Building cultures of care

This page was created to support activists in building towards cultures of care in their groups. Activist burnout continues to be a major problem in movement spaces, leading to increased internal conflict, decreased retention and ineffective efforts, among other issues. This page is a work in progress that will be added to over time. The information included comes from existing organizer databases and resources by movement thinkers, plus thoughts from participants in our care 101 workshop. This page also includes thoughts shared during our self and community care learning circle, and navigating turnover in student groups learning circle. Included are _______________

Knowledge from the HUB's care 101 workshop

Participants in our care 101 workshop were asked "Have you ever left, or thought about leaving, the climate movement for a period of time? Why?" They shared the following...

Disconnection from other systems of oppression	Other struggles take priority (e.g. job loss, family emergencies, caretaking with limited support and capacity, etc). Other injustice takes priority and isn't addressed through climate involvement (e.g. police violence, poverty etc). Climate movement can feel depoliticized/disconnected from other social struggles
Poor or lack of conflict engagement	Lack of conflict resolution processes/engagement
Anti-oppressive structures/practices not in place	More privileged perspectives holding more/all space Whiteness of climate spaces Lack of COVID precautions and/or care for meeting accessibility needs
Not enough rest/joy in organizing	A never-ending sense of urgency = limited experiences of rest/care/free time Burnout Feeling disconnected socially from team members
Feelings of hopelessness and ineffectiveness	Lack of clarity on what focus/tactics to take Hopelessness
Lack of appreciation	Imposter syndrome/efforts not acknowledged or appreciated

Slowing down to make space for reflection, checking in and meeting needs creates space that can be used to surface, and help address, many of the challenges listed above.

Knowledge from learning circles

Navigating turnover learning circle

When asked about incorporating more social and fun activities to build relationships, students who participated in learning circle suggested…

Internet access	Can people attend without an account on that platform? (i.e., Facebook Live, Instagram Live/Stories, YouTube). If you’re hosting an event over video conferencing software (i.e. Zoom, Google Hangouts, or GoToMeeting); offer a dial-in by phone option. For people with limited or no access to internet at home. Be willing to share information offline too. Create a tip sheet for online platforms with directions. The tip sheet can include information, step-by-step, about how to use the platform(s). For more, see this resource on video conferencing software for accessibility.
Invite and include disabled people and their needs	Include disabled people as speakers. Share what you are planning to do to increase event access. Budget to provide closed captioning, sign language interpretation and other language interpretation.  Live descriptions, captions and good audio are key for live streamed events. Make sure the service you’re using to host is compatible with assistive technology, for example screen readers, and that it allows for computer-based listening/speaking and 'phone-based listening/speaking. Make sure your events are accessible to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users. This requires offering multiple ways to participate, answer questions, submit questions, and interact. Have an accessibility point person who can assist with access issues and technology concerns. Mention how to reach them at the beginning of your event. Wear a headset when presenting to improve audio quality, and try to have speakers limit background noise. It's helpful for speakers to state their name each time they speak for those with hearing impairments and the accuracy of the technology they rely on. Describe live scenarios and any images, read any text that appears on screen, and describe gestures for those with visual impairments.
Share the format of the event and how long it plans to run	Check out the following resource on inclusive design principles for the content of your event.
Provide any written or visual materials ahead of time.	Use an accessible file format Consider providing a glossary of terms that will be used during the event.
Allow attendees to send questions and comments in advance.	Allow attendees to send questions and comments in advance. You can also share if attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions during the event. Make it possible for people anonymously, or with their name and RSVP attached, to make access need requests.
Build time for reflection/breaks into your event, as well as time for questions.
Offer channels to provide feedback about the event	I.e. including accessibility, to help you prepare to plan the next one.

As someone who started a group during the pandemic, in my experience it was important to designate someone or a group to organizing social events. When people stopped coming to online social events, we included social time in the online meetings. People were demotivated from the online time, so we had to include it in the meetings Have a different theme for each meeting (hat, pijamas...) Use interactive online tools to share thoughts

Not exceeding meeting times so as not to exhaust people

Extended time for check-ins and check-outs with fun questions like “what plant do you feel like?”

Connect through discussing emotions like shared frustrations and joys

Holding actions without the pressure of going bigger, larger. Hold small actions and focus on the relationships that actions deepen. For example, an easy activity to organize is a banner drop with picture taking. The point is to gather people.

Escalation of relationship building tactics: start by planning things like an email campaign or phone zap (no relationship building), then something like an open letter campaign, distributed and signed (opportunity to build relationships), and then organize a demonstration.

If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.

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