The reFORM staff continues to work as a team to increase our ability to identify and fight racism in ourselves, our communities, and society. We’re using Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups, by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun, to explore customs in our culture that perpetuate White Supremacy and to actively counter them in our work. We’re currently working with “Sense of Urgency.” Here are the statements we are striving to embody:

– We practice setting realistic expectation and goals.

– We understand that often things (change, results, particular exercises) take longer than anyone expects. We practice honoring the time a body needs over time on the clock.

– We think about what it means to set goals of inclusivity and diversity, particularly in terms of time. We practice honoring organic time while still holding ourselves with discipline to our commitments.

– We think about what it means to set goals with our clients, particularly in terms of time.

– We are transparent with our clients about time during sessions “I thought we’d do more exercises today but I’m finding myself wanting to stay with this one because I feel like there’s lots of learning happening.”

– We commit to learning from past experience how long things take.

– We practice making good decisions and prioritizing the wellbeing and health of ourselves and our clients in the face of urgency (or own, or our clients).

We invite you to practice these principles with us, and share your experience.