Reflect Along with ARJ! Prompt 5: Taking Care of Ourselves

In the weeks leading up to the five-day Accelerating Racial Justice experience, participants are encourage to reflect on a series of prompts.  Each Thursday and Monday leading up to the experience, a new prompt is shared with the group.

Join them in these reflections!  Here's the fifth prompt they received (prompts one, two, three, & four):

The Accelerating Racial Justice process involves a lot of dynamics.  Here are just a few of them:

• Dialogue based learning (a la Each One Teach One) with a new-to-you group
• Staying overnight multiple nights with a new-to-you group and in an unfamiliar bed
• Being in structured sessions many hours a day and having a roommate overnight
• Sharing personal experiences, individual opinions and questions, and individual values as a part of the learning process
• Talking through difference – differing experiences, differing values
• Talking about how oppression hurts people – both how it hurts us individually and how we are a part of this system of hurting other people

Knowing a bit about where we’re headed as a group, what do you personally need to make sure that this is a space that not only challenges you but also supports you?  What do you need to feel heard?  Respected?  Appreciated?  Confident in your ability to survive uncomfortable situations?

Knowing a little about the structure, what do you personally need to make sure that you get rest?  Time alone?  Take care of your health?

How will you express these needs?

Sometimes we find balance through connection and mutual support. :)