XRPDX’s Regenerative Culture Working Group pays attention to self-care, people care and planet care within our organization. We believe life can be better if we stay connected and care for ourselves and each other while we take the direct and bold actions these times call for.
How do we do this? First and foremost, we encourage the building of relationships that nurture and strengthen trust.
Our work changes according to what we understand our organization needs and how the current Regenerative Culture Working Group members can best contribute to our collective well-being. Recently we have focused on:
- Ways to create training opportunities so that members can upgrade their skills in meeting facilitation, set up cooperative group interactions and get support as they take on new roles in organizing.
- Orienting folks interested in joining our work and helping them find the right place to grow their activism and nurture our common purpose.
- Reviewing and updating group norms and providing ongoing review of group norms for all chapter meetings so that member relationships develop with effectiveness and ease. Our goal is to provide resources and support to dismantle oppressive behaviors within our activism and the way we engage with one another.
- Organizing and providing material and emotional support for non-violent direct action.
Some of the specific tasks we have engaged in:
- Learning about “empathy circles” as a tool to foster understanding and acceptance between our members and with members of other activist organizations.
- Developing a “toolkit” of support and resources for individual self-care, like an on-going member mindfulness meditation group.
- Planning playful opportunities for members to enjoy one another’s company while they get to know one another better.
- Tracking XRPDX’s actions to identify how we might support them and doing so to the best of our ability. This could be as basic as making sure activists have snacks and water during an action, or helping them obtain training on what to expect if they are arrested during an action.
- Setting up and providing “orientation sessions” weekly or every other week. We also follow up on these sessions by connecting with people who would like help learning more about the various working groups and ways to become involved in XRPDX.
We welcome new members to our working group and appreciate whatever skills, interests and support they bring to XRPDX, the Four Demands, the Ten Principles and inspired, disruptive direct action in service of healing our climate ecosystem, protecting all life that depends on a healthy planet and, in the process of doing so, caring for ourselves and one another.
As of January 2022 the Regenerative Culture WG meets online Wednesdays at 2 pm.
We are: Margaret, Lorene, Camilo, Mark, Kathleen, Jennifer, Michaela, Tri and Michael.