Volunteer Opportunity Details

Racial Justice Facilitator

Location: Twin Cities Metro Area/Racial Justice
Hours: Minimum of 8 hours of training we provide, 4 hours on November 10th, 2009 and ability to facilitate at dialogues throughout the year.

Summary:
The annual event called “It’s Time to Talk Forums on Race” began in 2003. Since then, the event has continued to grow and expand. Each year we anticipate that over 1,100 people will come together and continue this work toward racial justice and participate in this annual event. Throughout the year, community dialogues focusing on the issue of racism and the role of race in our lives are requested by varying organizations and neighborhoods throughout the Twin Cities. We call upon our Racial Justice Facilitators to volunteer as a facilitator for these dialogues.

Outline of Volunteer's Responsibilities/Tasks::
The facilitators are assigned to a group of 8 people and carry the responsibility of promoting a safe environment for all participants to share with one another their experiences and opinions regarding the topics of race and racism.

Qualifications:
No previous facilitation experience necessary. Must be age 18 or older to apply. Must fill out the facilitator application and go through the required training and interview process provided by the YWCA of Minneapolis.

Training/Supervision/Reporting:
A total of 8 hours of training is provided by the YWCA of Minneapolis. The training is free of charge if you are able to commit to facilitating at our annual It’s Time to Talk event. If you cannot commit but would still like to go through our training, the cost is $100.00. The 8 hours is broken down into two 4-hour sessions. One session is an Unlearning Racism workshop that encourages you to explore the topic of racism by sharing personal stories and experiences. A powerful 90-minute film by Lee Mun Wah, the founder and director of Stir Fry Seminars is shown and discussed. The other session is a Circle Facilitator training in which you will learn how to use the circle process with a group of individuals to talk and listen to one another. The Circle Facilitator training is also part of the screening process/interview to become a facilitator with the YWCA of Minneapolis.

Commitment:
Be available to facilitate at the annual It’s Time to Talk event (need to clear calendar from 10am – 2pm on November 10, 2009) and facilitate for community dialogues throughout the year (times and dates vary).

Outcome/Goals:
Seek change through dialogue to build community.

Benefits: