The WTR Evolving Edge of Undoing Oppression focuses on analysis, revision and adaptation of the Work, with the goal of dismantling oppression and empowering equity, dignity and respect within our practices and community.
This work includes:
- Integrating a deep and thorough anti-oppression framing and analysis;
- Identifying and dislodging the indoctrination imposed by colonizing forces upon our systems of thought and practice;
- Embracing marginalized perspectives and honoring the fact that they have not been included in the history and practice of the WTR;
- Making the WTR safer and more relevant for non-dominant groups.
The contributions of the global community to the process of undoing oppression within the WTR are essential. If you have a project or a working group that we could highlight here, please let us know.
To engage in dialogue with your fellow WTR facilitators and community members about the dismantling of oppression within our practices and community, please join us in the Undoing Oppression group on the WTR Network Forum. We look forward to meeting you there.
If you are newer to this conversation and topic, please read through this glossary of language for navigating systems of oppression. Also see Sarah Nahar’s article for the August 2017 special issue of Deep Times journal in which she introduces the language of “intersectionalization” of the Work That Reconnects. Having shared understanding around language is essential as we engage in these important conversations.
For a history and context of how systems of oppression have been perpetuated within the WTR and the efforts taken within our community to dismantle these systems and move toward greater accountability, please read this document, written in 2018 by the US-based Anti-Oppression Resource Group.
Groups Around the World that are Focused on Undoing Oppression within the Work That Reconnects:
The Anti-Oppression Resource Group is an ongoing meeting of WTR facilitators for sharing support and resourcing in their ongoing evolution with integrating an undoing oppression approach into their Work That Reconnects facilitation. This group has worked on a number of Anti-Oppression resources for the wider WTR community. See some of their resources below. Learn more…
The Music As Medicine Project is oriented to centering BIPOC activists, organizers, healers, and educators. At our core, we seek to uplift and support all marginalized folks with access to the healing spaces and transformative experiences we offer. Learn more…
The Spiral Journey Facilitator Development Program is designed to meet the needs of people who aspire to facilitate the Work That Reconnects. The program gives special attention to social justice issues and reframing the Work That Reconnects so it can serve to dismantle oppression and foster liberation for all. One of the main threads of this program focused on the intersectionality of social injustice, racism, and environmental crises. In order to live in peace with the planet, we must learn to live in peace with our human siblings. Learn more…
More groups and projects coming soon!
We invite and encourage you to form your own groups dedicated to studying systems of oppression and dismantling them consciously in the context of the WTR and our work in the Great Turning. We acknowledge that oppression takes many forms within the Industrial Growth Society, and that there are nuances and differences in how oppression plays out in various places around the world.
As you develop this anti-oppression work in your own local areas, please share them with us here. We all benefit from learning from each other and expanding our compassionate awareness through deepening connection.
If you are registered as a Facilitator Member with the Network you are also invited to submit adaptations or new WTR practices that specifically address oppression or are written in a way that explicitly invites inclusion and uplifts healthy dynamics of power and sovereignty. Please log in to your member account and select “Submit a Resource.”
Additional Resources:
- August 2017 special issue of Deep Times journal
- Quick Tips for Intersectionalization the WTR, as adapted from Sarah Nahar's article "Intersectionalization of the Work that Reconnects"
- De-escalating patterns of harm in white dominant spaces: a guide for Work That Reconnects facilitators and participants by the AORG
- Reflections on Attending to Power, Privilege and Oppression Dynamics in Work That Reconnects Spaces by Aravinda Ananda
- Going Deeper: Anti-Oppression for Facilitators by Aravinda Ananda
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