What does it mean to organize beyond dominant culture?

Dominant culture teaches us that urgency is necessary, that perfectionism equals excellence, that there's only one right way to do things. These patterns don't stay outside our movements. They show up in how we make decisions, handle mistakes, and respond when things get hard.

In this workshop, we explore what transformative organizing looks like. We'll practice recognizing patterns of dominant culture in our own spaces: the constant urgency that leaves no room for reflection, the binary thinking that labels people as "good" or "bad," the individualism that isolates us from collective care.

What we'll do together:

• Identify how dominant culture manifests in activist spaces.

• Explore the difference between transformative and transactional organizing.

• Practice observation without judgment as a tool for change.

• Begin mapping patterns in our own organizations.

• Connect personal experiences to larger cultural forces.

This isn't about blame or guilt. It's about building awareness of the water we're swimming in so we can choose different ways of being together.

Format: 2-hour online session.
Language: English and Spanish options available.
Investment: Sliding scale $25-$150 (applies toward retreat registration).

What inner capacities do we need for sustainable organizing?

We often focus on strategy, tactics, and external change while neglecting the inner work that makes transformation sustainable. The Inner Development Goals framework helps us connect personal growth with collective liberation.

This workshop explores five dimensions of inner development: being (relationship to self), thinking (cognitive skills), relating (care for others), collaborating (social skills), and acting (driving change). We'll examine how strengthening these capacities supports both our wellbeing and our ability to build liberatory movements.

What we'll do together:

• Introduction to the Inner Development Goals framework.

• Self-assessment: exploring our own inner development.

• Connect inner capacities to organizing challenges we face.

• Practice specific skills for each dimension.

• Create personal commitments for ongoing growth.

This work isn't separate from organizing. It's the foundation that allows us to stay present, connected, and effective in movements for the long haul.

Format: 2-hour online session
Language: English and Spanish options available
Investment: Sliding scale $25-$150 (applies toward retreat registration)

How do we understand change as a dynamic process?

We're often taught to think in static categories: this is good, that is bad; this person is an ally, that one is an enemy. Dialectical thinking offers a different approach. It helps us understand change as ongoing, contradictory, and full of possibility.

This workshop introduces dialectical thinking and historical materialism as tools for analyzing conflict and imagining transformation. We'll explore how thesis, antithesis, and synthesis help us move beyond binary thinking and understand how systems evolve through contradiction.

What we'll do together:

• Learn the basics of dialectical thinking: thesis, antithesis, synthesis.

• Explore how historical materialism helps us understand systems of oppression.

• Practice dialectical analysis on real organizing scenarios.

• Connect this framework to conflicts in our own contexts.

• Understand change as process rather than event.

This isn't abstract philosophy. It's a practical tool for understanding why conflicts arise, how power operates, and where transformation becomes possible.

Format: 2-hour online session
Language: English and Spanish options available
Investment: Sliding scale $25-$150 (applies toward retreat registration)