­­­­Topic/ Leader

Activity

Time

Welcome & Agenda

Leader #1:

Intro who we are (SAL/UER & selves)

Present general plan; what we will do and NOT do

The vast intelligence of human beings is always a reason for hope.

5 min

Who’s in the room?

We want to know who’s in the room:

Workers? Union members (which union?); Students; Climate Justice activists?

2 min

Explain Paired Listening (PL) (mini)

What is listening as an organizing tool

·      How it’s done; Why we do it (brief)

·      What it isn’t: debate; discussion;

·      This is a foundational tool – we’ll build on it later

·      Guidelines

o   Really listen

o   set aside your own reactions

3 min

1^st PL

Name, where you live and what you are awesome at;

1 min each

5 min

Post PL talk

Leader

Why we do these; ex. from our work

Why?

•   get people connected, knowing each other better

•   putting into practice the slogan all voice matter

•   because just listening isn’t enough.  People are usually dying to be listened to! We need to talk about the ideas to make them our own.

•   Using the attention of another person to think freshly about a new idea or situation

•   to counter tendencies of domination

•   The more chances people have to be listened to well the better listeners they become. This process is important for both the listener and the listened-to (although that latter point might be better placed somewhere else in the workshop)

2 min

Post PL Group Discuss

Leader:

Open to group for responses:

General question- How many of you were more comfortable as the listener? How many more so as talker?

3 min

Partner Listening #2

2 min each - Success in working toward unity – eg: coalitions and/or individual relationship;

5 min

Frame the workshop

Leader:

Role of Feelings; undermine and divide us; these tools do something differently than before assisted by new tools and perspectives; ETC

Some ideas of points to highlight

·  We have feelings about people and experiences based on what’s happened to us before. This can make us feel reactive and respond in ways based on past experiences.  These can interfere with our ability to respond freshly to a new situation despite it’s similarities to old experiences or to understand each other well.

·  Some feelings are aware – such as an awareness that we are nervous or discouraged or uncomfortable.

·  Some feelings are unaware, such as a sense that something is impossible that we think of as a “fact” rather than being able to see possibilities.

·  If we feel like certain groups or kinds of people don’t care or act stupidly, we can wrongly judge them,  it hampers our ability to work with them or to understand the perspective they can bring to protecting our planet in a way that everyone can thrive.

5 min

Role of discharge

When we’re being listened to well, you may experience natural responses such as laughing – which may have happened earlier when you talked about something you’re awesome at. Other responses include crying, shaking, yawning and sweating.  And if you’re feel relaxed enough, these natural processes can happen automatically (children do this easily) and are an important part of processing information or even shifting your thoughts and feelings about something.

confidentiality

5 min

PL #3

Leader:

PL: 2 min each:

When did you have to overcome obstacles working together with others:

A time when things did not work/division or distraction in group based on emotions like discouragement, anger, fear got in the way

5 min

Post PL #3 Group Discuss

Leader:

Panelist giving example of how she’s used this process and it’s made a difference.  How listen to that person if relaxed enough ourselves  - To do that, we have to find an outlet for our feelings.  People need to unload so will not fracture the organization -- anger at each as people got to be heard, C did own session to figure out how to proceed managing 150 people who were mad at each other;

Ask 2 – 3 people to tell their stories for  2 min each

10 min

Role of Oppression

Leader:

Explain system of oppression; how it affects our ability to unite everyone to stop Climate Change

Talk about what we mean by oppression (our definition) oppression is 1 thing that leaves us with feelings about others eg: classism – divided by class, suspicious and disdain about other people, working class, educated people, people with money , people w/o money, feeling like people don’t understand our experiences, keeps us separate.

Discuss role of backing PGM/WC/; All oppressed as YP

10 min

PL  #4

PL: 2 min each:

What strengths does your constituency bring to the table?  How does oppression keep you from doing that? 

5 min

Circle Back:

Leader:

What does it mean to be an ally?

This process helps us free up our minds to think; reclaim what we’re really like as humans; Our ex. of how we’ve used these tools and practice

Use of listening; how this can move things forward, shift tensions between groups / individuals

Ask the group for Questions:

Answering questions with the whole group

15 min

PL #4:

1 min each on what they will take back with them

5 min

END

More contact/info re: SAL/UER

Ask 5 people to say highlight/ what they will use

5 min