Emerging Facilitators

The Emerging Facilitators Program is an effort by the Threads of Justice Collective to identify and support emerging leaders in the field of anti-bias/anti-oppression education for young children, their families, communities and educators.  Our objective is to build membership in the TOJC Facilitation Circle (pool of available facilitators) with priority on BIPOC and participants from other marginalized communities.  The EF program supports the development of these skills for participants:

  • Facilitation of caucus or affinity group work and process

  • Working from the lens of trauma-informed approach

  • Discovery and reflection on understanding one’s own and others’ social identity in the context of anti-bias/anti-oppression socialization

  • Understanding and explaining dynamics of oppression

  • Ability to lead others in cultural work/creative expressions that explore topics of identity and human liberation

  • Guiding/facilitating the development of plans for collective and organizational action and change

  • Ongoing effort to give and receive feedback

REQUIREMENTS

Each participant will attend and successfully complete:

  • 16-hour online course: Building Anti-Racist Learning Spaces (BARLS) (next sessions scheduled for January-March 2026, May 2026 dates TBD)

  • 24-hour in-person course: Anti-Bias Leadership Seminar (ABLS) (April 22nd-24th 2026)

  • Online Emerging Facilitators “support group” with Elder/Coach before, during, and after BARLS and ABLS, approximately 15 hours starting in early April 2026.

  • Each participant will prepare a workshop for the TOJC Hadiyah Miller Legacy Gathering (September 12, 2026). This should be done in teams amongst the EF cohort.

  • Each participant will join the ongoing “Facilitator’s Circle” and be available to facilitate at least one TOJC workshop each year, upon request.

  • Emerging Facilitators of color will receive a stipend upon completion of the 2 courses and the online support group listed above.

  • Participants in the cohort are expected to be able to both hear and give feedback.

  • Attendance Requirements:

    • Journal Entries: 100% (online)

    • Affinity Groups: can miss one session (6 in-person, 2 virtual, first virtual meeting early April)

    • ABLS: 100% (in-person)

    • BARLS: can miss one 2-hour session (virtual)

2026 Emerging Facilitators Cohort Application