Fierce vulnerability

Date: October 19-20, 2019 (9:30 am to 5:30 pm on both days. Please plan to bring your own lunch)

Location: Jefferson Unitarian Church, 14350 W 32nd Ave, Golden, CO 80401

Facilitators: 

Kazu Haga, Founder and coordinator, East Point Peace Academy
Emma Schoenberg, Organizer & Trainer, Climate Disobedience Center
Erin Kassis, Lead Designer & Agroecologist, Appleseed Permaculture 
Kritee (Kanko), Co-Founder and Director, Boundless in Motion (Host) 

All the facilitators are DNA builders of the YTBN network.

Cost:  Gift Economy donations (dana). No one will be turned away and all are welcome to contribute to make this possible

Registration: To register, use this form. We will send driving, parking, carpool and other instructions.

Facebook event: Link

Background: Yet-to-be-named network is a decentralized and spiritually-rooted interfaith direct action network that aims to shine light on the inseparability of climate and racial justice.  This network is entering a beta testing phase in Fall 2019 such that a few selected teams across the country will get the basic trainings and start actualizing network commitments. Here is an old zine published in 2018 which poetically details our network’s core values. A draft of our member handbook which updates our values, local team structures and commitments will be released by the time of this training. Please see here for more details on what it will mean to be a member of this network. 

First training of Yet-To-Be-Named network:  The network is getting beta-launched with this training in Boulder/Denver area. The first of the two trainings which are required to become members of this network is called “Fierce vulnerability”. This training was originally developed by East Point Peace Academy.  Our weekend in Boulder will be led by Kazu Haga and other trained leaders of this network and will focus on establishing the psycho-spiritual basis of our direct actions. This training will give people a chance to evaluate their value systems and sign up for second training. The second training will go over the details about how this decentralized network with share information and resources or do decision-making and conflict resolution while preparing for intense direct actions at the interface of climate justice and racial healing. The second training will likely be open only for those who commit to being part of the network.

The questions that will be explored in the first workshop will include:

— What does it mean to say a good NO while connecting with and changing hearts of people we say no to?
— How do we stop injustice in its tracks while acknowledging the interconnectedness of all life (non-duality)?
— How do we protect ourselves while nurturing a relationship with our broken-heartednness?
— How do we build a movement that can shut down a highway while creating a culture of opening up our hearts?
— How do we build a movement with the militancy to occupy a government building and the sensitivity to see it as an act of healing?
— How can we come to experience vulnerability as a strength, not a weakness?

In these times of climate emergency, our social systems are being torn apart, our economic systems have created historic levels of wealth disparity, and earth’s life supporting ecosystems are on the brink of collapse. The need for a powerful direct action movement that nurtures a radical, fundamental transformation has never been greater. Yet our need is not only a transformation of systems and laws and policies. What we yearn for is a fundamental transformation of our hearts, our values and our relationships – to ourselves, to each other, and to the earth.

The concept of “Fierce Vulnerability” is an attempt to build such a movement. A movement that understands the assertiveness that is needed to address the crises of our times. A movement that sees social change as a radical act of healing. A movement that knows that each of us needs to heal as much as those we may feel compelled to blame. A movement that knows that violence hurts all parties. A movement that will never see any individual as disposable, undeserving of dignity, or incapable of transformation. Fierce Vulnerability is born of the conviction that our vulnerability is our greatest strength. Vulnerability makes us whole, and that wholeness is the only thing that can undo generations of investment in plunder and exploitation.

This workshop will explore what it might look like to enter into movement spaces with the courage to be our whole selves, sometimes courageous, sometimes fearful, sometimes clear, sometimes confused, sometimes joyous, sometimes grieving, often a mixture of all of these. We seek to bring ourselves as we are, in service to life, growing in our capacity to be fierce in our vulnerability and vulnerable in our ferocity.

Photos from the weekend