Advancing a new strategic narrative will require popular education that provides spaces and resources for people concerned with social justice to gain new analysis and strategies for engaging with the world. Towards this end, the Blueprint for Belonging network is creating, trying out, and publishing curriculum that are resources for creating spaces for organizational staff, grassroots leaders, and others to explore, apply, and take action using key concepts.
The curricula were designed with experiential learning and popular education principles in mind, and to be accessible and adaptable to various types of participants. Each of the curriculum modules below includes a Facilitator Guide, presentation slides, handouts, and links to related videos, reading, and other resources. Each module was developed through an iterative process that involved multiple pilot workshops and rounds of feedback. The curriculum was developed by the Othering & Belonging Institute, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, and the National Equity Project, with input from various other organizations and community members.
Your Vote is Your Voice
The Santa Clara County Office of Education worked with the Othering & Belonging Institute and other community partners to provide this non-partisan, easy to use curriculum designed to motivate students to think about voting and what matters most to them.
Belonging
This workshop builds understanding of the frameworks of othering and belonging and the circle of human concern, giving the participants the opportunity to apply these concepts to their lived experience and organizing and advocacy strategies. It includes historical examples, case studies for discussion, a video, and several interactive discussions.
Bridging Differences and Building a Bigger “We”
This workshop focuses on the concepts of bridging and breaking, and develops an understanding and appreciation of shared fate and shared identities across differences. Participants gain experience expressing identity that bridges differences and still speaks to personal sense of who each person is. The modules includes two videos, examples of social movements that have powerfully built shared identities, and interactive formats for participants to create and express their own.
Individualism
This workshop creates space to reflect on how individualism may be part of our own unconscious world view and assumptions in ways that are at odds with our values for equity and justice. Participants will identify and create positive counter-narratives that move the conversation from individualism to linked fate, opportunity and fairness. The workshop includes a fun game, development of personal stories, and a role play to put into action alternative narratives to individualism.
Introduction to Strategic Narrative (Part I)
This workshop focuses on the questions of, What is a strategic narrative and what are its components? Why does advancing a strategic narrative matter? What is the dominant narrative and what effects does it have? Participants analyze the current dominant narrative and examine how it influences our communities and movements, and gain understanding of a framework for advancing a strategic narrative rooted in shared values, vision, analysis, and identity.
Inspiration and Organization for Transformation
This workshop dives into the story of California going from the 1990s to today as a way to understand the power of people of color and progressive whites joining together to advocate for change, and the importance of voting and bringing new people into the political process. The workshop builds hope that change is possible, rooted in the recognition of how this has happened in the past, and inspiration toward action. It features a video on how California’s transformation took place, flexible time to connect this history to the current political moment, and space for action planning.
