Ally Skills WorkshopFacilitator Training

Valerie AuroraDirector of TrainingThe Ada Initiative

http://adainitiative.orgcontact@adainitiative.org

All materials CC BY-SA Ada Initiative

Format of this class

10:00am Introduction

10:10am Example Ally Skills Workshop

11:00am Review of teaching techniques

12:00pm Lunch break

1:30pm Students teach a scenario with teacher feedback (with break)

4:00pm Question and answer session

4:30pm Freeform discussion

What is the Ally Skills Workshop?

Focused on teaching men how to support women in their daily lives

Audience: volunteer-only, agrees sexism already exists, wants to end it, 20-40% women ideally

Mainly small group discussion, alternating with all-workshop report-out

“Ally skills” vs. “allies”: focuses on actions rather than self-identification

Why facilitating the Ally Skills Workshop is fun

People love it! “Can we get more training like that?” actual comment from student

Get to watch people have “Aha” moments Taking action to end social injustice is

super fulfilling Highly interactive, time flies No two workshops are ever the same

Why facilitating the Ally Skills Workshop is hard

People ask tough questions People say discriminatory things without

realizing it If you teach it long enough, you will have

to kick someone out HR really wants you to say things that

help the company, but your focus is the people

Example Ally Skills Workshop

Preparing yourself for teaching the workshop

Read the facilitator's guide: http://supportada.org/allies

Read Geek Feminism Wiki: http://geekfeminism.wikia.com

Read “Feminism is for Everybody” by bell hooks and “Women, Class, and Race” by Angela Davis

Practice reframing questions

Workshop structure and participants

Participants must be volunteers Avoid large power differences between

participants Ideal class size is 20 to 30 participants Aim for 20-40% women Ideal time is 3 hours (2 can be done) Take breaks each hour or so

Typical workshop format

20 minute introduction 50 minutes discussion of scenarios 10 minute break (with snacks) 50 minutes discussion of scenarios 10 minute break (with snacks) 50 minutes discussion of scenarios 10 minute wrap-up

What to bring to the workshop

A clicker and video input/output converter A stopwatch or timer (to time the

scenario discussions) A bell to signal the end of scenario

discussions Printouts of the Ally Skills Workshop

handout for all participants

Choosing scenarios

Scenarios are real-world examples of situations in which people can act as allies

Start with easy scenarios Example slides include more scenarios

than you can cover in 3 hours Ask participants for suggestions in

advance and/or take requests during workshop if you feel prepared

Introducing the workshop

Introduce yourself Optionally stall for time by asking why

people came to the workshop Give credit according to the terms of the

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license

Describe the high level format and schedule

Define terms for gender

Workshop designed for men who want to support women, which can lead to the assumption that those are all the genders that exist

Easy to get cis-sexist in this workshop Define “cis” before “trans” Also a good chance to discourage using

“girls” and “females”

Explain the focus on men as allies

Reduce self-doubt Increase likelihood of taking action Introduce concept of male privilege Set higher expectations for responses

Set the scope

The workshop is for people who already believe sexism is a problem and want to help

Even with volunteer-only policy, people will show up who don't agree

Arguing Feminism 101 will take up too much time and probably not change anyone's mind, so don't do it

Set rules for creating a safer space

Workshop only works if people feels safe asking genuine questions and making mistakes

Don't record the workshop Ask people not to repeat unflattering

things Lead by example

Describe discussion format

Participants cannot be told enough times what to expect

Split into groups of 4 - 6 people Listen to scenario Discuss scenario 3 - 5 minutes Report out to whole workshop Brief closing Optional post-workshop discussion

Break the tension

Everyone is pretty nervous! Talking about sexism, sex, gender is super hard

Use cat photos or some form of inoffensive unrelated humor to break the tension

If it doesn't work right away, keep talking about how awkward the awkwardness is until the tension does break

Give basic guidelines of responding to sexism

People have tons of self-imposed rules for responding to sexism: must be witty, compelling, well-researched, etc.

Identifying and lowering these standards increases chances of taking action

Participants are usually relieved

Encourage people to form groups

Most people hate this Point out that this is a room full of

volunteers for an ally skills workshop Emphasize importance of diversity in

groups: gender, other axes if possible Be ready to help people make decisions,

swap people around, etc. Don't assume gender based on

presentation

Help groups form a tiny bit of structure

Participants want a little more guidance If someone is dominating their

conversation they don't know what to do Ask them to pick a “gatekeeper” to

moderate the conversation Ask them to pick someone to report out The person to report out can and should

rotate per scenario

Guiding scenario discussion

Each scenario takes about 12 - 15 minutes total

Read the scenario Tell them to discuss for 3 - 5 minutes Pay attention to rhythm of discussion, if

someone is dominating, etc. Give 30 seconds warning before ending

discussion

Guiding scenario report-out

Ask everyone to stop talking (they won't) - a bell may be useful

Starting with a different group, ask them to report out major points of discussion

Briefly affirm good suggestions Briefly explain bad suggestions Wait till end of report-out to add any

missed points - give participants a chance to discover them first

Intersperse useful tips

Certain questions almost certainly will come up in certain scenarios

Example slides come with “tips” slides in between scenarios

Discussion leader skills

Let participants come up with answers first

Summarize missed points at end of discussion

Use real-world examples when possible Affirm and praise frequently

Discussion leader skills

Interrupt people when necessary Reframe questions when necessary Be willing to say “I don't know” Practice saying “Let's take that off-line” Be compassionate and understanding

Reframing questions

Will get genuine “But this is a logical contradiction!” kind of questions

Affirm the validity of the question Look for the assumptions that turn anti-

sexism into a logical error Reframe the question with feminist

assumptions

Reframing questions

“You say you want us to treat women like everyone else, but then you want us to act differently. That's illogical!”

Assumption: the way men treat men in this field is the norm and they like it

Reframe: Want people to treat everyone with respect, need to redefine “norm” as not just white straight cis men in an abusive culture

Reframing questions

“Making jokes about sex isn't sexist. Women like to have sex too.”

Assumption: Societal attitudes about sex are the same for women as for men

Reframe: In the context of societal attitudes about women and sex, talking about sex shifts the conversation into an area where women are by default objectified, shamed, and victimized

Reframing questions

“You are infringing on free speech, and how can we have an open and free society without it?”

Assumptions: people should (and already do) feel safe speaking their minds, have legally protected right to do so anywhere

Reframe: Safer spaces increase speech of marginalized people, legal rights only apply to government censorship

Ending the workshop

Explain more advanced ways to continue education in ally skills

Give pointers to more resources: Geek Feminism Wiki

Thank everyone for participating Stick around for questions and discussion

Lunch break

Be back at 1:15pm Next: practice scenario discussions Not enough time for everyone Choose your scenario from the list in the

handout

Example scenarios

Volunteers to lead one scenario discussion each

You may choose your scenario

Optional discussion and Q&A

All resources are at: http://supportada.org/allies

Valerie Aurora

http://adainitiative.org

contact@adainitiative.org

All materials CC BY-SA Ada Initiative