All systems of oppression are interconnected. They all rely on keeping some people ‘on top’ of society, with greater access to institutional power, wealth, and rest, and keeping other people ‘on the bottom’ with less access to resources. The systems that oppress us are often intertwined, and our oppressors are often the same people working with the same understanding of power. Part of how they maintain oppression is by pitting us against each other and encouraging us to fight over what little scraps they offer. This can show up when organisers show up defensive or operate with lived experience hierarchies in which one kind of lived experience is prioritised over or framed as “more traumatic” than others. We can’t all do that when we’re in the same room.

This guide for facilitators and convenors is designed to support the kind of cross-movement collaboration that disrupts and resists this dynamic, fostering solidarity even when sharing lived experience expertise. Facilitating a group of partners moving through this thinking and into equitable co-creation and shared implementation is more than a logistical task – it can begin to heal the rifts created by historical trauma and colonial control of movements. Practically, it can increase our impact by combining our resources and strengthening our coalitions.

View the full guide as a pdf file here: Facilitating Cross-Movement Dialogues About Lived Experience Expertise

Download the ebook on Google Play Books here: Facilitating Cross-Movement Dialogues About Lived Experience

Dowload the ebook at the Kindle Store here: Facilitating Cross-Movement Dialogues About Lived Experience

Also see: Positionality Worksheet for Facilitators and Organisations, Cross-Movement Facilitation Planning Worksheet