Training of Trainers

cultural bridges to justice offers Training of Trainer (T of T) programs in two different ways.

The first is as the final component of one of our Justice Institutes. Please, refer to the Racial Justice Institute (RJI) description to learn about this training session that is intended to create a cadre of racial justice trainers for a single organization or a coalition of groups. Participants progress through the Foundation workshop and then the Applied Skills session, before applying for the Training of Trainers.

We can also design a progression of training components, similar to that employed in the RJI, on sexism and gender justice, or homophobia, or any combination of issues. Before a Training of Trainers is offered, potential trainers will first participate in foundational and applied skills training.

The second Training of Trainer opportunity occurs every few years, when our faculty organize a week-long session for potential trainers from across the country who attended a cultural bridges to justice workshop.

This T of T prepares people from a variety of non-profit groups to design and facilitate justice trainings for their organization or community. cultural bridges to justice also occasionally adds new faculty from this passionate pool of trainers.

Dismantling Oppression / Forging Justice –
a TRAINING OF TRAINERS

Objectives

• To examine adult learning principles and techniques.
• To study effective anti-oppression workshop design.
• To model and practice facilitation skills for anti-oppression / justice programs.
• To integrate content areas with appropriate, accessible training modalities.
• To model and practice presentation and facilitation as a team.
• To deepen understanding of the impact of oppression, privilege and internalized oppression on individuals, institutions and society.
• To develop greater understanding of personal attitudes and behaviors regarding all forms of oppression.
• To affirm participant’s personal growth and changed attitudes, and translate these experiences into tools for training.
• To develop a network of support and resources for future work as trainers.

Design

• 7 -10 days (may be held in 2 parts,) 24 participants, 2 – 4 faculty, 1 – 2 interns.
• Includes a 400+ page Trainers Manual, plus other resources.

Acceptance requires:

1. Completion of cultural bridges to justice FOUNDATION & APPLIED SKILLS WORKSHOPS on racism, or sexism or heterosexism sponsored by any non-profit at any location in the U. S
2. Applicants have demonstrated during PART ONE and PART TWO their competency, confidence and comfort with the content material
3. Participants apply in teams of two
4. Accepted written application
5. Telephone or other interview

Intended Outcomes

• be knowledgeable of and able to apply basic adult learning principles to all anti-oppression presentations.
• possess written sample designs with objectives and an extensive “menu” of possible methods / modalities / activities for meeting those objectives. (Please, note: cultural bridges to justice TRAINING OF TRAINERS do not offer a script or other “cookie cutter” approach to justice programs.)
• be able to design and present justice programs of varying lengths (from introductory programs a few hours long to replicating the 3 day FOUNDATION WORKSHOP) and for a variety of adult audiences.
• possess a repertoire of learning/teaching modalities and design strategies which are appropriate, audience relevant and effective in transmitting anti-oppression content.
• have awareness and practice of group facilitation methods and skills and developed sensitivity to group process.
• be comfortable and competent to articulate each of the following content areas:
  1. Definitions of oppression (racism, sexism, et al), privilege (ableist, heterosexual, et al)  internalized oppression, stereotype, prejudice.
  2. Historical, political and social realities of many forms of oppression.
  3. Personal, institutional and cultural manifestations of oppression in the U. S.
  4. Ally behavior and intervention skills.
  5. Intersections and interconnections of all forms of oppression & privilege.
  6. In-depth work on privilege and internalized oppression.
  7. Separate work for privilege and target groups (Caucus work)
  8. Basic anti-oppressive organizational development and assessment.
  9. All cultural bridges to justice “Working Assumptions” (see workbooks)
  10. The Cage and Cycle of Oppression.
  11. Communication, culture and conflict.
  12. The Four Faces of Oppression
  13. The “Femtor” process.
  14. The Role of a Change Team
• be able to work effectively and respectfully in a training team (with one privilege group member and one target member), to understand training team dynamics related to both the audience and the anti- oppression content, and to model anti-oppressive and ally behavior as a team.
•  be capable of greater personal reflection and challenge regarding oppression, privilege and internalized oppression. Participants will also hold a deeper commitment to their own ongoing growth and development.
• be able to translate their personal reflections and challenges into effective and relevant training and presentation tools.
• be connected to a network of peers who can offer ongoing information, reference, feedback, evaluation, support and encouragement for continued growth, personally and as a justice trainer.
• be familiar with the contents/ activities in the 400+ page TRAINERS MANUAL, and be able to adapt the materials to the needs of their future audiences.
• possess print-ready handouts for many exercises.
• possess a written instrument for and be capable of performing thorough self-evaluation and needs assessment of their own learning and practice needs.
• possess a written instrument for and be capable of performing thorough evaluation and needs assessment of participants’ learning and practice needs.

Overview

This is an intensive training program designed to prepare graduates to facilitate organizational and community programs on anti- oppression / justice issues, from short programs for service clubs to the 3 day FOUNDATION WORKSHOPS*.

At the completion of the TRAINING OF TRAINERS each participant will be offered a thorough evaluation of their areas of strength and challenge. They will be given suggestions for further study and practice related to content areas, as well as platform and facilitation skills. All participants enter and leave such a training at varying levels of competence and comfort. cultural bridges to justice trainers will assist each participant in assessing their readiness to train and suggest a focus for their continuing education and practice.

* All participants who complete the TRAINING OF TRAINERS should be able to begin training at some level immediately. While the objective of this intense training is to prepare every participant for potential facilitation of a multi-day workshop similar to our FOUNDATION WORKSHOPS, some participants may self-assess or be assessed by cultural bridges to justice trainers as needing further study or practice before attempting those programs.

Once the new trainers are presenting regularly in their community or for their institution, peers from their training group may be available for support and periodic evaluation, when geographically possible.

Following the TRAINING of TRAINERS, there are sometimes opportunities, when practical, for new trainers to intern at other cultural bridges to justice workshops to begin practicing their skills.