Opening to Freedom: Embodied Facilitation for White Folks in Racial Justice Movements
Pacific Northwest
Yearlong Intensive
May 29-June 1, 2025
10am-6pm
This course combines neuroscience, physical movement, song, connection to nature as well as practical and theoretical grounding materials into a unique curriculum specialized for organizers, coaches, facilitators, trainers, and others focused on change-making.
The yearlong is focused on applying somatic practice and principles to small and large group facilitation. The curriculum is not focused on learning to teach somatics, but rather bringing the principles of somatics into group work.
Participants will develop:
A tool-box for meeting a group and moving them towards their goals: how to embody a politicized somatic framework and bring it into action in the room
Capacity to assess the shape of groups, what they need, and how to blend and move them towards their next steps
Understanding of embodied anti-racist frameworks, ability to apply anti-racist frameworks in coaching, small groups, and facilitation
Movement from old shape to new shape in current political conditions
Congruence and the ability to align embodiment, words, and actions with your longings in the world and the ability to bring those into facilitation rooms
Community of practice and relationships with peers who are in it with you
Practice that deepens your somatic awareness and ability to be present, open and connected
The current curriculum arc focuses on integrating somatic practice and theory as foundational to the practice of other methodologies including:
Facilitation — holding space for conflict, healing, and transformation
White folks’ work — embodying racial justice, ancestor work, cultural reclamation
Political education — embodied race/class analysis, bring in relationship and our bodies as we do theory work, and building a deeper understanding and capacity to confronting racial capitalism
The structure of the program includes:
Four in-person retreats spread across a year
Practice & methodology calls in between retreats to stay in practice together and go deeper on concepts and political analysis, including calls with guest teachers
Virtual mentorship circles with members of the teaching team
Participant organized and led groups to go deeper in topics and practices based on interest and experience
The program is for white people who facilitate groups. (Future offerings may include multi-racial courses, stay tuned for more details.)
Prior somatic experience is not a prerequisite, but it is recommended.
Why this program now?
The call to co-create an intimate program emerges from almost five years of bringing somatics to white racial justice organizers. The focus thus far has been on practicing together and building community around our shared commitments to defend Black life and end white supremacy in our lifetimes. We want to go deeper together. Deeper in practice, in relationship, and in our capacity to hold the complexity and urgency of this political moment as accountable, relaxed, and dignified white people—with love and rigor. We know that more is possible when we practice together, because we’ve seen it already. What more might be possible if we commit to this intensive container, to a year of deepening together?
Who is creating this program?
Dara Silverman is the lead teacher, as part of a skilled team of four teachers - NAMES. Each teacher will be a mentor to a small group of participants. The program overall has an advisory group of BIPOC and white embodiment practitioners and racial justice organizers.
What is the shape of the program?
Four in-person retreats spread across the year (DATES)
Monthly Practice & methodology calls in between retreats to stay in practice together and go deeper on concepts and political analysis
Monthly mentorship circles with members of the teaching team
Up to two individual coaching sessions per participant
Participant organized and led groups to go deeper in topics and practices based on interest and experience
A curriculum arc integrating somatic practice and theory as foundational to the practice of other methodologies including:
Facilitation — holding space for conflict, healing, and transformation
White folks’ work — embodying racial justice, ancestor work, cultural reclamation
Political education — embodied race/class analysis, bring in relationship and our bodies as we do theory work
What will I get from this program?
A community of practitioners.
Deeper embodiment in this lineage of somatics, in the practice of holding space, in how you show up as a white person in movement, and in political analysis.
A set of frameworks, principles, practices and tools to bring into your work in the world.
Location
To be determined
Dates
Retreat 1: April 3-6, 2025
Retreat 2: May 29-June 1, 2025
Retreat 3: August 7-10, 2025
Retreat 4: November 13-16
Size
We plan for a group of 28 participants and 5 teachers.
Teachers
Dara Silverman
Cost
Offering a sliding scale registration system allows the widest range of participants to pay at the level that is meaningful to them and at the level they can afford. Some embodiment work is inaccessible to people at different income levels and from different class backgrounds. At ERJ our commitment is to making somatics as accessible as possible for the sake of growing our movements for justice.
All of this only works if each person registers at the level they are able - not at a level lower than what they can pay. Together we can create financial balance when we each pay in alignment with our abilities.
This course is offered on a sliding scale. The true cost of this program is $10,000 per participant.
Organizational: $8,000-$16,000: for participants who have organization sponsorship, the registration tier based on each organization’s annual budget.
$16,000 per registrant if the budget is above $20 million
$12,000 per registrant if the budget is between $10 - $20 million
$10,000 per registrant if the budget is between $5 - $10 million
$8,000 per registrant if the budget is below $5 million
$6,000 per registrant if the budget is below $1 million
Individual: for participants who are registering as an individual, the registration is based on personal capacity.
Sustainer $12,001-$16,000+: for those who have generational or inherited wealth
Supporter $10,000-$12,000: for those who have a regular income and are comfortably paying their rent or mortgage
Capacity $8,000-$11,999: for those who have a regular income and are comfortably paying their rent or mortgage- (this is the true cost to cover the costs of running a course)
Grounded $6,000-$7,999: for those who are paying their mortgage or rent
Equity $3,000-$5,999: for those who are challenged to make ends meet
Please note we allocate a specific number of registrations at each tier for each course. That way Embodying Racial Justice can cover the costs associated with running the course. The specifics vary for each course, and one sample breakdown of the slots available at each tier is:
3 - Sustainer $12,001-$16,000+
5 - Organizational $6,000-$16,000
10 - Supporter (this is the true cost to ERJ per course participant) $10,000-$12,000
5 - Capacity $8,000-$11,999
4 - Grounded $6,000-$7,999
3 - Equity $3,000-$5,999.
This infographic includes more about the sliding scale tiers for consideration.
All of this only works if everyone pays at the level they are able - not at a level lower than what they can pay. Together we can create financial balance when we each pay in alignment with our abilities.
The registration fee pays facilitators a living wage, supports the redistribute a minimum of 20% of funds to local Black and Indigenous groups as well as Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity, and includes the organizing and administrative support associated with the course. This also includes all meals, snacks and drinks over there for days off the course.
We want to make this work financially for as many people as possible and we want to be in dialogue with you about what will support you to participate. Please contact us if you would like to discuss your registration.
“I found it nourishing to be physically present with a group of white people committed to anti-racism and to examining and lovingly transforming our own conditioned responses in the world. Practicing grounding exercises with others and exploring my own responses with partners, often with physical connection, opened my full body awareness more deeply than was possible through online training or individual practice. I appreciated the exercises around assessments and will be bringing learnings from that practice to my work within teams. I experienced a sense of collective commitment and community support with our workshop group. In particular, taking the workshop with two colleagues deepened my sense of connection and support with them in our anti-racist and generative conflict work.”–Teresa McHugh, Sierra Club, Central Region Organizing Director