When people in our movement spaces come forward with stories of sexual harassment, our organizations are often scrambling to figure out how to respond. People impacted by sexual harassment are doubly harmed when our organizations, funders, and communities fail to respond adequately. In BIPOC communities, it makes sense to avoid bringing the criminal (in)justice system in to cases of sexual harm, but what do we do instead?

There is no magic guidebook to follow when sexual harassment happens, but we can learn important lessons from transformative justice, prison abolition, and movements to end sexual violence, all led by women, femmes, and trans & queer BIPOC. We can also build organizational cultures that understand and combat cultures of patriarchy and white supremacy that makes harassment more likely to occur, or go unaddressed.

This Peer Learning Cohort is for leaders interested in transforming the practices, policies, and culture of their organization to create workplaces that are prepared to address sexual harassment rooted in liberation values.

After completing this Cohort, you will be able to:

• Recognize aspects of patriarchy culture that can show up in organizations and how to combat them

• Understand principles of Transformative Justice and how they are relevant for front-line, anti-oppression orgs

• Recognize some of the distinctions between criminal, restorative and transformative approaches to harm

• Identify practices that can help you respond more effectively to hurts and harms in your life and community

• Build your skills and capacity to develop transformative responses to harm, abuse, oppression and privilege

• Analyze how privileged and marginalized identities impact instances of sexual harassment

• Apply tested frameworks for addressing unacceptable behavior directly with your staff and/or volunteers

• Respond to incidents of sexual harassment quickly and appropriately

• Work with your team to create policies, practices and a culture that builds towards safety from sexual and gender-based violence

After completing this Cohort, you will not be able to:

• Guarantee that sexual harassment will not occur in your organization

• Navigate through serious or complex cases of sexual harassment without external support or additional training

• Facilitate a Transformative Justice process in your organization without external support or additional training

If you have an immediate need for support around a sexual harassment incident, please reach out to Amanda. If you are accepted into the cohort, we can front-load coaching hours and come up with a plan together. If you are not accepted into the cohort, we can connect independently about support and referrals.

DATES

• Thursday, February 6th, 2020; 9am-5pm

• Wednesday, April 29th, 2020; 9am-5pm

• Thursday, July 9th, 2020; 9am-5pm

All sessions will be located in Midtown Manhattan.

ELIGIBILITY

The Cohort is designed for leaders that:

• Come from organizations with a small staff (<15 employees)

• Use an anti-oppression lens (regardless of what language you use for it)

• Work with front-lines BIPOC communities

• Are working to center the leadership of womxn & gender non-conforming people

• Are willing to dedicate time and resources to addressing sexual harassment and gender-based oppression in the workplace

• All genders encouraged to apply, we are recruiting a gender diverse cohort made up of people with trans, non-binary, and cisgender identities

• This webinar will be most valuable for people who are leaders in building organizational culture, policies and practices, or in responding to incidents of harm that may occur

The peer learning cohort is for organizations that meet the criteria above, and additionally:

• Are able to send 2-3 participants from their organization

• Can send at least one management-level staff (Executive Director, Deputy Director, or senior management staff) who has decision making power about internal practices

• Executive Directors voice active support for the participation of each person in the cohort

EXPECTATIONS

Participants are expected to participate fully in every session, and take time to implement tools and practices discussed in the sessions during the 6 month cohort. Participants should be prepared to be candid about the challenges their organizations face, ready to hold confidentiality, and willing to examine their personal role and to try new things.

The Peer Learning Cohort consists of:

• 1-on-1 needs assessment interviews with facilitator

• 3 in-person sessions in Midtown Manhattan in February, April, and July

• Up to 3 hours of coaching per organization

• Approximately 24 hours of independent work implementing content

DEADLINE TO APPLY

October 31, 2019. Participants will be notified about whether they have been accepted by November 30th.