoC to explore and unpick these issues in spaces where, again, they are marginalised as BIPoC, as it can recreate and compound the traumas and harms experienced due to structural and systemic racism.

This event is a week-long community of inquiry, specifically for BIPoC activist trainers, hosted by BIPoC facilitators, to explore more deeply these dynamics and experiences. We’ll also explore the role we, as BIPOC activist trainers, can play in transforming these dynamics, and how we can empower our contributions to our movements through strengthening our relationships and sharing skills and experience.

What will happen?

This gathering will be a week-long community of inquiry for 16 BIPoC activist trainers, hosted by BIPoC facilitators in our training centre in Catalunya, Spain. We will collectively explore ways to address the needs, issues and challenges that people identifying as BIPoC face in their activism, and to better support them in training spaces. Participants will collectively help to shape and deliver a rich and creative program for the week, based on the needs and ideas that emerge from the group; sharing experiences and knowledge, and modelling different ways to hold space and navigate the complexity of these experiences.

In order to start creating a community of practice rooted in trust, in the weeks leading up to the event, there will be two (2) two and a half hour online gatherings   for all participants to meet and learn about each other’s journey into this work. This will help to foster a greater sense of community once the participants all meet in person.

Half of the participants will be from the UK, and half from the rest of Europe. All participant places will be funded, and there will be an additional travel allowance for each participant to get to the event in Spain. If you’re interested in contributing and participating in this gathering email sheila@ulexproject.org and submit this form to tell us about your experiences and needs in relation to this event.

Who is it for?

“Activist Trainer” might not be the term you identify with; maybe you’re a social change workshop facilitator, a trainer for community action, or a direct or experiential educator working with impacted communities… or any number of other descriptions. This gathering welcomes people who support social movements, as educators, facilitators, coaches or a related role – whether embedded in one organisation/movement or working across multiple organisations and movements.

This event is not an introductory train-the-trainer for those new to activist education. It is aimed at experienced trainers who are already actively engaged within their respective networks (whether paid or voluntary, solo or part of an organisation or collective) in the training and facilitating of people who are engaged in collective action – such as campaigning, community organising, civil resistance and movement building – including those whose work involves the provision of anti-oppression/anti-discrimination training.

Aims of the event

– To create a space for a temporary ‘community of enquiry’ for participants to explore and reflect more deeply on some of the key issues/challenges faced by BIPoC activists / activist educators within different contexts across Europe.

– To create a space for the sharing of skills, knowledge and experiences amongst the participants, as well as the impacts of structural / systemic racism on their work, and especially as a contributor to burnout.

– To explore ways of dealing with the traumas and harms caused by these challenges, and develop strategies for a BIPoC specific approach to resilience and regenerative activism.

– To support an exploration of the training needs specific to BIPoC activists / activist educators, as well as barriers to participation on mixed courses.

– To help create connections that can contribute to building a European-wide network of BIPoC activist trainers, and a community of practice that can continue to support each other long after the gathering.