OUR APPROACH
Our approach aims to bridge communities of color in Boston that are very diverse, each of which share a history of oppression and racism. If we are successful in our approach it will mean that together we find a unified response across communities to share challenges to achieving social justice. In trying to do that NIAAS uses a variety of popular education tools to provoke dialogue, share stories of lived experiences, and build relationships for increased understanding and mutual education among people of color in Boston.
Popular Education, Self-Discovery & Dialogue Tools:
Participatory Facilitation
A training format that helps community members share their experiences, appreciate new viewpoints, and build empathy and connection.
Popular Education, Self-Discovery & Dialogue Tools:
Participatory Facilitation
A training format that helps community members share their experiences, appreciate new viewpoints, and build empathy and connection.
Theater of the Oppressed
This set of techniques developed by Brazilian director, artist and activist Augusto Boal, is highly participatory and reinforces the role of culture in our efforts to build unity between people so they can address the problems they face. NIAAS encourages participants to practice these methods they have learned in their organizations, groups and communities.
Methodology that promotes social and political change. Come experience first-hand a dialogue model simulation that helps people connect across complex issues and can be used back in your community, building greater understanding between immigrants and diverse receiving communities members. Session participants will also have the opportunity to practice the methods they have learned in smaller groups.
This set of techniques developed by Brazilian director, artist and activist Augusto Boal, is highly participatory and reinforces the role of culture in our efforts to build unity between people so they can address the problems they face. NIAAS encourages participants to practice these methods they have learned in their organizations, groups and communities.
Methodology that promotes social and political change. Come experience first-hand a dialogue model simulation that helps people connect across complex issues and can be used back in your community, building greater understanding between immigrants and diverse receiving communities members. Session participants will also have the opportunity to practice the methods they have learned in smaller groups.
Participatory Timeline
A very participatory educational self-constructed time line, color code where participants can see the parallels between world, national and local historical events and our own personal histories. Participants start to understand the factors that push or pull immigrants and African Americans from their home lands and the reasons behind major events in history while they start making more sense of their own reality and how history repeats itself. Most importantly immigrants and African Americans will see clearly that we have more things and common that things that divide us.
The time line gives the chance to people to contribute with their knowledge and experience to create a wider picture of who we are, our backgrounds and the forces that have driven our lives as people of color.
A very participatory educational self-constructed time line, color code where participants can see the parallels between world, national and local historical events and our own personal histories. Participants start to understand the factors that push or pull immigrants and African Americans from their home lands and the reasons behind major events in history while they start making more sense of their own reality and how history repeats itself. Most importantly immigrants and African Americans will see clearly that we have more things and common that things that divide us.
The time line gives the chance to people to contribute with their knowledge and experience to create a wider picture of who we are, our backgrounds and the forces that have driven our lives as people of color.
"Process Map" tool: assists NIAAS with Planning & Evaluation
In 2013 NIAAS started developing a “new tool” that is based on a for-profit tool call SIPOC (Supplier, Input, Process, Outputs, Costumers). Throughout 2013 we learned that the ‘process map’ is an invaluable tool in our work. This tool has helped NIAAS' core group and staff identify and establish more concretely its resources, tools and expertise – and ground them in the real life context of communities of color. It has helped us in the evaluation of NIAAS accomplishments, challenges, and opportunities of 2013, and it will help us plan and focus our work in the years to come. In discovering the power of this tool for ourselves, we realized that it could be very beneficial to other organizations, projects or initiatives to move their planning and evaluation forward. In the future we hope to develop a very sophisticated yet simple process map tool to offer as another key NIAAS tool.
In 2013 NIAAS started developing a “new tool” that is based on a for-profit tool call SIPOC (Supplier, Input, Process, Outputs, Costumers). Throughout 2013 we learned that the ‘process map’ is an invaluable tool in our work. This tool has helped NIAAS' core group and staff identify and establish more concretely its resources, tools and expertise – and ground them in the real life context of communities of color. It has helped us in the evaluation of NIAAS accomplishments, challenges, and opportunities of 2013, and it will help us plan and focus our work in the years to come. In discovering the power of this tool for ourselves, we realized that it could be very beneficial to other organizations, projects or initiatives to move their planning and evaluation forward. In the future we hope to develop a very sophisticated yet simple process map tool to offer as another key NIAAS tool.