elevate your impact

EC-RELC

Essex County Racial Equity Leaders Learning Circle

As a nonprofit leader, you’re tasked with building resilient teams, fostering innovation, and ensuring that your organization’s mission thrives even in difficult political and economic contexts. Our staff and the communities we serve are under attack based on their racial identity, immigration status, and other aspects of who they are. We are all facing more fear and uncertainty than ever before, making it even more difficult to ensure that our teams are cohesive and productive. We need new strategies for this moment.

Effectively leading impactful teams that are diverse in multiple ways (race, gender, class, etc.), is at the heart of inclusive leadership. Without successful teams, we can’t provide the services our communities depend on. Program outcomes suffer, fundraising goals are unmet, and top talent leaves.

This cohort is designed to be a port in the storm – to equip you with the tools and insights you need to rise to these challenges. If you’re ready to learn skills and strategies to lead resilient teams and improve organizational culture, you won’t want to miss this!

overview

The Essex County Racial Equity Leaders Learning Circle (EC-RELC for short) is an opportunity for a cohort of Essex County nonprofits to participate in a shared learning experience designed to support individual and organizational racial equity practice as well as pathways towards more diverse, inclusive, and equitable organizations. Participants will come together, form community, and deepen their identity as values-driven leaders. They will also learn principles of building a restorative culture, skills for trauma-inclusion, and facilitation skills to create more equitable organizations.

EC-RELC creates space for participants to bring their most vexing diversity, inclusion and equity challenges and make changes in their respective organizations. We learn and apply organizational change tools. We unpack the biases we carry that get in the way of leading this work even more powerfully.

The EC-RELC cohort experience is anchored by six core learning sessions. In addition, each organizational team will receive two private, tailored coaching sessions and all participants will have the opportunity to attend up to four optional skills intensive sessions (topics to be determined by participants).

Through a blend of interactive exercises, practical tools, and insightful discussions, you will:

Learn how to create and sustain inclusive and collaborative team cultures across racial and other differences
Explore the principles of healing-centered and trauma-informed leadership
Create action plans to guide organizational decision-making in shifting political and funding landscapes
Develop strategies for building trust and fostering authentic relationships
Connect with other leaders in the sector and learn from peers in the field

When and Where

All sessions are 10am-1pm and will take place either in person in Danvers or virtually via zoom. (Current plan is to have half of the sessions in person, half by zoom. First session will be in person.)

October 23
November 6
December 11
January 8 (optional – initial skills intensive session)
February 5
March 5
April 2

Participants and Selection

Non-profit organizations serving Essex County with a demonstrated commitment to creating racial equity are invited to apply. Organizations will send a strategically selected group of 2-4 people from across the hierarchy of the organization. We believe that sustainable change requires buy-in and engagement across the organization.

Interested organizations should fill out this form by October 2. From there, applicants will be contacted on a rolling basis for an exploratory conversation by zoom. Because we will only be able to select about 10 organizations, preference will be given to organizational teams that:

are based in and serve Essex County
demonstrate commitment to advancing racial equity work (for example, your racial equity work is not new, you may have budget or staff committed to advancing the work, etc.)
include the Executive Director as a participant
can make the commitment of time (see dates above)
understand that this is “heart work” that requires some vulnerability

Participants will be selected and communicated with on a rolling basis, with final decisions made by October 9.

Your Facilitators

LoveSeed is a consulting firm led by Rebecca Jackson, a facilitator, consultant and clinician with over 10 years of experience supporting non-profits in becoming more equitable and inclusive organizations. LoveSeed partners with organizations and leaders to build loving, equitable and healing communities.