Last night I felt like I was on a natural high from how well the AOC training went! It seemed to me like everyone got along well, made positive new connections and participated fully. The best part, though, was hearing at the end that one participant got out of it the same things that I got out of it when I first took the training. What an amazing full circle moment that was.
I truly feel like this training could be a model for other organizations. While adressing social injustice gets me excited, it doesn't seem to engender positive attitudes in others a lot of the time. So, you can imagine how excited I was when we got through to the end and there hadn't been any arguing or yelling or awkward feelings...at least on my part (and I am very sensitive and tuned in to the vibe of groups). More than that- people actually said they liked the training and found it inspirational. Honestly, my happiness could not be contained. Christie heard about it all night long.
Though we haven't received any formal feedback yet, the elements I found to work really well included the fun and relaxing games/stickers/coloring crayons in the middle of the tables, the concerted effort on all of our parts to convey our points from a place of assuming best intentions and our committment to soliciting lots of participation from our "students." Particularly on this last point, it seemed like all of us felt comfortable being open and honest and even vulnerable. I was so wowed when some folks even admitted to times when they'd been oppressive, took responsibility and dedicated themselves to using this experience as a turning point in their learning journey. Amazing.
Usually when big events like this are over I am so relieved just to have them done. This time, though, I can't wait for the next training!
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