For The Joy: Revolutions of Love

(1-2hrs, in person or online)

Traditional activism is not the only form of changemaking. Obstacles such as disability or geography can hinder access to the most visible social justice movements; however, small acts of resistance have great power and can generate significant ripples in the lives of those around us. This workshop discusses acts of resistance that involve joy, play, and celebration. You will consider how these acts can increase momentum and decrease burnout in social justice movements. The workshop will include up to four activities where you will have an opportunity to engage in a form of joyful resistance, such as art making, intentional acts of kindness, or food production. You will leave having completed a small act of resistance of your choosing and with basic tools to continue this work.

Shannon was invited to talk to my department about a tough topic. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of nervous energy in the room at the start of their talk, but it didn't take long for Shannon to expertly guide the room towards a place of relaxed but deep engagement. Their ability to move through meaningful conversations while ensuring no participant was left behind or knocked out of the work by individual anxiety was deft and productive. By the end of the session, everyone was joyful, energized and inspired.

Candace Couse, Assistant Professor, University of the Fraser Valley

Anti-oppression Workshop

(1-2 hrs, in person or online)

A primer for equity work, this workshop includes basic definitions and concepts positioned in a relevant context for your organization. Your team will assess the opportunities for growth and improvement leading to a safer and more inclusive environment.

Shannon contributed to my community action trainings about the historical origins of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. She delivered these powerful community-based workshops with lots of consideration using accessible language and meaningful engagement. The participants were an intergenerational group of community members who belong to a variety of refugee/immigrant communities that include diverse religion/spirituality, cultural ethnicities, sexual orientations and for whom English is a second language. She gently challenged folks to think about their perceptions of blackness and specifically where negative perceptions came from and how these perceptions inform attitudes/belief systems about anti-blackness. I hold Shannon in high esteem and trust her educational philosophy that places value on embodiment and experiential learning and environmental/social justice pedagogies.

Heryka Miranda, Community Action Coordinator, Neighbor2Neighbor

Building Community Through Poetry

(1-2hrs, in person or online)

Poetry is a way to communicate words and emotion at the same time. What are you passionate about? What are you afraid of? What do you hope for? In this workshop participants will be guided through writing exercises to explore different forms and themes. Each participant will develop their own skills and will share ideas with the group culminating in a collaborative poem.

Shannon’s ability to draw out folks vulnerability and enable them to tap into their inner poet through an astonishingly simple and effect process was amazing. Each participant left the session with a beautiful self crafted verse in addition to a sense of connection with others in the space. In fact, the workshop sparked a creative force and the workshop participants shared their poems with the larger symposium group and led the charge for others at the symposium to create a collaborative poem resulting in an important artifact of our time together. We are thankful to Shannon for leading us to poetry as a way to community building.

Rishia Burke, Director of Community Development, Community Living Brant