Creating Brave Spaces
October 2020
Creating Brave Spaces: Engaging in Courageous Conversations
In June 2020, US PREP vowed to not remain silent and called for an explicit and direct request for action to fight for social justice. Our call included the following actions against inequities and injustice:
- Begin with yourself
- Learn to better understand the events and perspectives
- Take a stand against inequity (do not remain silent)
- Change the system from the inside-out by taking action for equity
- Continue the conversations and actions to promote equity
The US PREP team (Directors, Regional Transformation Specialists, Business Office, and Clinical Coaches) has made a commitment to action:
Action 1: We will begin with ourselves.
Action 2: We will change the system from the inside-out by taking action for equity.
Action 3: We will continue conversations and actions to promote equity.
By participating in the Courageous Conversation training facilitated by founder of Pacific Education Group, Glenn Singleton, team members were able to...
- Engage in deeply personal conversations that helped us develop as a team, get to know each other as individuals, and continue our collective efforts towards serving students that have been historically underserved.
- Develop a US PREP team understanding of Courageous Conversations about race, tools, mindsets and skills needed to engage in Courageous Conversations about race.
- Engage in small group conversations about how race impacts our lives and our work.
- Commit to utilizing the tools from Courageous Conversation to continue having conversations around race and inequity.
The training experience left us feeling challenged, fulfilled, hopeful and closer together, even though we concluded the day with “a lack of closure” (one of the four agreements).
We learned that this work is a team effort. The US PREP team is committed to walking on this journey with our coalition members. Our goal is to successfully walk alongside the teacher candidates and communities we serve.
We encourage our coalition partners to not be silent and consider your circle of influence. We must stand and take initiative, every one of us - as an individual, a department, and an organization.
In the spirit of not remaining silent, we encourage you to use the hashtag #USPREPNotSilent to post actions you and your team have taken to be agents of change.
In Solidarity,
The US PREP Team
