Workshop 4:

Fostering a Transformative Justice Practice for Yourself

Thursday 15 April 2021 ~ 8:00 - 9:30am Pacific

Recording available here (48 mins)

We recognise that the work towards abolition cannot start at the point of violence but must be fostered much earlier in our relational practices in how we support ourselves in conflict in order for it to be generative, and in how we build trust and interconnectedness in our communities. In alignment with this belief, we would like to facilitate a 90-minute participatory workshop on (1) familiarising ourselves with community-based accountability and support structures based in a transformative justice framework and (2) explore practical ways of addressing interpersonal harm and conflict in our communities that can support accountability in a transformational way.

We also hope to create a space where practitioners globally can share what has worked for them, explore where they have fumbled, and practice or build new skills together. In particular, we are interested in what we can do at the inter- and intra-personal level to build the foundations for better community accountability with the objective of exploring what it may look like to move away from hierarchically structured oppressive systems, and imagine growing new roots based in liberation, safety and relationships.

Some elements of community accountability work we wish to explore include: identifying and aligning our actions with our values, learning how to take accountability for harm, understanding and addressing conflict when it arises. We recognise that we are not necessarily creating new methodologies but are, in fact, utilizing what other practitioners have conceptualised through their own community work in different socio-political contexts and wish to acknowledge these histories in the workshop as well.

Nishma Jethwa (she/her/they) is a facilitator, educator and activist who has been organising across social justice issues for the last 10 years. She is originally from London with roots and community in Gujarat and Mumbai. Most recently, Nishma has been working within movements to lead and support organisational and community development, build and deliver curricula rooted in feminist and anti-oppression practice, and frame programs to advance gender justice, labour rights and feminist tech. She has a background in law with an interest in critically looking at punitive and individualistic approaches to harm, conflict and abuse. Nishma is a co-organiser at Alternative Justice.

Deepika Bhardwaj (she/her) is a New Delhi-based, queer and feminist organiser with a background in Gender Studies. She is interested in transformative justice and anti-violence work rooted in an abolitionist praxis and focused on building meaningful and accountable relationships within our communities. Deepika initiated Alternative Justice in 2020 with an aim to re-conceptualise justice as restorative and transformative, critically analyze punitive and individualistic approaches to sexual harm, and to build alternative strategies to address violence in our communities. She also supports pedagogy, research and content development for an organisation that works towards preventing child sexual abuse.