PLEASE JOIN CLASS ACTION for one of two Bay Area workshops to explore these things and more:

• our own class identities
• assumptions we have about class, wealth and income distribution
• class and power
• understanding the complexities of class
• building alliances across class

Exploring Class for Nonprofit Employees

Friday June 14^th, 6:00 -9:00PM

CompassPoint Nonprofit Services – Oakland

Classism impacts the work we do for the communities we serve. What is the class culture in your organization and how does it impact the work you do? How do assumptions about the people you serve reflect mainstream class values? As nonprofit employees how do we build alliances for justice with those we serve? Join Class Action for a discussion about classism at CompassPoint Nonprofit Services 500 12th Street, Suite 320, Oakland, CA 94607. $30-0 sliding scale. Use the link below to register.

Facilitators: Jenny Ladd, Nell Myhand & Davey Shlasko

REGISTER HERE

Questions? Email info@classism.org

Exploring Class for Social Change Activists

Saturday, June 15^th, 1:00 – 4:00PM

The Holdout – Oakland

We are living with the most extreme wealth disparity since the great depression. Systems of privilege and inequality cause the wealth gap to grow even more extreme, and come between us when we try to get together to make change. How do our own class backgrounds affect our work for social change? How can we build stronger alliances for justice? Join Class Action for an opportunity to explore our own class journeys, their intersections with race and gender, and their implications for our activism. Saturday, June 15, 1-4pm at the Holdout 2313 San Pablo Ave, Oakland. $30-0 sliding scale. Use the link below to register.

Facilitators: Jenny Ladd, Nell Myhand & Davey Shlasko

REGISTER HERE

http://www.classism.org/bayarea

“This is a fantastic training that will help any organization working with many different kinds of people to be better, more intentional and empathetic.” – Tara Robinson, Communications Director at Mission Asset Fund

“The whole workshop was interactive, but I [especially] appreciated the live troubleshooting of our intake process to make it more respectful of the trans community.”-  Carly Perera, Program Manager at Mission Asset Fund

Thanks to Tara, Carly and everyone at Mission Asset Fund for a fun training. The staff brought all their energy, humility and humor, and worked together to identify ways to improve accessibility of their services to transgender community members.

Want your next staff training to be that cool? Give us a call!

I just wanted to thank you so much for creating such a safe space and productive environment. I truly valued the material you presented and the careful, intentional way in which you organized the workshops. I cannot say enough good things about how well-organized, well-planned, and well-thought out the entire experience was.

That’s what one participant said after a series of workshops on transgender inclusion at Wellesley College in late April. Gosh, thanks!

And, check out this fun slide show of the Genderbread Cookie – a quick (and delicious) way to explain the difference between sex, gender identity and gender expression.

Think Again is going into semi-hibernation for winter … which only means that we are focusing on writing and research (see below), and doing fewer public events. If you can’t wait ’til Spring, just get in touch to schedule a training at your organization. Meanwhile, check out these resources (and feel free to share):

Available from Think Again:

Trans/gender and sexuality terminology list. We are always updating it as new language emerges and as we have yet more opportunities to explore what kinds of definitions are most useful to most people. Here’s our latest.

Transgender Etiquette Handout - At nearly every transgender awareness training we do, a well-meaning would-be ally asks, “But what do I say? What if I say something wrong?” If that’s where you’re at, read this handout.

Outside Think Again:

“We are the 99% – But Are We?” article by Michael Albert on (although he doesn’t use the words) class culture and the complexity of intra-99% class differences in Occupy/Decolonize movement spaces.

We are the 1% – We Stand with the 99% blog and collection of materials by individuals with wealth who support wealth redistribution.

Finally, more about our winter writing project: Chase Catalano and Davey Shlasko are busy selecting and editing articles for the 3rd edition of Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (the Transgender Oppression section). Have you read something short, brilliant and relevant that we should include? Let us know!

Think Again is partnering with Diversity Works, to present “Exploring Gender and Transgender Issues” on September 17 in Oakland.

What: In this workshop, participants explore their understandings of gender through games, introspection, expressive arts and structured sharing. Participants come to understand gender roles as taught , learned, and enforced rather than natural or inevitable, and have an opportunity to observe the gender diversity even among people who we usually think of as having the “same” gender. This allows us to then discuss “transgender issues” in the context of the gender system we all live in, and individual participants to identify their personal stake in working for (trans)gender liberation.

When: Saturday, September 17th, 11AM-2PM

Where: Law Offices of Maureen E. McFadden
405 Fourteenth Street, Suite 915, Oakland, CA–one block from the 12th St City Center BART Station
(on Saturdays, you generally need to enter on Franklin St, right around the corner)

Feel free to bring a bag lunch.

