Led by Mika Maniwa* of Vancouver.
Have you ever been hurt by something someone said or did, only to have the conversation turn into reassurances about their good intentions? If you’ve found yourself wishing someone would just listen, really listen, to what happened to you, instead of explaining why it wasn’t a big deal, this workshop offers a space to be heard, and language and strategies for when that listening doesn’t come easily.
And if you’ve ever caused harm you never intended, stepped on someone’s toes, literally or figuratively, or asked a question that reopened an old wound, this is also a space to sit with that discomfort and learn how to move past “I didn’t mean to” toward real repair.
We’ll focus in particular on words and actions that carry racial weight, including the everyday moments, sometimes called microaggressions, that our community’s racialized members and visitors experience even here, in a community that prides itself on welcoming everyone. We’ll also touch on similar missteps that arise because of the assumptions people make, for example, about others’ gender, sexual orientation, age, and/or disability.
Come with your stories, your questions, your discomfort, your hope for something better. All are welcome.
Further details for RSVP will be available closer to the date.
Co-hosted by the Vancouver Unitarians’ Healthy Relations Team, the Intercultural Team, and the Allies in Training covenant group.
*Mika Maniwa is a certified Nonviolent Communication (NVC) trainer who has been sharing NVC in Vancouver for 20 years. She enjoys working with multicultural groups and exploring how we can build trust across power differences. Her work focuses on what NVC can offer around social location and racialized trauma, strengthening relationships within organizations.
“I love creating spaces where the wisdom of the group can emerge. I’m curious about how our nervous systems respond to perceived threat and mistrust, and what we need to build bridges between us.”
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