Peers of Colour showcase booklet

Peers of Colour Peers of colour

Showcase 2021 - London

Peers of colour, people of colour, women of colour Wow How can we possibly describe the depths of this journey up to now, From day one the space was different, held by a rooted understanding, So we planted our seeds of learning and now we watch them, still expanding.

Our questions addressed our power, our effect, our rest, our observations, We would always run over the hour, caught in life changing conversations, 'That's what I was thinking', rang out from this community where we belonged, as we delved into our collective dreaming with our Spotify playlist on.

Come as you are, we'd always say, camera on or camera off, in the bath, in bed or cooking, unmute the laughter and the coughs, Check in with your feelings, all and everything will be held, Share as much or as little with us , however you feel compelled.

This was more than learning, it was grounding and uplifting, Identity unfurling, a life experience of resisting, Diversity and inclusion on our minds, our hearts, our tongues decolonising climate justice to save the earth's beautiful lungs.

We've shared the deeper meanings, we've written the hidden stories, Anonymously sent letters, found our individual brand categories, We've dabbled in the possibility of crypto distributing wealth, we've understood our battles and how to prioritise our health.

This isn't a full stop or finale, as learning doesn't really end, and nor does this journey for these 9 Peers, who now have 8 more new friends, So participate as much as you feel like doing and always come as you are, follow your dreams, you beautiful souls, for together we have come so far.

Learning Marathon Class of 2021 Yogita Deogan How do I own my passions?

Ali Kakande How can I create an income from my life experiences?

Sharan Jaswal How can I embrace rest as resistance into my life?

Claudine Fay How can I help bridge the wealth gap for Women of Colour?

Abi Adebayo How can we discern what is right for us at any one moment?

Rabia Mirza

Sarah Impey How can I create space for a better dialogue around diversity in the arts?

Anneka Deva How can we decolonise climate justice?

Taz Latif "What impact can I create for my communities, as a Woman of Colour?"

How can I help people of colour by stepping into my power?

Yogi Question I leave with:

How do I own my passions?

Question I came in with: How do0 I make impact in the DEI space both personally & professionally?

y_parekh@hotmail.com yogitadeogan.com Instagram: @yogideogan

I came into this Learning Marathon, lost and confused after leaving a company I had worked at for 14 years (almost all my adult life). Peers of Colour provided me with a safe and mutually respectful space to explore some of the social and cultural restrictions we have had put on us and explore ways to push against some of these to find a new authentic path for myself..

I knew there were things in my life that I had never been brave enough to step into and own. I now have a good sense of what my true passions are and how I want to use my voice to make sustainable change in the communities I operate in..

Over the last 4.5 months I have researched, explored and tested in a structured way, all whilst being kept accountable by my peers and getting feedback from them regularly.

I applied for many roles after leaving my job but quickly realised what I didn’t want to do and how I didn’t want to work anymore. I then turned to my passions; takling discrimination, educating the next generation and Cricket. With these as my focus pillars I am now moving forwards in setting out my services as a Freelance Consultant and even had a paid gig (via one of the other peers) on the topic of ‘Decolonizing Cricket’. How’s that for combining your passions?! I’ll be continuing my journey by finding my voice and hope to start my own blog or podcast.

Sharan Learning Question:

How can I embrace rest as resistance into my life?

Question I came in with: How can I embrace rest & radical self-care as resistance into my life?

sharankjaswal@gmail.com Twitter: @sharanj Insta: @sharanjaswal

Radical Rest My relationship with rest has always been fraught, being an overworked-constantly-ill-and -often-burnt-out type. Whilst the world slowed down during the pandemic, I somehow managed to remain busier than ever?!

I was curious about why I am so resistant to rest, and what it meant to ‘resist’ by resting, and being radical with my own self care.

My wish to explore this took on a deeper meaning, when in the run up to the marathon, I fell pregnant! Suddenly I needed to prioritise my physical, emotional and mental health, and ‘rest for two’...

My journey began with me interrogating the expectations of me, a woman of colour, in a capitalist, patriarchal, white supremacist world.

It moved onto me unravelling my own rest socialisation - from my family, culture and ancestrally.

I then explored a myriad of types of rest, and dabbled in somatic coaching, yoga nidra, hypnobirthing techniques and having ‘get no shit done’ days!

I’m so grateful to have shared this inquiry with a peer group of colour seeing everyone else resonate with my question, understand the nuances of my challenges and hold me accountable has been powerful, insightful and super supportive.

