On Judgements and Labels: A Four-Session Online Workshop Series with Amalia Phillips and Liz Spitzer

On Judgements and Labels: A Four-Session Online Workshop Series with Amalia Phillips and Liz Spitzer

Tuesdays, May 11, 18, 25, & Jun 1 

12pm-2pm Pacific / 3pm-5pm Eastern

We label all the time. It’s literally impossible to speak or reason about things without naming them and lumping them into categories that are separate from other categories. Throughout our lives, people attach labels to us, and those labels reflect and affect how we and others think about our identities. While labels can reflect positive characteristics, set useful expectations, and provide meaningful goals in our lives, often labels are the result of unfounded assumptions and stereotypes.

We regularly apply labels to people who we barely know or have never even met, and the same is done to us. Moreover, we often assign characteristics to a category, and then assume that they apply to all members of the group. This reflex is at the heart of sexism, racism, and even things like political strife, nationalism, and xenophobia. Other problems arise when we don’t understand that categories don’t always neatly fit every instance, or that the way we categorize things or people are cultural choices, not objective absolutes.

In this workshop series, participants will use the practices and principles of Compassionate Listening to reflect on the origins of our go-to labels and judgements, explore the ways they rupture or prevent connection with ourselves and others, and learn how to create more connective relationships, be more effective in our political engagement, and cultivate a deeper understanding of others' complexities.

This Workshop is for you if you:  

• Are willing to dig deep, reflect and discuss your own labels and the labels you’ve given others and their influence on your identity.
• Struggle with any level of difficulty or challenge in your life as a result of labeling and/or stereotyping. 
• Seek mindful and compassionate listening to support your personal growth.
• Want to integrate powerful practices of Compassionate Listening to help support you, your community & the world, as you move from harmful 'isms' to self-awareness and connection based on mutual value-system and humanity.

Prerequisite

The prerequisite for this course is some familiarity with Compassionate Listening—ideally an introductory workshop or participation in a delegation. If you haven’t had any of these experiences, please consider practicing on your own by purchasing our book, Practicing the Art of Compassionate Listening.

Cost

The cost for this workshop series is $150. A limited number of $125 tickets are available for those who require financial assistance in order to attend. $175 tickets are also available for those who would like to support others' attendance.

We are committed to accessibility and sincerely wish for all who wish to attend our workshops to be able to do so, regardless of financial means. Please submit a scholarship request if finances are a barrier to your participation.

Your generous donations make our scholarship program possible. If you have the means, please consider donating to our scholarship fund to enable others to attend who otherwise would not be able to do so.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations made 7 days or more in advance of the first session will receive a 100% refund. Cancellations made after Saturday, April 3rd will receive a tuition credit which may be used towards any future Compassionate Listening course or workshop. Participants must contact us before the course begins to request a credit.

Please note that due to the container of trust which participants begin to build with one another early in the course, as well as the cumulative nature of the curriculum, we request that participants make every effort to attend the first session. Should unforeseen circumstances prevent this, your registration will be cancelled and your funds may be applied as credit toward a future course.

Event Details

This online course will be held on Zoom. It is highly experiential and requires your full presence, participation, and commitment to show up without distraction. We ask that you please attend each session since being together consistently enables us to build trust in one another and each session builds on the previous one.

In order to make the most of your experience and support others' learning and engagement, please:

• Plan to arrive in a quiet distraction-free environment, fully present and available to experience the workshop.
• Do not join the workshop while in transit (walking, driving, on the bus, etc.), or while multitasking (cooking, working, watching television, etc.).
• Connect to the event using a device that has full video and audio capability. Our hope is that everyone will be able to connect to the event using a device that has full video and audio capability because breakout rooms will be used to guide participants through our curriculum in small groups and we will be sharing screens throughout the course.

If you require any accommodations to attend, including physical limitations around viewing screens or having your video on, please contact us before the first session so that we can plan accordingly.

After registration and payment, you will receive a registration confirmation and welcome email. Please add us (staff@compassionatelistening.org) to your safe senders list to ensure that you receive all course access information.

If you have any questions, please contact us at staff@compassionatelistening.org.

Looking forward to meeting you in the circle!

Facilitator

Amalia Phillips, Annapolis, Maryland

Amalia brings a wealth of experience in the US and around the world as a long-time educator, Conflict Resolution Facilitator (trained by the Alternatives to Violence Project, USA), a mediator (trained by the Anne Arundel Center for mediation), and a Compassionate Listening Facilitator for the Compassionate Listening Project. Amalia artfully shares the principles of Compassionate Listening and nurtures brave conversations with groups of all sizes, including religious organizations, educational institutions, volunteer organizations, and her Listening Room. Amalia resides in Annapolis, MD. She is married and has 6 children and 12 grandchildren.

Assistant

Elizabeth Spitzer, Portland Oregon

Liz is the co-founder of Expressive-Connections, a small business designed to support people in their efforts to create a friendlier world. She is a personal development Coach, Compassionate Listening® Facilitator-in-Training, Certified Trainer in Adult & Youth Mental Health First Aid®, and a NAMI Family-to-Family Teacher.

Her professional Coach training is from iPEC, a leader in Professional Coaching for teaching tools and techniques that dig deep for underlying energy levels, break through limiting beliefs and fears, and help individuals create “choice” in how they think and feel.

Liz’s facilitation style is personable and through her cultural mindfulness training she invites people to share their perspectives, differences, and show up with authenticity.