12 minute read
Leadership Town Hall: Standing Together (Summer 2020
LTH Standing together (Summer 2020)
Purpose
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Model open and effective dialogue on the topics of racial injustice/ prejudice/discrimination and dominant cultural realities (e.g., white privilege/power/supremacy/normalcy/colonialism).
Learning Objectives
Day 1
Through listening, lamenting and processing together as a community about injustice, prejudice and discrimination, participants will begin to identify the places in our culture and mission where experiences vary and change is needed.
Day 2
Through listening, lamenting and processing together as a community, participants will recognize dominant cultural realities (e.g., privilege/ power/supremacy/normalcy/colonialism) and identify their responsibility to be an agent of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21).
Panel discussion questions:
Day 1
Main Questions:
• Primer Question: If you had to put a number on it, how are you entering this conversation? (1 = Struggling; 5 = Thriving) Why?
Question 1: Talk to us about a theology of justice and how that relates to this moment here in the U.S. and others around the globe.
Question 2: Why is Young Life engaging in this conversation around racial injustice and discrimination to begin with? Aren’t these just cultural/social justice issues and distractions from getting the gospel in the hands of kids?
Question 3: Why is racial injustice important to you, and why do you think it should be a missional priority moving forward?
Question 4: Talk to us about recent events (e.g., Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd). Where do you find yourself in the current conversation? » As a white person, how are you processing the moment? Why? » As a person of color, how are you processing the moment? Why?
Question 5: What gives you hope about this moment?
Optional Questions:
What are the missional implications of persistent injustice? For kids? For teams?
Talk to us about your personal experience with racial injustice, prejudice and discrimination. Where/how have you seen or experienced these realities in your life? Your community? Within Young Life?
Continued on next page...
Panel discussion questions:
Day 1 (optional questions continued)
As we think about racial/ethnic injustice, prejudice and discrimination, what do we need to know as individuals? Teams? An organization?
What does this mean for marginal people/voices within our community? History? Looking forward?
Day 2
Main Questions:
Primer Question: If you had to put a number on it, how are you entering this conversation after yesterday’s time? (1 = Struggling; 5 = Thriving) Why?
Question 1: As a white person, what didn’t you know a month ago that you’ve now learned about racial and ethnic tensions?
Question 2: We’re hearing a lot of terms about white people these days, like “white privilege,” “white fragility,” “white supremacy,” “white normativity,” and “white exceptionalism.” Which one of these seems most important to understand and respond to in Young Life currently?
Question 3: In the midst of racial injustice, how do we become agents of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21), and what is the connection to Young Life’s mission to reach and teach kids about Jesus?
Question 4: It’s been said by Peter Drucker and others that, “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” What needs to change in Young Life’s culture to make it less white-dominant and more inclusive?
So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.” Hosea 12:6
Question 5: How will we know that engaging injustice in conscious, continuous, healthy, Kingdom ways is truly a priority for Young Life? What signs should we be looking for that show it’s more than just checking off a box or looking “woke” in today’s heated environment?
Optional Questions
What are the missional implications of failing to be aware of — or account for — these dominant cultural realities within Young Life’s community? The communities we serve?
How do we overcome dominant cultural realities and move toward a more Kingdom-minded community that eliminates racism and hatred?
What is our role as Christians in moments of racial injustice? As white people? People of color? As a Young Life community?
How do these dominant cultural realities contribute to healthy/ unhealthy supervision in our teams?
Talk to us about how we can move forward together in the face of persistent injustice?
What do we need to be mindful of/not do as we work to learn and become agents of reconciliation?
What should leaders take away from this town hall that will help them reach and teach kids about Jesus?
What are some practical steps we can take? What is next?
Breakout Session Questions:
Day 1
1.
2.
Scaling Question: Use the Zoom polling or whiteboard feature to determine the group’s level of discomfort around the topic, and discuss their experiences with racial injustice, prejudice and/or discrimination.
» Or, Using a scale of 1 - 5, invite participants to rate their level of comfort discussing issues of racial injustice, prejudice, and discrimination? 1 = Really uncomfortable; 5 = Completely comfortable (Discuss everyone’s why behind their number)
What stage do you think your team is currently experiencing?
