2023 Cohort Descriptions, Costs & Dates
Awareness Raising
Facilitated by DRC Learning Solutions, led by Derron Coles and Alexis Millett
The Awareness Raising Cohort is for people interested in making significant contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) in their personal and professional lives but who need to learn the vocabulary, history and best practices to do so.
All training topics and activities will focus on helping cohort members develop a meaningful and science-based understanding of the fundamentals of DEIJ, emphasizing anti-oppression theory and actions. The depth to which we cover individual topics will be driven by cohort needs but will include:
Historical context of systemic inequities
Intersectionality and the dynamics of power and privilege in society
Culture and its impacts on thought and behavior
Barriers to cultural competency development and mitigation strategies (e.g. mindfulness)
Neuroscience of bias and strategies for interrupting bias (our own and others)
We will establish an inclusive, shame-free environment to engage cohort members through relationship building and self-reflection exercises that build cultural self-awareness and competency while diminishing fears of intercultural communication that can prevent post-training development. Further, training will be coupled with “deep dive” assignments intended to maintain momentum.
Cost: The cost for two people to participate in this 6-month cohort is $2,200 per Intertwine Alliance partner organization and $2,850 per non-partner organization. Each organization is invited to have two participants in the cohort, with an option to add a third participant for an additional $800 for partners and $1,100 for non-partners. If this cost is out of reach for your organization, please reach out to discuss accommodations.
Participants: To foster a learning community, we ask the same individuals to commit to attending each training throughout the year.
Schedule: The cohort will meet once a month from October 2023 to April 2024. The first convening will be a 1.5-day training, followed by a one-day training and then four half-day follow-ups. Training dates are listed below.
1.5-Day Training
Monday, October 23, 9 a.m. to noon
and Tuesday, October 24, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In person
1-Day training
Tuesday, Nov, 14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In person
Follow Up 1
Monday, December 11, 9 a.m. to noon
Zoom
Follow Up 2
Wednesday, January 17, 9 a.m. to noon
Zoom
Follow Up 3
Wednesday, February 7, 9 a.m. to noon
Zoom
Follow Up 4
Wednesday, March 6, 9 a.m. to noon
Zoom
Change Agent
Facilitated by DRC Learning Solutions, led by Derron Coles and Alexis Millett
The Change Agent Cohort focuses on training topics and activities that advance our language, skill sets and strategies for pushing through personal, organizational and systemic barriers to achieve more inclusive teams, organizations and coalitions. In this cohort, you will develop your vision for change, approach to change agency, and strategies for building and maintaining coalitions. You will learn about and practice essential skills like reframing strategies, fostering mindsets that drive change, and systems analysis methods to more confidently and effectively lead organizational change efforts.
Prerequisites: Prior awareness training or self-study on fundamentals of diversity, equity, inclusion & justice (DEIJ). Understanding of key terms, concepts and justifications for DEI initiatives at the individual, organizational and societal levels.
Cost: The cost for two people to participate in this 6-month cohort is $2,200 per Intertwine Alliance partner organization and $2,850 per non-partner organization. Each organization is invited to have two participants in the cohort, with an option to add a third participant for an additional $800 for partners and $1,100 for non-partners. If this cost is out of reach for your organization, please reach out to discuss accommodations.
Participants: To foster a learning community, we ask the same individuals to commit to attend each training throughout the year. Participants should have a prior awareness of DEIJ and be leaders of current equity initiatives in some way, in their personal capacity, in their team structure, or leaders within the agency.
Schedule: The cohort will meet once a month from October 2023 to March 2024. The first convening will be a 1.5-day training, followed by a one-day training and then four half-day follow-ups. Training dates are listed below.
1.5-Day Training
Wednesday, October 18, 9 a.m. to noon,
and Thursday, October 19, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In person
1-Day training
Thursday, November 30, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In person
Follow Up 1
Wednesday, December 13, 9 a.m to noon
Zoom
Follow Up 2
Wednesday, January 24, 9 a.m. to noon
Zoom
Follow Up 3
Wednesday, February 14, 9 a.m. to noon
Zoom
Follow Up 4
Wednesday, March 13, 9 a.m. to noon
Zoom
Intergovernmental
Fostering DEIJ Institutional Change in Large Systems
Facilitated by DRC Learning Solutions, led by Derron Coles and Alexis Millett
The Intergovernmental Cohort provides tools for public agencies to become more effective at sponsoring equitable policies. The curriculum is designed to address the specific challenges of large public agencies. The cohort focuses on training topics and activities that advance our language, skill sets and strategies for pushing through personal, organizational and systemic barriers to achieving more inclusive teams, organizations and coalitions. Agencies will work together as a team to identify an initiative, project, or goal to work on throughout the cohort. The initiatives will be used for real-world application, integration, and peer learning opportunities.
