Dear Friends

The We Pirates Collective (a.k.a. Consensus Collective) is at it again. We have a Consensus & Facilitation workshop coming up at the Brecht Forum for March 17-18. Kind of like our last one except this one is TWO DAYS!! Awesome. It's structured so that you can come to one day only, or to both days, but of course, it's recommended that you come to both days, since the material is so deeply related.

Check out the workshop description below, and Please Forward Widely!

Mad love-Autumn

Consensus, Facilitation & Liberation
Facilitators: Autumn Brown, Stuart Rockefeller, Danielle Sered & Samuel Conway

The Brecht Forum
Saturday & Sunday, March 17-18
10:00 am - 6:00 pm Saturday
10:00 am - 3:00pm Sunday
2-DAY WORKSHOP

The consensus process is much more than a decision-making tool. It is an opportunity to participate in a creative process, the outcome of which is a synthesis of the raw materials we began with. It is a radical method by which we re-socialize ourselves in order to confront and reject our own desire for power over others, and the outmoded hierarchical forms of group work we are used to participating in.

This workshop will focus on consensus as a revolutionary and liberating practice, exploring its potential as an organizing tool through group discussions, storytelling and games. During the first day, we will examine past experience with participatory decision-making and group work. We will then break down the consensus process into its component parts, giving a framework for what is often an abstract experience and revealing the flexibility inherent in the decision-making structure. In learning a myriad of tools used in consensus group work and in elucidating individual roles and responsibilities within the process, we will come to a deeper understanding of consensus mechanics.

During the second day, we will bring our focus to the specific role of facilitation in the consensus process. Once again, through shared experience, hands-on training, and challenging exercises, we will arrive at a deeper understanding of what it means to facilitate the consensus process, the possibilities and pitfalls of this role, and the tools available to empower the facilitator and create a culture of co-facilitation in a group. We will also work on practical skills such as Active Listening, Co-facilitation for Large Groups Meetings, Agenda Planning, and Conflict & Mediation.

The content of the workshop is divided into two separate days so that participants can choose to come for one day or the other, or both. This workshop is open to anyone who desires to learn about consensus, or fine-tune the knowledge she or he already has. It is open to anyone who desires to communicate more openly and work more creatively with others.

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Autumn Brown was trained in Consensus Method for Decision Making and Group Process by the UK-based collective Seeds for Change, and she is committed to utilizing, teaching, and integrating consensus in her life and work. She has extensive experience facilitating with social justice and performance art collectives, and provides frequent consensus and facilitation trainings in New York City. She currently works to promote preparedness and resiliency as the Community Outreach and Training Coordinator for New York Disaster Interfaith Services.

Stuart Rockefeller is an anthropologist working in Bolivia and Argentina. He first discovered the power of consensus decision-making through the NYC Direct Action Network. After taking a course at Training for Change in Philadelphia, he began conducting consensus and facilitation trainings in the New York area. Over the last few years he has done trainings for activist groups in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.

Danielle Sered's current work is in Restorative Justice and prison re- entry. Her facilitation, consensus, and conflict resolution training experience includes work in prisons, jails, under-resourced schools, community organizing, radical collectives, and extensive gang intervention work. She is a trained mediator and is committed to approaching conflict as an opportunity for transformation and community-building.

Samuel Conway studied Christian and Islamic theology at Sarah Lawrence College, and is affiliated with the New York Metro Alliance of Anarchists, as well as the We Pirates Collective (aka Consensus Collective). A practicing Catholic and Anarchist, Samuel is currently working on a book about monotheistic anarchism entitled The Abrahamic Anarchists.

Sliding Scale: $15-$35 per day
No One Turned Away

The Brecht Forum
451 West Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 242-4201
mail@brechtforum.org

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Autumn Brown
www.rockdovecollective.org
www.fertaware.com