I leave this marathon with a deeper understanding of myself and a profoundly shifted mindset. And, a burning desire to break the systemic and generational rest conditioning for my unborn child as I step into motherhood 🤎.

Abimbola My learning question:

How can we discern what is right for us at any one moment?

Living an unbalanced life means understanding that on any given day, week, or year, every yes we utter means a no to countless other tasks and goals. It means embracing ebb and flow and the delightful truth that building a joyful life does not require perfection. — Krista O’Reilly Davi-Digui @justabi.me

My Learning Marathon Journey Ramble When you’re blessed with an abundance of choice, and less clarity as to which is preferred over the others, a new problem arises.

How do you invest your energy wisely? How do you say yes purposefully and no when a yes isn’t clear? Is there a systematic way to approach decision making? If you find a system to doing it all - should you? What type of person would say ‘absolutely, yes’ or ‘definitely not’?

These are the types of questions I had coming into the learning marathon.

Growing up you’re kind of set on a path as soon as a talent or interest shows up. You’re not taught how to choose amongst many options, you just do what you can as it comes until you can’t anymore. Limitations such as money required to survive, time and health all contribute to the lack of opportunity many people have to choose. The lack of opportunity to discern what is right for them in any one moment.

To summarise my learnings from this marathon. There are countless ways to choose - some systematic (value maps, self reviews, smart goals), some instinctual (intuition based, ‘yolo’), some social/cultural (ikigai, religion). The hard part isn’t choosing, but being at peace with whatever you decide.

I haven’t yet found an answer to my question, so using the momentum of this learning marathon I plan to continue tunneling down this rabbit hole of methods to choose :p

Sarah My question:

How can I create a space for a better dialogue around diversity in the arts

The energy I felt at the Peers of colour first meeting is not one I feel often. There already was such a level of understanding and acceptance that we really had so much held space to explore our questions within.

This is how I want POC’s like myself within the Arts to feel. This experience, these women and other close friends have shown me that healing should be the focus, that is how we change the world, as the more we are seen and understood, the more we share our stories, the more others resonate and are encouraged to do the same. That’s why my workshop was on ‘The missing stories’, writing scripts with our ancestors in mind, making them the protagonists, so that their lives can live on as examples and we can change the narratives that POC artists get the chance to tell.

Through Conscious activism I will take everything I have learnt on this marathon and combine it with the sound healing training I am doing to provide more space, space in which we can all grow, explore, develop and showcase ourselves as we continue to change. I have faced the fear of facilitating by leading a diversity and inclusion workshop ( arranged by another Peer) and will continue to do something I am scared of every month.

Insta: @sarahkameelaimpey

Anneka Question I leave with:

How can we decolonise climate justice?

A ritual I undertook at the end of my 140 mile walk from Birmingham to Bristol

Question I came in with: How can we decolonise climate justice in the West Midlands?

@annekadeva

Finding my place This summer the IPCC told us what we already suspected that we're going to hit a 1.5 degree warming of the planet.

Women, people of colour, the poorest in society are and will continue to be worst affected.

We’re in a climate emergency and I feel called to take action.

But for over a decade, I’ve struggled to find my place in an overwhelmingly white climate movement. I’ve struggled to find a place to belong.

In the UK, in these movements, people talk about “developing countries” and “the global south” as academic concepts, whereas for me, we’re talking about the place my parents were born, the place where my family live.

Through my learning question, I wanted to connect with others where I live who also care deeply about climate justice, and don’t feel like they belong in the existing movements that exist - movements that are steeped in Whiteness and western ideologies.

I tried to join a local organising hub of a national climate justice organisation, but quickly felt alienated. I wondered if my being a young-looking, brown woman had anything to do with that but it’s never so easy to tell. White patriarchal power dynamics exhaust me. “Change it from the inside”, some folks say, but I don’t think that’s the place for me.

I also went on a walk, from Birmingham to Bristol. 140 miles. 12 days. A quest to explore what a journey on foot would mean, walking slowly, intentionally, one foot in front of the other. A quest to understand more about my connection to this land - the land of the coloniser.

My learnings from this sort-of secular pilgrimage will take much longer than a few weeks to distill and unearth. But for my Learning Question the biggest thing I took away was that if you want to do something deeply, there are no short-cuts, there isn’t always a clear path in front of you, and when it seems impossible to keep walking, you need companions alongside you to make everything that bit more possible.

