Announcing: the first Transforming Conflict cohort
Liberatory Mediation for Movement Organizations
At Vision Change Win, we dream of movement organizations so intentional, resilient, and skilled that the need for outside mediators is rare. We dream of organizations equipped to lead through and with challenging conflicts.
Applications for the first Transforming Conflict cohort are closed as of 4/3/2023. Stay tuned for more information about future cohorts & upcoming workshops centering around transforming conflict. To stay up to date, sign up for our quarterly e-newsletter.
We invite your group or organization to join the first Transforming Conflict cohort, where you will learn about the root causes of conflict, practice tools to lead skillfully through conflict, and be trained in the seven steps of mediation, all with the politics and values of movement organizations at the center.
This highly-interactive small cohort is designed for organizations ready to transform how they view and address conflict and who have the capacity to send two or more people to attend a week-long session in July 2023.
What is the Transforming Conflict cohort?
Vision Change Win is launching a new program for groups looking to gain a deeper understanding of conflict transformation and to continue building the skills needed to practice their values while leading through conflict.
During this highly interactive program, participants will:
- Learn to identify the root causes of conflict including interpersonal dynamics versus organizational shortcomings
- Practice navigating challenging conversations
- Practice using tools to create cultures and structures within their organizations more conducive to accountability
- Learn the seven steps of mediation and how to apply them
The cohort includes:
- 24+ hours of training on the root causes of conflict within organizations, as well as creating cultures and structures that are more conducive to accountability, including 12+ hours in direct mediation training
- Two (2) practice labs to deepen your skills
- One (60 min) coaching call with a trained practitioners for personalized support
- Moving through conflict toolkit and workbook
Note: Limited space available to ensure it is highly interactive.
Schedule:
The cohort will meet during one week in July. Participants must be available to attend all sessions.
Monday – Friday, July 17-21, 2023 | 12 pm – 6 pm ET / 9 am – 3 pm PT
Topics Include:
- Defining conflict, harm, safety & violence
- Interpersonal dynamics vs organizational shortcomings
- How do we navigate culture and conflict
- Structural approaches & organizational practices to move through conflict
- Understanding and assessing the root causes of conflict
- When is a mediated conversation necessary vs other approaches to conflict?
- Seven steps of a mediation, from a values-aligned perspective
- Intensive practice in the seven steps of mediation
Practice Labs & Coaching Call
Each organization who attends will be able to schedule a one-hour (60 min) coaching call with one of our practitioners to receive personalized support for conflict issues they’re facing in their organization.
Two practice labs are scheduled in the two weeks after program for participants to explore emergent topics and continue to learn and build skills in mediation and conflict.
Application Process
This program is designed for movement organizations who are ready to engage in building their skills to lead through conflict and who have the capacity to send at least two members to fully participate in the program for the entire week as well as practice labs and coaching calls.
Groups interested in applying can submit the application by April 3. It takes around 10 minutes to apply. Groups who are new to VCW may be asked to do an intake call with one of our facilitators. Applications will be reviewed as they are received.
Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Queer, and Trans- Led organizations will be prioritized. Organizations will be selected based on their capacity and commitment to implement and absorb the support as well as their need for conflict intervention.
Cost:
The full cost of the school is $4,000 for 2-4 participants from one organization. At least two participants are required to attend. Information on the Solidarity Scholarship and payment plan can be found in this application. After acceptance, a non-refundable $250 security deposit is due by May 30. Full payment is due by July 15 unless on a payment plan.
Scholarships
In order to make our trainings as accessible as possible Vision Change Win offers scholarships to groups representing BIPOC, low-income folks, Immigrants, Queer or Trans folks, Disabled folks or other marginalized communities as well as volunteer-run groups. As such, VCW invites groups with an annual budget under $400,000 to apply for a Solidarity Scholarship and/or payment plan. To apply for a scholarship, please fill out the Organization Application and select Yes when asked about the scholarship.
Trainers
Ejeris Dixon , Session Trainer (click here for bio)
Lindsey Charles, Session Trainer (click here for bio)
Ray Sukin-Klauber, Facilitator & Coach (click here for bio)
Accessibility
This program is offered in English. Closed captioning will be available for all sessions. ASL interpretation is available, if needed. We will be connecting with participants once they are accepted to learn more about access needs.
Context
As a movement laboratory, VCW has a birds-eye view of the most pressing issues among movement-based organizations. Our trainers have 10-30 years of experience within movement spaces as organizers and leaders and have deep knowledge of moving through conflict while centering radical values.
Last year, one in four requests to Vision Change Win centered around support for working through and with internal conflict. We, as movement organizations, are struggling to continue the work of organizing our communities and fighting against oppression, while meeting organizational ruptures with the kinds of skill, prevision, and internal structures needed to navigate these growing tensions in a values-aligned way.
We invite you to join the Transforming Conflict cohort, where your organization will learn liberatory mediation, with the politics and values of movement organizations at the center. Participants will examine what organizations need in terms of skills and tools to transform conflict as it arises.
Click here to see the Frequently Asked Questions
Without shifting our focus to repairing our relationships, our movements will rot from the inside out.
-Ejeris Dixon