Description

Writing and Living Out Commitments

What commitments (deep dedications and priorities) guide everyday living?

This question feels essential for everyday living for justice. Too often, though, it remains unanswered or even unarticulated.

Without knowing what matters to us deeply—so deeply that it mobilizes, energizes, and guides decision-making—it’s too easy to be on autopilot and to feed the status quo, even when it undermines professed beliefs.

To interrupt the autopilot conditioning that preserves oppression and ongoing violence, it’s important to understand what’s implicitly and explicitly driving actions.

Toward this purpose, this workshop will focus on writing and living out commitment statements: documents that can be drafted, revised, and revisited often. Unlike so many institutional statements that affirm values without action, commitment statements are living documents: a way to clarity commitments for ourselves and to make them actionable.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll discuss the purpose and genre of commitment statements—considering where, when, how, with whom, and why we put energy and attention. We’ll review sample statements, questions to clarify commitments, and contemplative, body-based practices that support this work. We’ll also do some writing together—toward articulating commitments and considering what they’re asking of us now (heading into 2022) and for the long haul.

In total, we’ll spend time feeling and thinking about our deepest dedications and how to know them, using commitments to guide everyday living and life decisions.

In addition to this interactive workshop, registration includes optional participation in a writing retreat to work on your commitment statement and get feedback. You might also consider subscribing to receive ongoing support for your efforts toward justice—social, racial, and environmental justice.

Why write, revise, and revisit commitment statements?

Here are some of the reasons why I work with commitment statements and some of the benefits to I see mirrored to me through coaching:

• To disrupt autopilot and act with greater intentionality
• To know the anchors or root systems (deep dedications) that drive decision-making
• To reflect on what we want to change about our lives—and why
• To disrupt easy-come, easy-go ways of doing “allyship”
• To notice when and where we’re showing up and not showing up
• To change ways of being, doing, and relating that aren’t aligned with our values
• To know (really, really, know) what’s motivating us, including what we often hide from ourselves
• To adopt an attitude of striving or “try-try again”—recognizing when we fail to act on commitments and not getting stuck there, but realigning and recommitting

When will the workshop be offered?

Choose from one of two sessions:

Wednesday, December 29th 1-3pm ET (starting at 12pm CT, 11am MT, 10am PT)
Friday, December 31st 10am-12pm ET (starting at 9am CT, 8am MT, 7am PT)

After registering, you’ll receive information about how to join the group—to be hosted in a private meeting room in Zoom. Participants are encouraged to join with video, but may choose the audio-only option as well.

How will the workshop be structured?

The workshop will move through the following segments with a break mid-way through the 2-hours:

1. Welcoming with Introductions and Grounding Practice
2. Understanding the Purpose and Genre of Commitment Statements
3. Getting to Know Our Commitments: Questions to Ask and Practices to Do

BREAK

4. Revising and Breaking up with Commitments
5. Making Commitments Actionable Now and for the Long Haul
6. Closing with Next Steps

What is the cost?

There are several registration options:

1. Become a Patreon subscriber at any tier, and attend this workshop for free. Subscribers also receive a range of benefits, which you can read about here.
2. Pay the full price of this workshop ($50), which includes a one-day writing retreat.
3. Register for free if the cost is prohibitive for any reason.

Who will facilitate this workshop?

This program is offered by Beth Godbee, Ph.D., a public educator and writer with deep commitments to social, racial, and environmental justice.

Beth brings years of experience as a writer and writing teacher (previously tenured professor in composition, rhetoric, and literacy studies). She regularly teaches writing workshops and has worked in writing centers, community literacy programs, and writing across the curriculum programs for many years.

How can I learn more?

Contact Beth with any questions, concerns, or accessibility considerations.

Thanks!