So where next? I always said my question was going to be a question to span a decade. And I feel like I haven’t really begun yet. I’m looking for fellow companions and collaborators who are also on a quest to find their place in climate justice - if that sounds like you, I’d love to chat.

Taz Question I leave with:

How can we, as WOC, collectively turn our pain into power?

It’s me, on the top of Africa! The 1st time I learned how to turn my pain into power. Kilimanjaro, 2017. Forever learning.

Question I came in with: "What impact can I create for my communities, as a Woman of Colour?"

@tazthestargazer hello@tazlatif.com

Simple doesn’t mean easy...

The usual buzzwords came to mind, eldest daughter complex, imposter syndrome, lack of access to opportunity, the cycle of poverty etc

My 2nd Learning Marathon was definitely a more introspective one. I’ve realised that while the answer to my question is simple, it doesn’t mean it’s easy. The past 4 months have been underwhelming but in an incredibly eye opening and positive way.

I soon realised that it was impossible to escape the layers of generational trauma that hinder progress and so, we must embrace it.

I say this because I’ve grown up to understand that over the years, I tended to focus on the big goal at the end, instead of the small, incremental and consistent steps it takes to get there.

What this means is that I neglect the small wins that compound the big goal and punish myself for trivial things. I’m the granddaughter of an immigrant, I’m 3rd generation to the UK, usually the only woman in the meeting room, often the only POC in a work environment and so on, perhaps that’s where it stems from. That’s A LOT to unpack.

Meeting this group of powerful Women of Colour made me realise we have so much to give but so much trauma that holds us back. So the overarching answer to my question came to me early on but I continued to dig deeper.

We must turn our pain into power.

I witnessed my peers doing incredible things to dismantle the colonialist structures that we live under, that do not serve us or allow us to thrive. I acknowledge that unfortunately, money grants us the ability to live richer lives in certain contexts. So without money, we are limited in our capacity. Those capitalist systems are built to keep us out. So the system needs to change. It’s what we’ve all been fighting for. It’s why we must refer to ourselves as ‘the global majority’ and not ‘ethnic minority’. It’s why we should have the confidence of a privileged, white, hetero, cis male.

So, I continue on this ever-evolving journey to find ways to create sustainable solutions for WOC to build generational wealth, to continue fighting the system that doesn’t want us to win and to support, love and embolden a whole new era of women that our younger selves bloody needed.

P.S. and therapy!

Snapshots of milestones and mindful moments Realising that we were two South Asian people, as the face of an annual Samsung project. Doing something for the first time isn’t as scary as your brain tells you.

And representation matters.

Joining a 4 week Creative Quest and exploring the theme of home reminded me that creativity knows no bounds. What resources and tools can I harness to enhance my LM journey?

I thrive in activist communities. I’ve realised I can’t be in a job without social impact at the core.

How can this drive my learning question forward?

At times, we fall prey to the narrative spun about us.

Growing food with my husband was a bittersweet realisation that we aren’t taught to do this so that we become reliant and dispensable.

System change is inevitable. I refuse to believe otherwise.

Ali How can I create an income from my life experiences?

Enrol yourself has been on my radar for a while.

I never quite got round to applying, until I came across Peers of Colour.

If I'm honest I didn't know what to expect, so I had no expectations.

I tell a lie, I thought I might cross the finish line with a product!

I haven't.

What I do know is, it's not the end for my question or my learning.

@miss.kakande I used the marathon to test the waters.

I explored sharing about sobriety as a Woman of Colour.

My experience and how it might help others.

I went deep.

Deciding afterwards my story is something I want to share when it feels right.

Now I feel more than ever- that if anyone is struggling with addiction or you are a friend or family member of an addict & want to talk, maybe I could be one of the people you come to...

There is so much more I want to say on this subject…

I went on to think about those who might also have things to say.

Those who aren't ready to say it publicly or out loud.

This is something I want to explore more.

On the tube home from one of our IRL meet ups, I said to a fellow participant “it feels good not being the usual person who's told, you're quite ______”(fill in the blank). Mine is usually, you're quite sensitive and deep.

I didn't feel this in the Marathon.

I have memories that will stay with me.

An exercise where we listened to what the other person had observed in us was kind of uncomfortable. I so wanted to say sumat! But I didn't, I listened and believed what she was saying.