As with all Think Again events, please refrain from wearing perfume, cologne and other scented products.

We hope to see you there!

Just got back from the Pedagogies of Privilege conference at University of Denver, where Think Again presented two workshops:

• “Nothing About This is Binary: Exploring the Complexities of Cisgender Privilege,” with Davey Shlasko
• “Class Culture and Classism in Campus and Community Organizing” with Davey Shlasko and Toby Kramer

Also, don’t miss our workshops coming up in September:

• Classism 101 at Smith College, tentatively Tuesday, September 13, with Rachel Briggs
• Exploring Gender and Transgender Issues, TBD date in September in Berkeley, with Davey Shlasko and Diversity Works

Finally, we are still playing with “Classy Apples,” Think Again’s new game about class in relationships, modeled on Apples to Apples. Get in touch if you’d like to participate!

First, thanks to all those who participated in the June 18 Class Culture and Cross-Class Communication! We learned a lot and it was exciting to meet some new folks who are interested in this work. Here are the projects and events we’re working on next …

July in the Bay Area:

• Pilot “Classy Apples” with us! Think Again will be hosting several small gatherings to try out our new game, modeled on Apples to Apples, designed to start conversations about class in relationships. Get in touch if you’d like to participate!

August 15-16 at Pedagogies of Privilege conference, University of Denver:

• “Nothing About This is Binary: Exploring the Complexities of Cisgender Privilege,” with Chase Catalano
• “Class Culture and Classism in Campus and Community Organizing” with Toby Kramer

September in the Northeast:

• Classism 101 at Smith College, tentatively Tuesday, September 13
• Other tentative stops in Boston and NYC – stay tuned, or get in touch to book an event at your school/organization

Always Available at Your Place

Think Again specializes in creating workshops to the needs of a particular group, school, or organization. We have several topics available including:

• Trans 101 & Transgender Competency (for human service providers, university staff, peer support staff, etc.)
• Class Culture and Classism (for human service providers, student organizers, community groups, etc.)

Check out our detailed workshop descriptions, or see examples of our previous work. We’d love to build a trianing for you!

Class Culture and Cross-Class Communication

Join us on June 18!

Have you ever felt like there was an elephant in the room, and it had something to do with class, and it was putting strain on your personal or working relationships? Us too. Let’s talk about it.

In this one-day intensive workshop, we will engage with each other to practice tools to transform patterns around class in our communities. We will focus on class cultures, interpersonal patterns and concrete examples of everyday experiences. We will learn ways to name when class is happening in a room, and to start conversations about it that build common language and create opportunities for change.

Where: Newman Hall at UC Berkeley, at College and Dwight.
When: Saturday, June 18, 9:30-4:30
Cost: We are asking for a donation of $5-$250, based on your ability to pay. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Donations will be accepted on the day of the training – there is no need to pay in advance.

Facilitated by Davey Shlasko.

Past participants in this workshop have said:

• “I’m figuring out more clearly what is inherited class-culture values, what’s from my early life and what’s current. These are so helpful in finding language for conversations I want and need to have.”

• “After this workshop, I started talking to my friend about class in a different way. It’s really deepened our relationship and made it easier to talk about our differences.”

• “Since graduating from college I have been yearning for spaces in which to have intellectually engaging and emotionally present constructive conversations around difficult topics, especially class – I was excited to attend a workshop that accomplishes this and challenges participants to imagine and practice those conversations.”

To register, email us.

For more news, sign up for our mailing list.

Want to Help?

Think Again is looking for people with the following skills. We would love to pay and/or trade you to help us with:

• digital photography for the new website
• content research to update some of our workshops
• market research to help us spread the word
• graphic design for web and print – make us look good!

 
If that sounds like fun, please get in touch!

Recent Events

Think Again recently presented a day-long leadership developement session for a group of student organizers, focusing on cross-class communication. One recent alum of the group who attended the training said:

• “Since graduating from college I have been yearning for spaces in which to have intellectually engaging and emotionally present constructive conversations around difficult topics, especially class – I was excited to attend a workshop that accomplishes this and challenges participants to imagine and practice those conversations.”

We are planning a similar workshop, open to the whole community, to be held in the San Francisco Bay Area in May or June. Stay tuned for that announcement.

Upcoming Events

Class Culture and Cross-Class Communication

TBD, May or June in the Bay Area

More info coming soon – promise! To make sure you hear about our upcoming events, sign up here to receive our occasional newsletter.