if you’re an (aspiring) organizer, or building out your own mutual aid group, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE learn some fucking communication and conflict resolution skills. without these skills, you can not build lasting relationships, much less a revolution. - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

microwavegancheese.bsky.social • 18 days ago

if you’re an (aspiring) organizer, or building out your own mutual aid group, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE learn some fucking communication and conflict resolution skills. without these skills, you can not build lasting relationships, much less a revolution.

Comments

sarahpaira.bsky.social•18 days ago

Behold! @deanspade.bsky.social wrote a book about how we all can improve our interpersonal relationships, which will improve our organizing and our ability to stay with each other through the hard times 💛

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notappearingint.bsky.social•17 days ago

📌

radical-care.bsky.social•18 days ago

⚠️Louder!!!!🔊🔊🔊

sirelghinn.bsky.social•18 days ago

@prisonculture.bsky.social had posted a link to an upcoming workshop. Just sharing for visibility:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conflict-transformation-101-designing-purposeful-strategic-groups-tickets-1219722325309?aff=oddtdtcreator

failingup.bsky.social•18 days ago

Also also also if you're not a confident face then don't be out there recruiting. Design the tech. Make the posters. Drive the car. Whatever. Find what works for your skills specifically.

radical-care.bsky.social•18 days ago

confident ones, like charismatic leaders ? Based on colonial standards and ideals? No thanks! Nah let the multiply marginalized neurodivergents reimagine involvement atp

failingup.bsky.social•18 days ago

Ahh, thank you. That is a good point. I guess my point was that I have seen people shy away from our local work because they think "organizing" requires doing something they feel very uncomfortable with (talking to strangers). They don't realize all the different things that go into it

failingup.bsky.social•18 days ago

Because of a lot of the work takes place outside of the main site, is asynchronous, etc. My point was that every piece of it is essential and that people should find a role that meets their skills and interests rather than assuming everyone has to do the highly visible roles.

failingup.bsky.social•18 days ago

I became much more active personally once I realized that my assets (a car, a flexible midday schedule, experience with weight training) were underrepresented in our group. Suddenly I went from feeling insufficient to a useful contributor.

radical-care.bsky.social•18 days ago

That’s great! Totally did not get that from your original comment…

microwavegancheese.bsky.social•18 days ago

i daresay people who are new to organizing should be visiting, shadowing, and supporting existing mutual aid groups in their neighborhood, regardless of how confident they feel in organizing spaces, before they even attempt to build out their own group—support looks like what you listed!

radical-care.bsky.social•18 days ago

Not if they’re just gonna implement the same problematic (often internalized) ableist antiblackness in practice

failingup.bsky.social•18 days ago

I don't understand your comment. Could you please clarify who you mean by "they"? New organizers or existing?

radical-care.bsky.social•18 days ago

Existing ma groups

radical-care.bsky.social•18 days ago

“MA”

microwavegancheese.bsky.social•18 days ago

yes, i am a mentee to longtime Black and brown organizers intentionally.

gilrandir.bsky.social•18 days ago

If people want a "vent emotions and frustration without being tone policed" group, great, form that group. But that is not going to be the "outreach to the general public" or "helping people from all (or a wide range of) walks of life" group. Trying to do both at the same time Does Not Work.

microwavegancheese.bsky.social•18 days ago

on the contrary, these processing spaces are vital to building confidence and security in organizing, & building solidarity amongst comrades and groups. the people who do outreach also deserve a space to vent. ideally they don’t happen when you’re on the ground, but sometimes they do.

gilrandir.bsky.social•17 days ago

Yeah, I guess I was thinking more about having separate spaces for each. I was in a group that had both happening at once in public, and trying to navigate the conflict between holding space for the people venting AND trying to keep/bring more people in who weren't already on the exact same page -

gilrandir.bsky.social•17 days ago

- broke both me and the group in the end.

microwavegancheese.bsky.social•17 days ago

this is why it’s so important to have spaces OFF the ground where people are processing, but also having fun and socializing. it’s hard to trust people who you only know from their organizing whilst on the ground

gilrandir.bsky.social•17 days ago

Very true!

jemarcaxinto.bsky.social•17 days ago

Literally this. All my consulting work with orgs and groups is around this because there’s so many people turning their reactivity on each other which is harming our causes

kitchencollective.bsky.social•18 days ago

Not to be funny, but most people who need to learn communication and conflict resolution skills are almost always unaware that it’s time to refine the skill set-update it for these times.

nevered.bsky.social•18 days ago

What resources can you recommend?

microwavegancheese.bsky.social•18 days ago

therapy really helped me build these skills! also @prisonculture.bsky.social and @deanspade.bsky.social have excellent works that should absolutely be on all organizers’ reading lists.