I just led a mini-workshop for my fundamentals class. It went great! I want to tell you about it:


Until today, the whole group (seven people) hadn’t all been together for a single class in eighteen weeks (that’s how busy we are!). I put in a lot of hours finding a venue, and it was worth it. The venue was in the middle of our neighborhood, walking distance for everyone, with couches and a great yard for playing.


We started with eating lunch and hanging out [spending relaxed unstructured time] for forty-five minutes. People asked thoughtful questions of each other. Everyone was already laughing. I said we would take things slowly and focus on connecting and community building. 


For the class, I said just a little about using this group to really “show” what we might not show with others—ways we are “weird,” things about us that are not “shiny.” I emphasized how, as “high-functioning” young adults, activists, and leaders, we aren’t able to show a lot of this, even among our closest friends and peers. I discharged my own feelings about not feeling “cool” in front of the group and gave another person with similar struggles, a wide world leader of Jewish young adults, a demonstration, too. I think the group found this a welcome contradiction [to distress].


The only Black young adult, one of two People of the Global Majority (PGM), wasn’t able to come until midway through the workshop— along with another member of my Area who came to lead PGM. The transition was perfect, and we started playtime as soon as they arrived. We played a fun, collaborative outside game and an inside game, with everyone laughing and taking leadership throughout. 


My assistant led the eliminating white racism group, and I was an ally in the PGM group, which the PGM leader from my Area led. He gave the Black woman a session, in part about me, which I think increased the safety in our relationship. The white people had dinner ready (we had each brought an item for a burrito potluck) when the PGM group finished, and while we ate, we did “show and tell.” People shared items from their life (art from their grandmother, a family cookbook, and so on). They asked each other supportive, thoughtful questions—we learned even more about each other. We finished cleanup in ten minutes, had a “closing circle,” and left on time—a total miracle!


I’m pleased that I decided to follow my thinking: that a mini-workshop was the next step for this group on their way to participating in the larger RC Community. We learned so much about each other’s lives and got to show more curiosity and caring than had been possible up to that point. The highlight for me and my assistant was the hanging out and playing. For everyone else it was the sessions, which I think speaks to the contradiction created by the workshop and the growing power of sessions for the students.


We are about to assign regular Co-Counselors and start the next chapter of our class. We’ll keep building our relationships and counseling skills. I’m so glad we had this workshop as a launch point. I think I’ll do one every quarter to keep building the class.