Liberation is a process and a vision. This includes: full participation of all groups in society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs, an equitable distribution of resources, where people feel safe and secure, not just physically but also emotionally, where individuals and communities are autonomous and interdependent, and processes are participatory, inclusive, affirming, and equitable to collaboratively create change. In order to move closer to this definition of liberation, oppression must be actively fought against on all levels; the nature of social inequalities is that it is woven through and pervasively occupies the complex web of relationships and structures that determine what is right/normal (institutional oppression), the ways we feel about ourselves (internalized oppression) and others (interpersonal oppression), all while being infused and reinforced through cultural norms and media.

We believe an anti-oppression lens should be applied to every level of work.

We strive to be constantly aware and observant of group dynamics as they are shaped by social forces, and are ready to support groups to bring up (or bring out) important dynamics so as to support navigating these dynamics in an intentional way together.

We utilize a harm reduction approach as a facilitation style. Some of the ways this looks is: treating participants with dignity and respect and upholding the view that participants have to take responsibility and have ownership of their own actions and impact on the larger collective group and society. We balance an approach where participants determine their own participation while also gently challenging individuals and groups to move closer to a larger vision of growth and transformation, one that impacts the growth/transformation of society. We also work with groups to be creative in solution-finding; we know that there are often many paths to reach the same vision and they have varying effectiveness for different groups, at different times, and in different context. Lastly, we strive to listen to the true flow of the group, letting go of individualized outcomes/agendas - allowing participants to name what options exist as well as empowering them to identify new options.

We believe that trauma is an inherent side effect of oppression and is present in the tensions, conflicts, and microaggressions that face all communities, collectives, and organizations. By holding a nuanced understanding of trauma, how it looks/manifests as well as how to heal and process trauma, we structure workshops and spaces that account for a group’s potential trauma needs. This includes utilizing exercises and facilitation styles that center story-telling, allowing for layers, complexity, and contradictions. We infuse participants with their own intuition and body-based communication for observation and learning new behaviors. And lastly, our approaches are aware of and open to natural human reactions to fear and harm that arise when diving into deep the waters of oppression and its intersection with trauma.

We believe that lasting, meaningful, and sustainable change takes time, intention and dedication. We focus on imagining and implementing small, high-impact changes that can be realistically implemented without creating staff burnout and depletion of organizational resources. Through this approach, we seek to empower organizations with the necessary information, skills, and resources to continue their change-making work after our collaboration formally ends.

We strive to maintain a safe and confidential environment where participants are able to share their truths without fear of repercussions outside of the space. As advocates who have worked in highly-confidential settings, we are practiced in maintaining confidentiality and practicing discernment in regards to containing sensitive information. We are staunchly anti-surveillance and limit surveillance by limiting identifying information in written documents, deleting notes that are no longer relevant, and we do not disclose any specifics of any of our projects with outside parties.

In order to support our individual capacities to do this work long-term, we work on all of our projects collaboratively. This model allows us to share responsibility and labor equitably, maintain continuity with clients, and most importantly, to bring both of our expertise and experience to each project and client need.