Menu
JUST Matters provides a unique, innovative, and experiential two-day workshop that focuses on Building Bridges and Embracing Differences. This workshop honors diverse values and common humanity while avoiding toxic exclusionary extremes. Participants are invited to join 6 crucial conversation modules that facilitate healthy relational development and mutual respect between diverse stakeholders.
This opening segment introduces Dr. Stauffer’s Line of Toxicity model and provides a roadmap towards racial conciliation. Tim and Davia believe that people tend to organize themselves with other people who share similar cultures, characteristics, values, and beliefs. Learning to avoid toxic extremes by intentionally engaging with people who are different allows for the diversity of strengths to enrich and strengthen the community.
Honest and reciprocal dialogue between stakeholders is the bedrock of healthy communication. The effectiveness of all relationships, organizations, and structures is dependent upon their ability to provide an environment for the safe exchange of ideas and experiences. In this dynamic module, Tim and Davia will model and engage participants in healthy communication across ideological and cultural divides using their Embrace model of Racial Conciliation.
Symbols act as powerful communication shorthand. They are embedded with meaning and significance; they evoke feeling and inspire action. In this interactive module, participants will experience the power of symbols as they engage with one another over cultural icons.
Context is everything. It encompasses all the lenses through which we interpret information. Context is cultural, developmental, historical, and gendered. In this module, Tim and Davia help participants understand how context effects communication and understanding.
In order to build bridges with others there needs to be a common language where the definition of terms are mutually agreed upon. The locus of conflict is often in the fight for who determines the language that is used in the conversation. This session reviews common terms and definitions that are frequently used when discussing issues of racial justice.
This final session summarizes the content of the workshop and engages the participants in practical steps for applying the material within their personal and professional environments.