The mission? (Using stages below)
3.
What did you hear or learn or struggle with and why does it matter?
4.
Where do you see differences in our culture and community?
Day 2
1.
2.
3.
Scaling question. What was your level of discomfort during today’s presentations? 1 = Really uncomfortable; 5 = Completely comfortable (Discuss everyone’s why behind their number)
Did you have a breakthrough discovery and what was it?
OR What was difficult to hear today?
How will you move forward from here? What do you believe the mission could do to move forward?
Diversity and inclusion stages
Stage #1
A superficial embrace of diversity. This ranges from being oblivious to race (e.g., “We are all united in Christ… Why does it really matter?”) to tokenization (e.g., “We have one of each. One Black. One Asian. One Latino
Stage#2
Acceptance of the reality of racial privilege and structural racism. This can begin by acknowledging that oppressive histories are a part of our shared inheritance and can go as deep as digging into the pain that has transpired for individuals of color.
Stage#3
An awareness of each person’s beautiful, painful, complex identity and constant attempts to address these in the life of a faith community. We want to get there and are taking intentional steps in that direction.
*Adapted from Daniel Lee, Ph.D., Fuller Equip, Making Holistic Disciples
Facilitator Responsiblities
Facilitate
Facilitate the two, 45-minute breakout sessions across the two-day virtual gathering using the guidance/questions above to moderate conversation in alignment with the learning objectives.
Ensure
Ensure that your breakout session makes it back to the main session after each 20-minute sprint.
Serve
Serve as your group’s spokesperson and be prepared to offer a 5-minute recap focused on your group’s discussion.
Real life: leader stories
Day 1
In 3 minutes, share with us your experience as a person of color concerning racial injustice, prejudice and discrimination in our world. What do we need to know as individuals? Leaders? As an organization?
Day 2
In 3 minutes, share with us your experience navigating/living with dominant cultural realities (e.g., white supremacy, privilege, power, normalcy and colonialism) in our world. What do we need to know as individuals? Leaders? As an organization?
Guidance:
As with Real-Life Stories shared at camp, we ask that speakers be specific and concise. However, as leaders, we also ask speakers to be practical and tangible so that we can learn together as a community while we process the truths wrapped in their experience.
More precisely, the role is important, but relatively simple. Here is what it would entail:
Have speakers write out their story.
Have them also record it (a phone or laptop recording should suffice). Just be sure to have them get to a quiet place to reduce as much background noise as possible.
Have them submit both the written and recorded copy ahead of the event for you to review and approve. Please share with us too so that we can capture them and learn with you. (Send to Mandy Adkins: madkins@sc.younglife.org)
Have them come prepared to share that same story during the town hall in no more than 3 minutes.
Media Kit:
Purpose
This media kit is meant to equip you in conversation. We’ve included expert talks, panel discussions, and real-life stories.
Please know the courage with which leaders shared stories (below), and use these resources to facilitate conversations for Young Life staff without sharing broadly.
Access
To access the media kit, please visittownhall.younglife.org. In order to access the site, you’ll need a username and password. This avoids making an internal conversation public and ensures those who shared their stories have a level of privacy. Please only share this username and password with those who are part of your local conversations.
Username: LTH2020 Password: Together
Highlights
Expert Talk: Efrem Smith Day 1 Panel Discussion: Theology and Importance to Young Life Day 2 Panel Discussion: Understanding and Becoming Agents of Reconciliation
Individual Real Life Leader Stories • Paul Coty •
Cassaundra Marisett Banks
Laudir Lugo
Marisa Avramovich
Frank Ivey Terry Leprino
Kenny Nollan
Lyn TenBrink
Brian Trost
Seed the conversation with your own honesty.
Supporting Resources:
Pre-Reads
1. 2. 3. 4. Racial Reconciliation May Not Be What You Think It Is by Pastor Rich Villodas
The Prophetic Voice by Arthur Satterwhite, D.S.L.
