Psychosocial Practices for Sustaining Our Movements

Psychosocial Practices for Sustaining Our Movements

The recording from the fourth gathering in Regenerative Activism 2021: Building and Sustaining Our Movements.

We were joined by Daiara Tukano, Stefania Grasso and Peter Steudtner.

Activists, human rights defenders, and political organisers can suffer attacks at the hands of both State and non-State actors seeking to hinder their work. This damages our effectiveness and the wellbeing of ourselves and those around us. We explore psychosocial approaches to strengthening personal, organisational and movement responses.

We talk with practitioners who have developed holistic frameworks that recognise the interplay between the individual, group and socio-political levels of activist practice. In Mexico, Aluna uses a model of psychosocial accompaniment based on ‘liberation psychology’ to support victims of political violence. Peter Steudtner was one of the authors of the Holistic Security Manual, that offers integrated methods of analysis and strategy to deal with psychosocial, physical and digital threats. Daiara Tukano brings her experience of facing these challenges as an artist and researcher in human rights focused on independent communication within the indigenous movement.

We ask:

How can the insights of liberation psychology help us to build psychosocial resilience?

What can learn from the practices of Holistic Security about combining strategies for facing psychosocial, physical and digital threats?

Are there lessons from indigenous movements that can help us nurture the psychosocial vitality of our groups?

Contributors

Gee (Guhyapati) Picture

A hub of collaboration, the Ulex Project is run by Col·lectiu Eco-Actiu, a non-profit involved in the design and delivery of residential training since 2008. The Ulex Project is a fresh initiative building on that experience. Ulex Project believe that connectivity is a key to cognitive vitality and learning. Diversity is crucial to resilience and adaptive capacity. We live at a time where social and ecological challenges require a shift from atomised individualism to networks of solidarity. It implies a new collectivity which still honours individuality. It requires cooperation balanced with autonomy. Ulex thrives on connectivity and seeks to be a reference for value based collaboration. Ulex works with numerous individuals and organisations to design and deliver our training programme. They establish partnerships with organisations across Europe and internationally. They bring diverse groups and individuals together in learning communities. They support organisations, groups, and individuals to foster collaborations, build networks, share experience, and deepen movement resilience through meaningful connection.

Learn more
Daiara Tukano Picture

Daiara Tukano, of the Tukano indigenous nation of the Upper Rio Negro, is an indigenous activist and artist. With a Masters Degree in human rights at the University of Brasilia, she is a researcher on the right to memory and truth of indigenous peoples. She is an independent communicator and coordinator of Radio Yandê, the first indigenous web-radio in Brazil. In her line of work, Daiara has surveyed the current indigenous panorama to build alliances to encourage the creation of strategies that can contribute to the protection of mother nature, cultural diversity and human rights across the vast region of the Amazonas.

Learn more
Peter Steudtner Picture

Peter Steudtner is a German trainer, coach, photographer and documentary film maker.

Learn more
Stefania Grasso Picture

Stefania Grasso is an Advocacy Officer at the Mexican NGO Aluna Acompañamiento Psicosocial.

Learn more