Virtual Access

Community Agreements

Our goal is to provide a space that is as safe, brave and as inclusive as possible. We acknowledge that safety is relative and often not guaranteed in light of the complexity of our societal problems and unique social locations. In any group, there is always the potential for harm to happen and for conflict to emerge. Drawing on restorative principles, we step into this course ready to hold space for whatever emerges and engage difficult topics and emotions with care and resolve. We will lean into the discomfort that comes with exploring course content at a pace that honors everyone’s sense of dignity. As we go through this course experience, we hold the reality that we are still navigating a global pandemic, in addition to the vivid manifestation of various forms of violence. As we explore course content, we will create space to process any relevant issues that are unfolding in society at-large as well. We view the course as a communal and emergent process, hence the topics and questions that surface throughout the live sessions will contribute to shaping the collective experience.

In regard to harmful comments and content, we are committed to keeping our community protected. We will remove harmful content from any of our digital platforms and will ensure that what is shared aligns with our commitment to creating a respectful space. Above all, we aspire to create a container that will support participants feeling a sense of vibrancy, belonging and flourishing. We hope that the agreements below will help us deepen our relationship to each other and to ourselves throughout this process:

Agreements

Be gentle with Yourself and Others 

Honor Privacy and Confidentiality

Honor Your Needs Disagree Respectfully

Hold Space for One Another

Frankly, human affairs are often messy and bring up tension and trauma. Be mindful that participants may bring up things in collective and small group discussions that might be troubling, bothersome or challenging. We are all at different stages of our learning journey. If you are experiencing any difficulty with a discussion or moment and need one-on one attention to restore a sense of groundedness or if any conflict between participants surfaces that requires a supportive and restorative process, please reach out through our online Alert & Check-in System. Our course facilitators in partnership with Dr. Acosta will review your message and reach out as soon as possible.

 The core intention behind this experience is to practice slowing down while in community. However, we want to provide you with some supplemental material to support you on your journey to learning more about this kind of work. The material below is for you to explore at your own leisure. This is not an exhaustive list of resources that address the slow work and other related movements. It is more of a snapshot into some of the popular and easily accessible content that will give you more insight into this ever growing paradigm.

 Guiding Prompts

Use the prompts below to reflect on course content and on the discussions that emerge during the live Zoom sessions. The prompts are framed to help with integrating learning, generating insight and deepening comprehension. Use the text box below each prompt to reflect and type your thoughts and ideas.

Prompt 1: What gets in the way of doing slow work or slowing down in your personal and work life?

Prompt 2: What activities do you already engage in that allow you to tune into the present moment and slow down your pace of sensing, thinking, feeling and being?

Prompt 3:   What are some ways you might be able to integrate slow work into your
professional life? What are some of the risks of doing this?