Prompt Questions
Good News About Injustice (Chapter 4and Chapter 5) by Gary Haugen As we consider both recent events and the broader history of societies’ relationship with race/ethnicity (i.e., in the U.S. and globally), where do we see the intersection of race/ethnic tensions, the gospel and our work in Young Life? How might God be calling us to be agents of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21) in communities and the lives of kids such that they experience Christ’s love in new,
transformative ways? The history of the relationship between the Bible and race/ethnicity in the U.S. (and beyond) is one that is fraught with both pain and healing. What does the Bible offer that can help us better understand the challenges of race/ethnic tensions in our world today? What are some practical takeaways from Scripture that should inform how we engage with kids and communities that are of a different race/
ethnicity than our own? We serve a God who is concerned about justice AND compassion. As followers of Jesus, who are to model his example (Matthew 4:19), what does this mean for us? Our relationships with kids? The
supervision of our teams? The fellowship with our peers? As you reflect on the various pre-reads and the different Scriptures referenced within, what thoughts or revelations emerge? What are the implications for majority culture voices and leaders (e.g., white men, western society, etc.)? For marginal voices and leaders (e.g., people of color, women, staff in developing countries, etc.)?
Ongoing learning
Assess:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. We need to be Uncomfortable(Article)
Dr. Robin DiAngelo Discusses ‘White Fragility’ by Robin J. DiAngelo (Video)
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack (Article)
Beyond Colorblind: Redeeming Our Ethnic Journeyby Sarah Shin (Book)
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteriaby (Book)
Learn:
Empathetic Listening & Curiosity by YL Learning Office George Floyd and Me (Article)
Facts About Lecrae (Podcast)
Grace, Justice, & Mercy: An Evening with Bryan Stevenson and Rev. Tim Keller (Video/Podcast)
Movies • The Hate You Give • Selma • Do the Right Thing • Just Mercy Inclusion/Equality Campaigners FTN 2019
GLC 2019 Professor Rah Keynote
Grow:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. 6 Ways to Show your Child God’s Design for Ethnic Diversity (Article)
Missio Alliance (Faith & Justice Website)
Unmasking Racism, Starting with Me(Article)
Woke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in America to Confront Racism and Injustice by Eric Mason (Book)
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (Book)
Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity by Robert Chao Romero (Book)
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35
Marketing and Communication samples
We found it helpful to have attendees (1) save the date, (2) register and (3) receive pre-work in separate emails, since longer email messages are often hard to digest.
In addition, we strongly urge you to consider pre-work to begin to engage your teams before you meet, as it will both help attendees begin to think, wrestle and pray about these ideas in the days before coming together. This will help “prepare the way” for the Spirit and give a common framework and understanding (and the two are not mutually exclusive).
For your use, here are the resources we used to invite leadership to this town hall, as you think about inviting your own teams.
Save the Date
Dear Global Leaders in Young Life,
I am writing to you today on behalf of the Mission Lead Team, in the midst of our 91st day of prayer and lament, to ask you to save the date for an important and urgent virtual Leadership Town Hall: Standing Together on June 24 and June 25 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. MDT.
The focus of our time together will be the racial injustice we have been facing in the United States that has impacted and spread across many parts of the world. Our purpose for this leadership town hall is to begin an ongoing dialogue that will cascade throughout our organization in the coming weeks and months.
This has been an unspeakably difficult time for God’s people, especially our black brothers and sisters — we see them, we care for them, we stand with them and we are called to minister alongside them, following our Lord Jesus in His calling to be agents of redemption and reconciliation. The work that is before us in standing together against racial injustice is gospel work. And, the time is now.
You will be receiving a more detailed email in the coming days with the desired outcomes and agenda for our time together in two short weeks, as well as ways you can prepare to be fully engaged as a leader of our mission. Please mark your calendars and make the necessary changes to be available for this vital time together.
Please pray that we will listen to and obey our Lord Jesus, stand together in the power of the Holy Spirit and bring glory to our Father in Heaven by accomplishing the work He has given us to do.
In Christ,
Newt
