OUR GLOSSARY
Photo by Don Bowden from AAACC's Season of Black Art Symposium, produced by SFBATCO & TREE OF CHANGE.
Our Glossary is composed of words and phrases that we use regularly in our Tree of Change praxis. Their definition is informed through our core guiding value of conversation, and they have developed over time through studying others' words and works. We believe an essential part of conversation is seeking to better understand our selves, one another, and the languages We All use to talk story and make meaning. Our Glossary is our, Crystal Mason and Jason Wyman, (imperfect) attempt at defining our language, so we can co-create change with YOU (and other comrades.)
AUTONOMOUS COLLECTIVE ACTIONS
The actions taken by a loosely affiliated group with each person making their own decisions on the paths taken towards collectively generated destinations.
CHANGE
Change is a collective process of listening, dreaming, and creating together to move toward justice and belonging. Change is a pre-condition for transformation. It’s not about imposing answers, but about building the conditions for people and communities to discern, grow, adapt, and transform in their own time and ways.​
DISCERN
To discern means to pause, notice, and carefully sort through what is true, needed, or possible in a given moment. Discernment is the act of making thoughtful choices by listening deeply to yourself, others, and the circumstances before deciding how to move forward.
DREAM
Dreaming is an act of discernment through presence. It is a state of be-ing, a portal to the past and future. Dreaming also cultivates awareness. It gives Us All space to reconnect with all our ancestors. It gives Us All time to observe all our relations.
GATHER
It is the intentional act of building connection and trust so We All can imagine, plan, and work toward the world We All want, need, and desire.
POWER-WITH
A way of relating, organizing, and leading that emphasizes collective agency, shared decision-making, and co-creation, rather than domination or control. It focuses on building relationships, collaboration, and mutual support, where everyone is seen as both a teacher and a learner. Power-With values each person's lived experience and expertise, and seeks to gather Us All so We All can act together, feel ownership, and invest in autonomous collective actions.​
PRAXIS
A process of articulating personal, familial, cultural, and / or systemic behaviors, beliefs, values, knowledge, and practices and applying them towards personal, collective, and / or systemic change, actions, and / or outcomes. Praxis can be represented as a path with guideposts that aid you (singular and / or plural) in understanding when or where you may be veering away from who or how you desire to be. Praxis offers opportunities and mechanisms by which to pause, dream, and be, so that you can move from reacting to change to responding to it in ways that deepen understanding and better align intentions to impact.
AUTONOMOUS COLLECTIVE ACTIONS
The actions taken by a loosely affiliated group with each person making their own decisions on the paths taken towards collectively generated destinations.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
A framework of facilitating opportunities for stakeholders (e.g. community, staff, board, funders, investors, audiences, customers, etc.) to more deeply contribute to the meaning making, purpose, and/or execution of your organization, business, movement, or group. It includes stakeholder involvement at the start of the design process to ensure all stakeholder groups are represented in design decisions that impact the facilitation and culture tended within the groups. High quality stakeholder engagement is rooted in cultivating Power-With your organization's, business's, movement's, or groups' stakeholder communities.
WE ALL / US ALL
The pluralistic body, wisdom, and liberation of all relations, invoking shared responsibility, interdependence, mutual care and understanding, autonomous collective action, and Power-With. Its usage and definition grow from the book Right Story, Wrong Story by Tyson Yunkaporta.​
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REFERENCE LINKS:
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Right Story, Wrong Story by Tyson Yunkaporta