Introduction to JEDI
Our weekly Community Calls provide peer support, discussion forums and guest workshops for retreat center leaders and allied organizations. Keep checking back for more of these videos here in our blog.
Just click the picture above to watch the video.
JEDI stands for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
JEDI is a helpful lens for retreat centers looking to deepen their engagement with anti-racism, decolonization, and social justice. It is also a helpful lens to explore how centers might reimagine and reemerge post-COVID.
In today’s call, we explored JEDI using a visual collaboration process, incorporating drawings, music, reflection, group sharing, breakout discussions, and virtual sticky notes.
Jenyng shared some of her experiences with JEDI conversations, discussion groups, and curricula within her organizations over the past few years, and then illustrated a 3-part cycle to aid retreat centers in moving the conversation into their own spaces.
Relevance - how is JEDI relevant to our retreat center, mission, and community?
Opportunities - what current relationships or ideas could we strengthen or develop?
Action - what is the best next step, however small, that we can take now?
Today’s call was also an opportunity to practice collaborating within Zoom together. To that end, Jenyng utilized two helpful tools for collaboration and presenting online:
a virtual whiteboard app, Mural
a visual collaboration process from Bigger Picture
Facilitators:
Jenyng Wu, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC), Holistic Centers Network (HCN)
Justine Johnson, Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, Retreat Center Collaboration (RCC)
Ben Scott-Brandt, Retreat Center Collaboration (RCC)
Jenyng formally began the JEDI work at OAEC in 2017 and then has been part of the growing JEDI work within HCN. Having come from the private sector (prior to OAEC), Jenyng brings pragmatic business processes into the social movement landscape. She enjoys creating containers for reflective inquiry with accountability and action for social change.
We’re grateful for this opportunity to learn and grow together with her guidance.
More notes, visuals, and an audio recording of this session are available at the link below.
Note on music: The India.Arie songs “A Beautiful Day” and “Soulbird Rise” were enjoyed on the call, but are muted in the video to respect copyright.