A Wonderful Young People’s Workshop
This is a letter of appreciation to Mari Piggott, the International Liberation Reference Person for Young People, who led the West Coast North America Young People’s Workshop near Seattle, Washington, USA, in August 2016.
Dear Mari,
Last night we had a young adults’ class at our home, and my daughter Lea joined us for the first few minutes. I can’t recall her ever being as vocal and engaged in an RC group! She talked about the things she had liked and learned at the Young People’s Workshop. None of the young adults had been to a young people’s workshop, and they loved hearing from her.
It was helpful that Lea had gotten to talk with several allies before the workshop. One had told her about her own experiences at other young people’s workshops. Another had spent time with her on the phone, answering her tentative questions about the whole thing. Your meeting with her over Skype was another big step in helping her feel welcome.
I was afraid that I had pushed her too much to go (she did have a ton of feelings just before the workshop), but now she says she is glad she went and she’s already talking about next year’s workshop!
I asked her if she had anything she wanted to share about the workshop with other young people who hadn’t yet been to one and might be considering it. Here’s what she said: “It’s hard to explain what it’s going to be like, but my highlights were hearing everyone’s story, meeting people from different places, hearing different languages, and being in an environment where you are supported, where you can share anything that is on your mind, and where your own thoughts about what is happening matter the most! Oh, and being by the ocean!”
It was a big contradiction [to distress] for me as a parent to get to be part of the workshop too. I learned a lot! I also appreciated how strongly you led the workshop and how effectively you shared leadership (and guided things) when we talked about liberation issues, such as Native liberation and ending racism, disability oppression, and sexism.
I will be carrying everyone at the workshop with me for a long time, and I imagine that Lea will too.
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
(Present Time 186, January 2017)