SJC Anti-Oppression Masterclass

A new, reimagined version of our Anti-Oppression Learning Programme. Built for EDI and social justice facilitators / practitioners, this is more than a training. It’s an intimate, challenging space to deepen your analysis, grow your skills, and engage in transformative practice.  

About the programme

Led by the SJC team, this cohort will go deep into theory, reflection and practice across three online sessions via Zoom.

  • Session 1: Understanding Oppression – Wednesday 4 November, 10am –12:30pm BST 

  • Session 2: Understanding Privilege & Intersectionality – Wednesday 18 November, 10am –12:30pm GMT 

  • Session 3: From Allyship to Solidarity – Tuesday 2 December, 10am –12:30pm GMT  

Cost

The programme costs £300+vat per place (50% discount on the usual cost) if your organisation is able to fund your place. This year we're also really excited to be able to offer free bursary places for anyone who can't access organisational funding for any reason. We're able to offer this thanks to funding from The MSN Fund.  

By the end of the course you will have:

  • Built a common understanding of key anti-oppression concepts and theory 

  • Built confidence and capability to move from allyship to solidarity in practice 

  • Applied anti-oppression understanding to the approach and work of your organisation   

  • Learnt from one another, in a space designed to be bold, reflective and deeply practical 

  • Created connections and shared ideas with other people working towards social justice!  

How to sign up

It couldn’t be easier! Simple email Shivani from SJC on shivani.mahida@socialjusticecollective.co.uk and she will sign you up, send across the diary invites etc. Please also email her if you have any questions.

Overview of the sessions

  • This session supports participants to understand the foundational concept of oppression and why this is the lens to apply to their EDI work. Through understanding how systems of oppression are formed and maintained, as well as their current day impacts, participants will be able to reflect on and assess their own organisational context. By looking at systems and levels of oppression, participants will understand the need to look beyond interpersonal and cultural EDI work and will reflect on how to assess their current practice across the 4 I’s of oppression. The session provides a theoretical foundation as well as opportunities for reflection on how the theory applies to your context.

  • This session builds on the learnings of the previous session and focuses on the key concepts of privilege and intersectionality. Participants will begin by exploring the definition of privilege and then reflecting on how it operates alongside oppression. The session unpacks the key concept of intersectionality to ensure that participants understand that privilege and oppression occur in ways that are nuanced and contextualised. This session allows space for participants to reflect on their own privilege, as well as looking at how privilege manifests in your organisation, and finally how this impacts the work you do in society. The session enables participants to begin to plan and commit to exercising their privilege towards transforming systems of oppression in their work. 

  • Having completed the foundations sessions, participants are ready to explore how to put the theory into practice and step up to the practice of solidarity.  This session begins with an exploration of definitions, motivations and models for allyship and solidarity.  It then shares tools for practicing solidarity, with an opportunity to apply the tools to common workplace scenarios. Importantly, the session also enables participants to reflect on the roadblocks to solidarity including the bystander effect, how to repair mistakes and how to recognise and tackle fragility. This is a powerful and practical session that leaves participants with the confidence, capability and commitments to make anti-oppression a part of their everyday work and life behaviours and culture.