A unique approach to understanding and addressing interpersonal, systemic, and structural racism that emphasizes the role of systems leaders in effecting sustainable systemic change.
Moving beyond awareness into action! You will be actively supported in designing sustainable, practical action to grow an inclusive, anti-racist culture in your organization during and beyond the in-person training.
ActionDignity is leading the way to systems-change!
The Systems-Led Anti-Racism Training is a new social enterprise offered by ActionDignity to address racism at a systemic level.
ActionDignity initiated the process of engaging grassroots leaders, organizations and communities in Anti-Racism training. As part of our commitment to Anti-Racism, we leveraged our knowledge and expertise in this area to develop a new capacity-building training program that combines System-Led Leadership principles and practices with Anti-Racism curricula and tools. We aim to broaden our impact by offering this new training for organizations and corporations beyond our membership group.
Traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) approaches, while essential, often fall short in addressing the systemic roots of racism. ActionDignity, grounded in our commitment to Systems-led Leadership, offers a transformative model that not only raises awareness but catalyzes tangible changes in policies and practices.
We aim to address racism and work towards racial justice through local initiatives and now through catalyzing systemic change as well.
Our Training Focuses On:
01
Systems and systems leaders (every team member is a systems leader)
02
Interpersonal, Structural and Systemic racism
03
Systems-leadership skill-building exercises
04
Practical strategies for implementing systemic changes
Module Topics
01
Ways of Being
Positionality and Purpose
02
Ways of Knowing
Systems-led Change, Foundational Knowledge of Racism
03
Ways of Doing
Anti-Racism in Action
04
Ways of Relating
Transformational Approach
Delivery Formats
Presentation: up to 2 hours
- Introduction to key concepts
Session: up to 4 hours
- Interactive learning activities to engage with key concepts
Workshop: up to 8 hours
- Relational approach with additional time for discussion and generative dialogues
- Deepening understanding of key concepts through interactive learning
- Customized scenarios and exemplars for developing practical skills
- Invitation to participate in ongoing learning through our Systems-Led Anti-Racism Education Hub
FAQ
Why are we talking about racism? Why don’t we focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion?
Empowering organizations to make choices that contribute to a society that offers equitable opportunities, embraces diversity, and makes everyone feel included are goals of anti-racism training. To reach our goals we need to understand the system we are working within and our roles in making change.
Imagine that you had a car that was sputtering and blowing black smoke. Washing and waxing the car might make it look good, but it won’t change the problems in the system of the car. To fix systemic problems, we need to look into the interconnected system of the engine to know where to work and get us where we want to go. By learning about racism and anti-racism, we can understand the foundational system of barriers, so that we can work together to make equitable, diverse, and inclusive change. As James Baldwin stated, “Nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
The Systems-led Anti-Racism Training supports organizations in understanding foundational knowledge about racism, our power to make change as systems-leaders, and practical actions we can each take to make transformational systemic change.
Who is this training for?
The Systems-Led Anti-Racism Training is intended for organizations that want to make transformational systems-level changes. It is founded on the knowledge that anti-racism is good for people, good for business, and good for society. The training is focused on understanding systems- change to address systemic racism. It embraces each member of an organization as a systems leader with the power to catalyze change.
What is a systems-leader? Is this training only for people in leadership roles?
Systems-thinking recognizes that every person in an organization is a systems-leader. As such, every member of an organization has the power to contribute to and impact positive change.
How is this training unique?
Localized for Albertans- The Systems-Led Anti-Racism Training was developed in consultation with local RMTL Consulting and feedback from local organizations. RMTL Consulting helped to create a curriculum guided by the Indigenous Relational Model for Teaching and Learning to respond to local organization needs.
Focus on Systems- ActionDignity offers customized training that is focused on systems, systems-thinking, and systems-leadership.
Focus on Systems Solutions- This training goes beyond learning about interpersonal racism, such as microaggressions and implicit bias, and supports organizations in learning about systemic barriers and practical solutions.
Interactive and Customized- The customized interactive workshops offer opportunities to individualize learning using a strength-based approach to empower each individual as a systems-leader. We begin with a consultation meeting with you, to guide scenarios and learning outcomes to cater to your organization’s needs.
What will we learn in the training?
By engaging in the Systems-Led Anti-Racism Training your team will learn:
- Foundational knowledge about Systems, Systems-thinking, Systems-Leaders and Systems-Change
- Foundational knowledge about Racism and Anti-Racism (Interpersonal, Structural, and Systemic)
- Practical strategies for implementing systemic changes through a Transformational Systems-Led Approach
Who will be teaching this training?
Dr. Towani Duchscher will be the training instructor. She has been an educator for over 30 years and she previously taught at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. She holds a PhD in Curriculum and Learning. She is the co-author/editor of the book Decolonizing Literacies: Disrupting, Reclaiming, and Remembering Relationship in Literacy Education.
Where will the training be held?
As the training is customized for your unique organization, please contact us by completing the inquiry form to discuss how ActionDignity can effectively support your training needs.
My community association is a member of ActionDignity, do we have to pay for training now?
The Systems-Led Anti-Racism Training is a new social enterprise that ActionDignity offers to organizations to address racism at a systemic level. While this new training program is a fee-for-service program designed for external organizations and corporations, it will not impact the high-quality training currently offered to members of ActionDignity. If you have questions about whether this training program is right for you and your organization, please contact Towani Duchscher at Towani.Duchscher@ActionDignity.org
How much does the training cost?
Please contact us by completing the inquiry form to discuss your training needs.
