Cultivating Changemakers

Cultivating Changemakers is a support group that brings together BIPOC practitioners in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion field to heal, learn, and grow in a radical and authentic space.

Join the waitlist to be the first to know when registration opens again.

You need support, too.

Cultivating Changemakers holds space outside of the workplace for you to focus on your holistic growth and wellbeing as a DEI practitioner. The intention of this group is to facilitate the creation of professional and personal support networks that help to sustain our energy and commitment to equity and social justice work. This group is convened by a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in radical holistic healing, mental health, and navigating workplace trauma from an anti-oppressive and anti-racist lens. DEI professionals, racial equity consultants, and anti-oppresive consultants are all invited to join.

The Program

Over the course of 5 months, this group will meet monthly for 90 minute, guided sessions. In between sessions, we will share resources, activities & prompts, and offer an online community space for continued fellowship.

While this group will be therapeutic in nature, this group does not replace the support of individual therapy. If you are in need of individual therapy, review the resources page on my website.

The Agenda

  • What led you to become a changemaker? What motivates your work?

    In our first session, we will explore our personal identity origin stories. In the process, we will gain clarity about how our personal experiences of system oppression shape our changemaker stories.

  • In this session, we will discuss burnout in this field. Many of us are the only DEI leaders or one of few who are tasked with advancing DEI without support, budget, or community to truly do so. Isolation and additional factors in the workplace often lead to burnout.

    We will make space to safely unpack our firsthand experiences with burnout and exchange management tactics we have developed over time.

  • How do we respond to resistance when bringing ideas to the table that may be challenging, uncomfortable, or unfamiliar to stakeholders? During this group, we will explore our experiences with resistance from managers, leadership, or companies at large.

    We’ll discuss the struggles of making suggestions and recommendations that go unheard, the impact it has on staff, and ways to strategically persevere in gaining company alignment.

  • We all experience “failures” in our work. Whether it’s a failed ERG or struggling to respond to every crisis, we may feel that we’ve underperformed. In this group, we’ll explore what it looks like to “fail forward” and the importance of this value in equity work.

  • Cultivation requires implementation. In our final session, we will reflect on all of the tools gained throughout the program and create our personal action plans to integrate them into our practices.

Apply for Cultivating Changemakers

Please fill out the application form to indicate your interest.

Cost to Participate:

Individual Rate

An anti-oppressive rate structure is used to determine costs for individuals. Please refer to the following guide to select the best-fitting classification in your application. Rates range from $250- $1000.

    1. Are you and your family homeowners or landowners? (This question does not apply to those who are Native or Indigenous)

    2. Have you attended private education institutions or do you have an advanced degree?

    3. Are you able to make minimum payments on bills or credit cards?

    4. Have you been able to easily access and afford health insurance for yourself and your family members?

    5. Do you have zero to no debt and/or do you have disposable income?

    6. Do you have a safety net composed of “financially stable” or wealthy family and friends?

    7. Do you have U.S. Citizenship?

    8. Does your income only support you, and not other loved ones?

    9. Have you or do you expect to inherit money or property?

    10. Have you (or could you have attended college and/or graduate school?

    Redistribution ($1000): Yes to 7-10 questions

    Full Cost ($750): Yes to 5-7 questions

    Sustain ($500): Yes to 3-5 questions

    Solidarity ($375): Yes to 1-3 questions

    Reparations ($250): 0 Yes

 

Organizational Rate

$1200

Ask your employer for financial support.

I encourage you to request financial support from your employer. I’ve created a template letter to send to your manager.

Open Letter