Kansas City Dialogue Event- July 22, 2016
(facilitated by Nijeeah Richardson, BSW and Kristi Brian, PhD)
Reclaiming the Divine Feminine: An Immersion (for women of color)- Feb. 20th, 2016
a letter from the facilitator, Drisana McDaniel
Reclaiming the Divine Feminine is a workshop I have been yearning to create for us. I was deeply inspired after spending a very intentional day paying attention to myself—the first day in at least two years that I had stretches of hours to recharge and stretch and sit and dream and feel. As a mother of three, as a creative, as an intellectual and an empath, I often find myself putting out more than I put in. Naturally, I am, constantly seeking ways to meet my complex life and be well. As a transformative teacher, facilitator of workshops, and Black womanist—I know the value of creating a sacred gathering space where we can hear the stories and voices of one another. I know the power of a wailing wall, a church testimony, a poem unfolding, and a collective artwork unearthed. I know the way that process can save lives. I have witnessed the healing force of truth telling. And I know that we live in a world that doesn’t always empower us to know the way to be powerful and vulnerable and busy and tender and nurturing and yielding at the same time. I believe that we are led to what we know, no matter how long we are wandering. I think that we are finding ourselves along the way as life deepens itself for us and this is a day set aside to reclaim our rich and thirsty, Divine feminine selves.
With gratitude and joy,
Drisana
With gratitude and joy,
Drisana
Real Talk Charleston- Jan. 30th,2016
description
Throughout the nation and world, groups are in conflict based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and nationality. To overcome the violence, to heal communities, and to build productive relationships, dialogue is needed as one part of the solution. The Transformative Teaching Collective invites you to a day-long workshop titled Real Talk Charleston: Transforming Our Social Divisions with Intergroup Dialogue.
In 2015, South Carolina has witnessed the murder of Walter Scott by the police, the Mother Emanuel massacre, the Spring Valley High School police brutality, and many other public school and campus controversies. Transformational Intergroup Dialogue offers a new approach to confronting the separation, mistrust and fear that pervades social relationships.
Unlike diversity education programs which are geared towards teaching individuals to either focus on the positive, to be politically correct or own their privileges, transformational intergroup dialogue helps individuals assume responsibility for communicating with the real individuals in the room, not societal representations. As part of the learning process, participants engage in activities that promote constructive conflict and invite the sharing of personal challenges and triumphs in intergroup exchanges and relationships.
This workshop is geared towards leaders, teachers, preachers, entrepreneurs, activists, social workers and everyday citizens who desire to build their skills and capacity for intergroup engagement. The methods you will practice in this day-long program will enhance your skills at creating supportive environments for individuals to explore common, difficult issues that contribute to intergroup misunderstanding and conflict. By providing face-to-face, interactive exchanges revealing the impact of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability and class, participants focus on the reality of who people are rather than the fear that has been taught through group and cultural norms.
In 2015, South Carolina has witnessed the murder of Walter Scott by the police, the Mother Emanuel massacre, the Spring Valley High School police brutality, and many other public school and campus controversies. Transformational Intergroup Dialogue offers a new approach to confronting the separation, mistrust and fear that pervades social relationships.
Unlike diversity education programs which are geared towards teaching individuals to either focus on the positive, to be politically correct or own their privileges, transformational intergroup dialogue helps individuals assume responsibility for communicating with the real individuals in the room, not societal representations. As part of the learning process, participants engage in activities that promote constructive conflict and invite the sharing of personal challenges and triumphs in intergroup exchanges and relationships.
This workshop is geared towards leaders, teachers, preachers, entrepreneurs, activists, social workers and everyday citizens who desire to build their skills and capacity for intergroup engagement. The methods you will practice in this day-long program will enhance your skills at creating supportive environments for individuals to explore common, difficult issues that contribute to intergroup misunderstanding and conflict. By providing face-to-face, interactive exchanges revealing the impact of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability and class, participants focus on the reality of who people are rather than the fear that has been taught through group and cultural norms.
meet the facilitator

Tchet Dereic Dorman is the President of Pyramid Consulting Services, a company providing diversity education, training, evaluation, and assessment services to educational institutions, private companies and community-based organizations. He recently served as the Director of the Center for Social Justice and Multicultural Education in the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership at Temple University. He is the founder of Temple's Transformational Intergroup Dialogue program and managed the Graduate Certificate in Diversity Leadership. Additionally, he has also taught the following relevant courses: Emotions, Diversity, and Democratic Leadership; African American History; African Literature; Introduction to African American Studies; Gender Studies; Class, Gender and Race in the Global Village; Social Conflict; Introduction to Sociology; Cultural Anthropology and Multiculturalism and the American Identity. The National Association for Multicultural Education named him the Educator of the Year in 2007. Tchet received a Master’s degree in African American Studies from Temple University where he is an advanced doctoral student.