Care & Support at SRCCON:POWER

SRCCON SAFETY HELPLINE: Members of the conference team will be available via voice or text at (612) 584-1131, or by email at srccon@opennews.org.

The spirit of generosity that animates this community is a big part of what leads to SRCCON and these smaller versions of SRCCON, too. We heard again and again that folks wanted to have space to share with and support one another. We expect some thought-provoking talks and intriguing sessions during our two days together, so we wanted to share some thoughts about how we’re creating the space for those conversations and the support we can offer to one another.

Inviting others into your conversation

When telling us why y’all wanted to come to SRCCON:POWER, many of you told us you wanted to meet others who were also working on making change in your newsrooms and teams.

• Say hi! We are here to meet and learn from one another. See a group of folks you barely know who sound like they’re having an intersting conversation? Join in!
• Keep space open for others to join. Follow Eric Holscher’s Pac-man rule: “When standing as a group of people, always leave room for 1 person to join your group.”

Taking care of yourself

• Listen to yourself. We’ve created a schedule and brought in a lot of snacks and drinks, so if your body is telling you something, you can find that sustenance, breath mint, or more. We encourage you to listen to other needs you may have too—feeling an urge to stretch? Feeling your neck tense up? Want to go for an impromptu walk? Do it.
• You do not need to ask permission to meet your own needs. With this event, we have “the rule of mobility”: If you aren’t participating in a session, or no longer want to participate, you can and should go elsewhere to a session where you can contribute. You don’t have to ask or apologize or delay. Just get up and go.
• You have support, we are here for you. You’re likely to find folks who are facing similar challenges and are available to strategize or distract, if that’s what you need. You can lean on this community and network. You are not in this work alone. If you need someone to talk to, the event support team is here for you and you can reach us through our help line or finding one of us in a purple SRCCON:POWER shirt.

Taking care of each other

We hope you’re feeling an openness to taking care of your own needs and the space to connect with others as well.

• Hear others. None of us knows everything, but together we know a lot. We’ve got a wonderful opportunity over these two days to listen and learn from one another. Listening is a chance to hear invitations and boundaries that allow us to better understand one another.
• “Speak from the I, name the we.” It can be helpful to be explicit about sharing from your own perspective: When “speaking from the I,” you’re clear that you’re sharing from your own personal experience. If you use “we” language, please name who you are referring to in that group. Is the “we” you are a part of in that statement your team, your news organization, your neighborhood, your social group? Being explicit about these perspectives can help ensure the listener understands what you’re saying and doesn’t have to guess.
• We all have support. The entire event is backed by our code of conduct and safety plan, and our support team is available to help us take care of one another, too.

Thank you to the AdaCampToolkit for conference self-care and to the Facilitation for Liberation Network Gathering for inspiration and resources for this page.