Expanding Perspective: Social Justice Training Series

By: Sarah Ditton — Development & Operations

All of us benefit from looking at our societal programming. Since the day were were born, society has taught us how to understand and act in the world. Most of the time, this process is invisible to us. Only upon critically looking at our understanding of the world can we ask ourselves “is this how I want to live?” We can reflect. We can decide to think and act differently. Maybe for the better.  

With this in mind, and due to popular demand from our cooperatives, the Boulder Housing Coalition (BHC) hosted its first annual Social Justice and Co-op Skills Training Series in 2015. This first series brought together cooperative residents, community members, and local experts. Together, they expanded their perspectives and learned how to live more open, anti-oppressive lives. 

Since then, the BHC has continued hosting the series every Fall. 

This series provides insights into diverse perspectives, new techniques for communication and collaboration, tools to understand and dismantle systems of oppression, and more. 

The Workshops

Select workshop titles include:

• Ecosystems of Oppression
• Consent Beyond Yes
• The Power of Privilege and Harnessing our Gifts for Collective Liberation
• Allyship & Bystander Intervention
• Taking Consensus Facilitation to the Next Level
• Mental Illness in Our Community
• Meeting Facilitation

All of these workshops are taught by local experts. The BHC prioritizes hiring teachers that have lived experience within the topic. 

Education Principle

One of the seven cooperative principles is to provide education to co-op members and other stakeholders. This education allows them to better contribute to their community. Very few housing cooperative systems the size of the BHC (four houses in 2020) have such an extensive training program. However, it is important for the BHC and our residents to continue expanding this program. There is just so much to learn and to unlearn!

Through this work, we are creating a more inclusive and accepting community. There is always more work to be done, and we’re excited to do it.