Download the Quaker social change ministry manual. The original model was created by UU Ministers Kelly Dignan, Kierstin Homblette, and Deborah Holder and has been adapted and supplemented by AFSC. You can read more about the Quaker Social Change Ministry here.
We recommend doing this homework together in a group, discussing what you read and the exercises with one another. We also know that some people are taking this course individually, and that the realities of COVID-19 mean that groups cannot gather in person, and that gathering virtually might be difficult for various reasons. If you are doing this homework on your own, we recommend that you reflect on your thoughts and questions through journaling.
- Work through the Companionship/Accompaniment/Followership exercise on page 29 of the manual. It will probably take 30-40 minutes to do with a group.
- Complete the Accompaniment exercise on pages 31-39, which uses different scenarios to think about accompaniment for social change. This should take about 45 minutes with a group. If you are working individually, you could take some time to journal on all the scenarios, or focus more deeply on one.
- Read and reflect on the tenets of accompanying for social change, which we discussed in session 4, found on page 41. Reflect on or discuss the following questions:
- In what ways is our current justice work aligned with the Companionship/Accompaniment/Followership approach? Which one does it most closely fit?
- In what ways is our current justice work out of alignment with the Companionship/Accompaniment/Followership approach?
- How are decisions made for our group? Who sets the priorities, and who is consulted before those priorities are set? How does this relate to the model?
- What thoughts and feelings does this raise for us? Is there anything we’d like to adapt about how we work in order to be in better alignment?
- What challenges or barriers might impact our ability to make those changes? How can we be ready for and address those challenges/barriers?