MBIT DRASIC PROJECT
This project aims to help address and dismantle the harmful, oppressive, destructive and divisive racialisation of humanity in ways that lead to non-adversarial pro-social and equitable change. This project will also facilitate the development of compassion, authenticity, humility, integrity, solidarity, and belonging so that participants are able to create positive connections within and between groups working towards dismantling racism and social inequality collectively (DRASIC).
How:
This DRASIC Mindfulness Based Inclusion Training is for black, brown and people of colour that we collectively refer to here as BPOC communities. The programme is a uniquely designed educational mindfulness based training that draws on diverse African centred wisdoms to embrace difference and connect throughout our common humanity. The project also combines the personal and collective benefits of contemplative practice, reflection, dialogue and critical thinking through a unique community of practice framework specifically designed for BPOC groups. Following BPOC training, participants will have the choice to join further multiracial group sessions where we will continue our collective work to dismantle racism from all directions.
Consequently, the DRASIC project is composed of two main components including:
- Provision of Four BPOC MBIT DRASIC online courses, that comprise the first level of a broader social enterprise programme.
- Provision of MBIT inter-racial discussion and practice groups to explore collaborative initiatives and strategies for reclaiming humanity.
Why this Project?
The complex combination of colonisation, chattel slavery, and racialisation of humanity has resulted in embedded social constructs that divide communities, societies, and nations, into racial hierarchical power structures, that still cause significant harm in the world today.
Consequently, this project aims to reveal some of the unknowns about what we call, justice, equity, diversity and inclusion or for short “JEDI work” to uncover and dismantle structures that have caused and continue to cause significant and detrimental impacts on the human psyche, health and wellbeing.
These issues have resulted in deep relational wounds within and between racialised groups which are seldom addressed either explicitly, or in a deeply contemplative or reflective way, without giving rise to colour-blindness or spiritual bypass, defined as the tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to side swerve unresolved emotional psychological and developmental tasks; or the temptation to feel our spirituality makes us exempt from racism and thus there is no need to examine the impact of race in our lives. Both of which limit our abilities to work collectively to dismantle and transform the oppressive impacts of racialisation.
Who is the programme for?
- People of colour who identify as black, African, Caribbean, Asian or Global South heritage or Diaspora who have an aspiration to learn how we might dismantle racism and social inequality collectively and mindfully.
- Those interested in the educational upskilling of all people of colour who might wish to open new possibilities to discuss, reflect upon and therefore transform fixed and negative notions of race based harm collectively.
- Those interested in fostering solidarity between BPOC communities and statutory organisations to build trust and individual and collective agency, that works cross culturally at dismantling racism and social inequalities in a way that is grounded in integrity for all oppressed groups and wider society.
- Those interested in building the capacity of BPOC to promote diversity and inclusion in their groups and workplaces through non adversarial peer learning support grounded in mindful reflection and contemplation.
- Those interested in enhancing inter-cultural competence and understanding through dialogue and collaborative anti-racist initiatives that alleviate racial suffering and nurtures mutual care for self, others and planet.
- Those interested in influencing policy makers and commissioners through a solidarity project that aims to build the evidence base for BPOC communities, by BPOC communities that facilitate engagement with culturally appropriate mindfulness training.
- Those interested in development of a collaborative enterprise and social mobility initiative designed to address all forms of identity based harm as we grow in a way that disrupts indifference to oppression through collaborative prosocial change grounded in solidarity, mindful contemplative practice and action.
What will I get from attending the programme?
Each participant will gain experiential insight into the personal and collective potential of a socially informed mindfulness/ contemplative practice designed to dismantle racism and social inequalities.
There will also be opportunities for participants to join a unique collaboration in anti-racism and transgressional education and teaching that deepens and nurtures a sense of solidarity through personal and collective wellbeing, enterprise, social mobility and solidarity. A key element of the project is to introduce a new form of social mindfulness that is selected for research by and for BPOC. Consequently, we hope that being part of this ground breaking project will offer unique opportunities for teaching and career developments that we trust will emerge from the project.
Together we intend to create the first wave of recognised UK socially informed mindfulness teachers and Mindfulness-Based JEDI consultants from the BPOC community who are committed to working together in solidarity as a unique form of activism.