Bringing Theory to Practice Whole Student: Intersectionality and Wellbeing Conference

Bringing Theory to Practice “Whole Student: Intersectionality and Wellbeing” Conference

Kathy Yep & Tessa Hicks Peterson

May 26, 2017

Student Development and Social Justice: Critical Learning, Radical Healing and Community Engagement

9-9:10Introductions (Tessa)

Aim:How do we authentically integrate radical healing and recognition of intersectionality in the academy? In community engagement efforts?

Especially given that these are spaces that weren’t originally designed to uplift intersectionality, healing and justice (this is what makes the work radical)

Goals:We will explore the roles of self-reflection on positionality

Intersectionality and interconnection across difference (within and with others)

How to avoid harm and promote healing in community engagement efforts

Intros:Holistic sense of the many things we are and what brings us to this work (K & T)

(especially the need to personally and professionally integrate academia, activism and healing)

9:10-9:20Context/ Framing (Kathy)

Pitzer:Core values/ objectives/ resources/ centers/ consortium/ currents

9:20-9:30Telling Stories: Conundrum, model, landmine, intervention (Tessa’s story)

Conundrum:Queer black student who has been harmed by our institution claims that majority white, wealthy students learn about injustice in the community and classroom at the expense of others

(“I don’t want to be in the room when someone is realizing I’m human”)

Model:Prison Education Exchange Program

Landmine:Students admit after first session, “I don’t know what I was thinking but those guys are human like anyone else!” So how did they treat people as they entered, before that realization? What assumptions, biases, lenses do we bring in that can be harmful, even as we learn/advance…

Intervention: Classroom framed in critical pedagogy—groundrules, circle dialogue, critical self reflection, multiple perspectives, building awareness of self, positionality, biases, etc

Classroom activities that put healing and intersectionality into praxis—

“I am” poems (story of self, origins, sensory, heartfelt)—builds reflection and bridges—seeing differences and divides poetically, building “We are” group poem

Mindfulness meditation, singing, theatre, writing, dialogue as healing

Community engagement that put healing and intersectionality into praxis—

Humanizing, connecting, disrupting systems, building knowledge (credits)

How can we recognize the depths of our interconnectedness and cultivate a beloved community that is big enough for both our ignorance as well as our compassion?

9:30-9:40Conundrum, model, landmine, intervention (Kathy’s example)

9:40-9:50Qi Gong—embodying, grounding, digesting knowledge, experience, energy

9:50-10Provocation— Small group dialogue: “What are you longing for?”

(In avoiding harm? In promoting healing? In community engagement?)

10-10:15Open to the group: Questions, comments, concerns, protests

10:15Gratitude/ Close