That memory is in a li’l box that I will take out from time to time, when my head says “What are you doing now?? Stop, be quiet. Hide” What can I say? Peers of Colour was emotional and I like that.

I like that a lot!

I'm looking for Speaking opportunities/Letters to read misskakande@gmail.com @miss.kakande

Claudine Question I leave with:

How can I help bridge the wealth gap for women of colour?

Being a part of the Peers of Colour learning marathon has been a magnificent life changing experience. It bothered me that there was so much that I was not aware of within the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sector, especially with regards to legitimising experiences.

I grew up faced with the ravages of colonialism and the after effects of segregation, but what I was never taught was how insidious racial differentiation can be - from the education we received, to the deliberate financial exclusion that was subtly employed by the privileged. Being an immigrant in many countries meant I had only a superficial sense of the infrastructure of a country’s culture, and so perhaps I never really saw all the cues that I see now.

Question I came in with:

How can I leave a legacy that affects change in the world so my girls have a role model? fayclaudine@yahoo.com @beanie3078

You see, it is very easy to only see things from your perspective, but this group made me sit up and appreciate the experiences of others. It was not so black and white but rather many wonderful shades in between!

This learning marathon has been a rite of passage and the women that I hold this space with made it so that we can safely explore and cultivate understanding. Each one on their own personal quest but ultimately a sisterhood bound by diversity. Our collective experiences have created an almost sacred energy that binds us together and powers us to move forward and continue to question, learn and break barriers. I am in awe of each and every one of them and they So what will I do? I will continue to seek have allowed me to come as I am and a way to make an impact, perhaps see what a marvelous experience that has how I can participate within DE&I in my been.

My thoughts during this marathon have been about how I can best disseminate all that I am learning and uncover it in a language that speaks to women from all spheres of life so they can not only have the resources and information at their fingertips but also the means to take charge.

own career, explore the potential of the development of a phone app “Womban for Women” or look to see if I can share what I know with regards to blockchain technology and cryptocurrency with a specific aim towards people of colour.

I will continue to improve my knowledge and understand the gaps that do exist for us as people of colour. In doing so I hope to participate in these new emerging markets to minimise this effect or at least have enough of an awareness to direct the next generation.

That will be my legacy for my girls…

Rabia How can I help people of colour by stepping into my power?

I began this journey with a semi-professional learning question with the sole purpose of improving my confidence to do better in my role. Many noticed early on the profound lack of confidence that manifested itself in self criticism, self doubt and large amounts of anxiety. My peers encouraged me to look within and explore what it meant to step into my power. Without facing this, I would not be able to give myself fully to my role and other important aspects of my life.

Having begun my career in counter extremism, I wanted to right my wrongs and centre people of colour in my personal and professional life. Exploring how I do this ran in tandem with how I mastered stepping into my power. Part of this exploration led me to seriously consider studying law and working in policy in the long term. In the short term I would learn the basics of D&I and practice this in my current role at the Media Trust.

Understanding where my power comes from and how I can step into it is not easy. It leaves me with more questions and demonstrates why my learning journey is on going. To set myself up in exploring how to step into my power my peers have taught me to: ● ● ●

Be kinder to myself Internalise good feedback Be more present

Sharing this experience with my peers has been like no other. A special space with so many valuable lessons to learn (in such a short space of time!). The

learning marathon has been like free therapy and a pivotal, validating experience.

Affirmations that would guide my learning journey.

A mind map of my learning journey.

Peers of Colour Showcase Treasure Map

The meaning of my name (follow the prompts at the table)

3 things I am taking away with me today:

Who did I use as my character in the story:

3 ways I can incorporate rest into my life:

My thoughts on decolonising climate justice:

Let the first word you see lead you on your own little learning journey!

Over the last few months we have shared our deepest fears, desires and dreams, we have opened up the parts of our stories that were once hidden and presented our culture and heritage with pride, finding so much connection to who we are and to each other.

We have planted many seeds that we can now watch grow over time while we take the time to also sit back, rest and recuperate in order to give more of ourselves to the world.

Enrol Yourself is an award-winning social enterprise redesigning lifelong learning by harnessing the power of peer groups to multiply individual and collective development.

The Learning Marathon is a 6 month peer-led learning accelerator designed to integrate into life alongside work.

WEB: enrolyourself.com BLOG: medium.com/enrol-yourself TWITTER: @EnrolYourself INSTAGRAM: @enrol_yourself EMAIL: hello@enrolyourself.com