Tapestry of Faith: Building the World We Dream About: An Anti-racism Multicultural Program

Introduction

What is true is that for Unitarian Universalism to move into a vibrant future, we will need to mine our past for stories of resistance to oppression, stories of openness to new ways of being religious, stories of transformation that have built new understandings into our narrative of who we are. — Rev. William G. Sinkford

This workshop introduces many of the key elements that characterize Building the World We Dream About: stories, dialogue, personal reflection, sharing with others in small and large groups, and reflective exercises to help bring learning into participants' lives within and beyond the congregation.

Participants consider questions of confidentiality and emotional and spiritual safety as the group begins its journey together. The workshop invites them to engage with their own experiences and those of others as they explore Dr. Lee Knefelkamp's work that defines experiences of "mattering" and "marginality."

Before leading this workshop, review the accessibility guidelines in the program Introduction under Integrating All Participants.

Goals

This workshop will:

  • Set the tone for future workshops and introduce underlying group processes
  • Introduce the idea that experiences can create positive feelings of inclusion (mattering) or feelings of exclusion (marginality)
  • Invite participants to explore their own and others' experiences of mattering and marginality.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

  • Meet one another and create a covenant
  • Recognize that some experiences can create positive feelings of inclusion (mattering) and others can create feelings of exclusion (marginality)
  • Hear stories of mattering and marginality from Unitarian Universalists with a variety of ethnic and racial identities
  • Reflect on personal experiences of inclusion and marginalization.