Join us for the Groundwater Institute’s (GWI) Immersive Experience. Blending video modules with live facilitated discussions, this 1.5 day workshop presents a historical, cultural, and structural analysis of racism and inequity. The session will be held in-person with ~30 others and provides a deep dive into transformative content, as well as an opportunity to connect with, relate to, and form a sense of community with fellow participants.

This first session will be offered on December 5th from 12-5 and December 6th from 9-5.

Our local Steering Committee, a group of volunteers committed to this initiative, will provide a follow-up session to further connect, debrief, and turn toward on-going action. Date for the follow-up session is TBD.

Investment:

$950 per participant. This fee includes the 1.5 day training, snacks and lunch, a resource guide, an invitation to a follow-up practice building session, and access to the Groundwater Network.

We want to make sure that cost is not a barrier to access this training, so we do have limited sliding scale tickets (25%, 50%, and 75% of the cost) available. For instructions on how to access a lower cost ticket, please reach out to Sarah Lentz.

Accessibility:

We hope to make this session inclusive and accessible to enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Sarah Lentz.

About the Steering Committee:

This committee of volunteers has come together to support this initiative.

Alison Beyea, Bay Love, Ben Conniff, Bruce King, Chris Lyon, Jake Fahey, Julian Rowand, Idella Glen, Sarah Lentz, Shana Cook Mueller, Nat Tupper

Please feel free to reach out to any of us with questions about the initiative, the training, or ongoing related work.

About Groundwater Institute:

The Groundwater Institute (GWI) is a community of leaders determined to build a world where everyone can thrive. They are a diverse collective of racial equity advocates, grassroots organizers, strategy consultants, and institutional leaders who are committed to shining a light on the root cause of the inequities in our society and driving large-scale transformation to build a more equitable future.

GWI’s name is rooted in the “Groundwater” metaphor:

If you have a lake in front of your house and one fish is floating belly-up dead, it makes sense to analyze the fish. But if you come out to that same lake and half the fish are floating belly-up dead, what should you do? This time you’ve got to analyze the lake. Now... picture five lakes around your house, and in each and every lake half the fish are floating belly-up dead! What is it time to do? We say it’s time to analyze the groundwater.

The Groundwater metaphor is designed to help practitioners at all levels internalize the reality that we live in a racially structured society, and that that is what causes racial and other forms of inequity. In other words, we have a “groundwater” problem, and we need “groundwater” solutions. Starting from there, we begin to unlock transformative change.

Testimonials from partners and clients speak to the broad applicability of the work:

“Seeing top-level CEOs being willing to expose themselves to information that I’m sure they recognized was going to be hard at times to swallow and hard to grapple with – that to me was very encouraging.”

- Helen Gayle, President, Spelman College

“I consider myself a person who loves this country, likes to study it and dedicates myself to improving it. And I just can't think of a more important work to that end. I am touched very deeply by this work as an American. It's a sense of dedicating oneself to what needs to happen and what is right.”

- Ashley Allison, President, Waco Community Foundation

“What was astounding to me is that I had been dean at a university, how is it that such fundamental knowledge related to our country and its formation I didn't know? There's no turning back if you believe this is the right pathway. And then there are a lot of signals that reinforce that this is something that's important, not only to our strategic plan long term, but important internally in a way that wasn't so obvious before.”

- Jim Madara, CEO, American Medical Association

Additional information on the Groundwater Institute available at www.groundwaterinstitute.com

About the Immersive Experience:

The Groundwater Institute has delivered the immersive experience to over 30,000 people across a variety of settings - from the largest corporations to the longest standing community organizations. Most organizational partners find that it is the highest-rated training program they offer; Net Promoter Scores typically land between 80 and 100.

Participants typically leave the Immersive Experience with:

• A clearer understanding of how institutions, systems, and the people in them are producing unjust and inequitable outcomes
• Shared language and context that facilitate effective problem-solving
• Increased commitment to work for change, and intention to develop themselves as leaders
• Tools, data, and frameworks to more effectively share and put into practice their knowledge

Who leads the workshops?

GWI will provide a team of Program Leaders to lead the group through the content over two days. Program Leaders are highly trained by the Groundwater Institute and bring diversity of lived and professional experiences to the workshops. Many have decades of experience working toward racial equity across structures, systems, and sectors.

About the Groundwater Network:

Once participants complete the immersive experience, they are invited to join the Groundwater Network (GWN). The GWN brings together leaders in order to build a community of practice and power across sectors, industries, and communities.

The Groundwater Network hopes to:

• Build a sense of community and support
• Develop a sense of shared identity and commitment
• Strengthen skills and capacity
• Imagine bold action
• Create relationships that enable bold collective action

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This initiative is a nonprofit program fiscally sponsored by Community Change, Inc., a 501(c)3 public charity.