Social Justice Community of Practice

Introspective Training for a Just and Equitable Transition

Transition US and Cooperation Humboldt created the Social Justice Community of Practice as an opportunity for the Transition community to look deeply and personally at the forces that shape us and our societies. By examining how we have internalized that which we are working to change, we can work with awareness as we build more inclusive systems.

In six sessions over twelve weeks the Community of Practice will explore:

• The Framework of a Solidarity Economy
• White Supremacy and Racial Equity
• Deconstructing Patriarchy from Within
• Colonialism and Community
• The Ecology of Group Dynamics

Each section of study is built on the intersecting frameworks of, “Head, Heart, Hands” and “Personal, Interpersonal, Institutional, Structural.” Put simply, that boils down to: What is the situation? How am I involved? How can I engage differently? And how am I interacting with the macrocosm? This multi-dimensional approach unites our theoretical understanding of social justice with our grassroots work and our personal relationships.

The Social Justice Community of Practice is presented in a “flipped-classroom” format, with relevant and engaging coursework preceding each meeting. Meetings will focus on participants’ lived experience, while the coursework will focus on concepts and analysis.

The SJCoP meets on the following Mondays from 7pmET/4pmPT-8:30pmET/5:30pmPT: Sept 28th, Oct 12th (Indigenous People’s Day) & 26th, Nov 9th & 23rd, Dec 7th.

For a sneak peek of the course curriculum, check out this video with the Social Justice Community of Practice co-facilitators, Jess Parfrey & Tobin McKee.

About The Facilitators

Tobin McKee is a Middleway Method Somatic Educator and a Core Team Member at Cooperation Humboldt, a Transition Initiative, where he serves as a Social Justice Community of Practice facilitator, a Care and Wellness Team member, and a Development Coordinator. Tobin has worked for more than 20 years as a wellness and vocational educator with a focus on creating engaging, embodied learning environments.

With a background in Environmental Studies (B.A) community organizing, non-profit fundraising, and environmental activism (formerly with Greenpeace USA), Jessica Alvarez Parfrey prides herself in forever seeking transformative opportunities for radical collaboration, and community co-creation. Along with John Foran, and many others, Jessica is a co-creator and volunteer facilitator for the EcoVista project; an attempt to develop a localized model of grassroots, bottom up “just transition” in college communities and beyond. In pursuing a systems-level approach to problem solving and solution design, Jessica has amassed a diverse body of experiences as a non-traditional student, mother, dreamer, activist, researcher and communicator. Jessica is driven to develop opportunities for meaningful dialogue, community based strategy, and design informed by decolonized practice and methodologies.

Registration Closed – contact marissa@transitionus.org to be notified when enrollment for the next session begins.