YWCA of Grand Island Racial Justice Programming
- Racial Justice 101
- Training Overview
- Identifying and Disrupting Biases
- Preventing & Responding to Microaggressions
- Guest Speakers
Racial Justice 101
What’s the difference between equity, equality, and inclusion? Why should we care about this as community members? Racial Justice 101 by YWCA of Grand Island will provide the necessary foundations needed to have conversations about race, racism, and equity. In this training, participants will explore our local demographics to get an understanding of who we are as a community, develop a shared vocabulary to talk about racial justice, examine disparities and connect them to history, and discuss individual and institutional action steps for change.
When: TBA
Where: YWCA of Grand Island (enter through the multipurpose room doors, closest to Fonner Park Road). All attendees are required to wear masks while in the building.
Cost: $10/person
All trainings must have a minimum of 6 participants and a maximum of 30 participants.
We offer a robust training slate aimed at providing an introduction to racial justice work. Our trainings are informed by research from YWCA USA and BIPOC activists, writers, and scholars. We encourage organizations and individuals to proceed through trainings in this order:
- Racial Justice 101
- Identifying and Disrupting Biases
- Preventing & Responding to Microaggressions
If your organization has other training needs related to equity, race, and racism, please contact us to learn more about how we can create a customized training.
Identifying and Disrupting Biases, 1 hour, $200
This training will help participants examine their own socialization in order to identify the source of their biases. We will discuss the ideas about race we inherited during our upbringings. Then, we’ll examine the impact biases can have in contributing to disparities. Finally, we’ll identify ways to disrupt our biases and re-learn a more accurate narrative.
Objectives:
- Understand that socialization is the source of bias.
- Identify our own biases.
- Begin the process of disrupting these biases.
Preventing & Responding to Microaggressions, 1 hour, $200
This training will help participants understand and recognize microaggressions and their impact. We’ll take a dive into looking at the three types of microaggressions and the messages they communicate. Then, participants will be equipped with strategies for responding to microaggressions and with strategies for dealing with being called in or out for microaggressions.
Objectives:
- Recognize microaggressions and their impact
- Develop strategies for preventing and responding to microaggressions
Guest speakers are available to speak for up to 45 minutes about racial justice, key concepts of racism and anti-racism, and how this work applies to our community.
Speaker fee is a flat rate of $200.
We provide Equity Audits to organizations who are wanting to bring equity to the forefront. Using a lens of racial/ethnic and gender equity, the Equity Audit includes a thorough examination of program materials, program content, policies and expectations, goals and objectives, recruitment materials, and feedback from stakeholders. Our team will also conduct an anonymous attitude survey of all current staff, committees, boards, etc. This will allow us to identify strengths, make recommendations, and work with the organization to develop a short-term and long-term action plan.
Contact Danielle Helzer at dhelzer@ywca-gi.org to learn more about this process and the fees associated.
Learning Circles
Our staff and trained volunteers facilitate discussions over books that focus on topics of racial justice. We will rotate through the following texts each year:
- This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell
- We consider this book our introduction to racial justice and anti-racism. It is a beginner’s level and is an excellent starting point to being anti-racist.
- Format is 5-weeks with a one hour time commitment each week; first week is an intro week to get to know participants
- Facilitated by a YWCA-trained volunteer
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- We encourage participants to read this book after participating in our book club over This Book is Anti-Racist.
- Participants will be responsible for purchasing their own books.
- Format is a one-time discussion that will last two hours.
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
- This book discussion is by application only since it requires commitment of all group members to do the work of dismantling white supremacy.
- This book discussion will follow The Circle Way process
- As Layla Saad states in her appendix of the book, we acknowledge “This work takes a considerable emotional labor toll on BIPOC, and the work is not for them to do–it is for people with white privilege to do.” Following Saad’s suggestions, we invite BIPOC to participate in the circle, but we will not expect them to “do the journaling work, support the emotional processing, or be called upon to teach or explain if they do not wish to do so.”
- The group will meet once a week in-person for 1.5 hours each week
This is an annual event sponsored by YWCA USA. The theme changes every year, and our local association will host a learning opportunity for individuals to participate in or action steps the community can take.
VOICE
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Nebraska?and YWCA of Grand Island desires to provide a safe space for youth and adults of color to build positive relationships. We aim to equip youth of color to be heard: to find their inner voice, to own their voice when they choose, and to raise their voice on issues that matter to them; and to do it with a group of people who can support them. We will provide this by matching 7th?grade students with 11th?grade students in a 1:1 relationship. Each match will?have an adult to check in with them and facilitate lessons and conversations that prioritize?self-reflection, understanding, honoring self, leadership, and healing from cultural and social traumas. Adults will utilize play, relationship-building, activism, and creativity to support learning and growth.
If you are interested in learning more about this program or how to get involved, contact Danielle Helzer at dhelzer@ywca-gi.org.