Bad meetings are more than just boring. In this training, we will look at how systems of oppression creep into our meetings and learn facilitation strategies thatlead to more equitable participation including group decision making, supporting groups in conflict, and naming, intervening, and addressing power dynamics when they arise.

The NYC Capacity Building Collaborative is pleased to host a workshop an anti-oppressive facilitation provided by members of the AORTA Cooperative.

When: Thursday, December 12 at 10:00am-6:00pm
Where: Midtown Manhattan

Deadline to apply: Monday, November 25. Space is limited. Applicants will be notified of acceptance into the training by Monday, December 2.

This workshop is free to grantees of Andrus Family Fund, Brooklyn Community Foundation, Cricket Island Foundation, Daphne Foundation, Korean American Community Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, New York Foundation, New York Women’s Foundation, North Star Fund, The Fund for Girls and Young Women of Color, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Scherman Foundation, and Stonewall Community Foundation.

AORTA Team (read more at aorta.coop):

Bex Kwan is a multimedia artist, organizer, social worker, and athlete who was born and raised in Singapore. Engaged in a lifelong process of undoing the effects of growing up in a Chinese supremacist culture, they are invested in creating loving movement spaces and consider deep friendship to be the basis of their work. As a facilitator, Bex has worked with grassroots organizers, co-operatives, non-profits, and universities on political education, anti-oppression practices, conflict mediation, and strategic planning. They bring a wholehearted belief in a group’s potential for learning and change. Formerly an educator in pre-schools, they love to create environments that inspire play and new possibilities while remaining grounded in a pursuit of systemic and cultural transformation.

Zhaleh Afshar is a mixed-race, able-bodied woman with Filipino and Iranian ancestors. She grew up in an upper-middle class household in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with parents who instilled in her a sense of civic responsibility early on through their own international development work. Zhaleh is passionate about racial and gender justice, queer liberation, progressive and inclusive Islam, and connecting local and international struggles for self-determination and decolonization.