Faith CoLab: Tapestry of Faith: Resistance and Transformation: An Adult Program on Unitarian Universalist Social Justice History

Activity 5: Complementary Strategies

Activity time: 10 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Newsprint, markers, and tape

Preparation for Activity

  • Create a chart on newsprint with three columns, titled Prophetic, Parallel, and Institutional. Post the chart.

Description of Activity

Invite participants to reflect on the three strategies that they have just reviewed. Then, invite them to brainstorm other examples of these approaches to social justice leadership. Although examples can be from anywhere, encourage the group to find both historical and personal examples from within the congregation, from within Unitarian Universalism, and from the world at large. Write their examples in the columns participants indicate, but encourage discussion of alternate classifications. Point out that there are people or organizations who might fit in more than one column, or who might be working with people from another column. The point is not to divide the examples into hard-and-fast categories, but to begin to think about the different strategies that are available to us, and how those strategies can be complementary, rather than in competition with one another. If the conversation is spirited, give a three-minute warning before the end of the brainstorming activity.