Learning outcomes:
Examine and challenge personal, organizational and societal barriers to equity and inclusion
Understand your sphere of influence and foster a leadership approach that contributes to anti-oppression efforts
Strategies for equitable community outreach and engagement
Leadership tools to sustain inclusive culture change
Develop an organizational vision, goal or initiative, and roadmap for change
Peer-to-peer support on “real time” issues and challenges
Prerequisites: Prior awareness training or self-study on fundamentals of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEIJ). Understanding of key terms, concepts and justifications for DEIJ initiatives at the individual, organizational and societal levels.
Cost: The cost for five people to participate is $5,000 per Intertwine Alliance partner organization and $7,000 per non-partner organization. Each organization is invited to have a sixth participant in the cohort for an additional $1,000 for partners and $1,600 for non-partners. If this cost is out of reach for your organization, please apply and let us know what you are able to contribute.
Participants: Each organization is invited to have five to six participants in the cohort. To foster a learning community, we ask the same individuals to commit to attending each training throughout the year. Participants should be leaders of current equity initiatives in some way, in their personal capacity, in their team structure, or leaders within the agency.
Schedule: The cohort will meet once a month from October 2023 to April 2024. The first convening will be a 1.5-day training, followed by a one-day training and then four half-day follow-ups. Training dates are listed below.
1.5-Day Training
Wednesday, October 25, 9 a.m. to noon,
and Thursday, October 26, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In person
1-Day training
Monday, December 4, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In person
Follow Up 1
Thursday, January 18, 9 a.m. to noon
Zoom
Follow Up 2
Thursday, February 15, 9:00 a.m. to noon
Zoom
Follow Up 3
Thursday, March 21, 9 a.m. to noon
Zoom
Follow Up 4
Thursday, April 4, 9 a.m. to noon
Zoom
BIPOC Leadership Peer Group
Facilitated by Capacity Building Partnerships' Sara Curiel Paez and Guadalupe Guajardo
The BIPOC Leadership Peer Group focuses on supporting, healing, and empowering BIPOC leaders. This cohort is a BIPOC affinity space to create a safer growing environment in the context of the predominantly white environmental movement and its racist origins in the Pacific Northwest. As the sector strives to challenge traditional ways of operating to advance racial equity, the work can require a lot of unpacking and processing of white-inflicted trauma and oppression. BIPOC staff members, leaders, volunteers and/or board members can sometimes benefit from a new set of skills and support in order to advance leadership. The BIPOC Leadership Peer Group is one way we can create supportive and safer spaces for processing and leadership skill development in this environmental coalition.
Leadership is one of life’s necessities. Whether we are aware of it, we are leading all the time in our relationships, work, places of worship and civic organizations. We have developed our styles of leadership from what we have seen modeled around us, starting with our family of origin, first organizations, chosen mentors, and all the experiences since. As we’ve intentionally and implicitly accumulated different styles, it is important to examine how we show up as leaders in the moment and if there are practices that better serve us.
Over this 8-month cohort, we’ll cover the following aspects of leadership:
Demystifying the concept of leadership
Discovering ways leadership can be enjoyed
How to lead oneself and others
How to honor different cultural styles
How to be an effective leader in modern-day cases and challenges.
This cohort model is not a training. Instead, the peer group provides the opportunity to gain skills through a community of learning and theory sharing. We will be using a leadership case framework in which the group helps think through participants' dilemmas and shares insights in how to ground your actions in integrity and lead with conviction. Leadership cases can look different for everyone. They can be about a specific example from work, like how to balance staff needs when they are at odds with the organization’s values while setting boundaries to protect your mental health. Or a leadership case can be about understanding your leadership style and putting a process in place to strengthen how to lead more effectively. The leadership cases are designed to meet every leader where they are at in their growth.
Cost: The cost to participate in this eight-month program is $350 per person for Intertwine Alliance partner organizations, $700 per person for non-partner organizations. If this cost is out of reach for your organization, please reach out to discuss accommodations.
Schedule: The cohort will meet from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month, October 2023 to May 2024. The first session will be held on Zoom, after which the group will determine its preferred Zoom and in-person schedule.
Peer Group 1
Tuesday, October 10, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Zoom
Peer Group 2
Tuesday, November 14, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Peer Group 3
Tuesday, December 12, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Peer Group 4
Tuesday, January 9, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Peer Group 5
Tuesday, February 13, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Peer Group 6
Tuesday, March 12, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Peer Group 7
Tuesday, April 9, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Peer Group 8
Tuesday, May 14, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.