Recommended Workshop Topics

The “How” of Birth Justice

Strategies for Tackling Power and Oppression

Introduction to Reproductive Justice. RJ as a model strategy for tackling power and oppression. Would include the history and philosophy of RJ, key concepts (including intersectionality, systems of oppression), key organizations and their work today, and how birth justice comes into play. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Could be co-presented with EC and other RJ groups. Could be presented by culturally-congruent or culturally-competent presenters.

Putting Birth Justice into Practice. Would take your team through a process of defining the strategies for tackling power and oppression that  the team uses so that everyone has a shared understanding. Would identify possible new strategies that the organization could take on. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom.  Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

Strategies for Change and Resilience

Introduction to Resilience and Theories of Change. This workshop will help folks understand how they individually, and how groups collectively, keep going on purpose after setbacks and discouragement. This workshop will also introduce people to common patterns of change in groups and how to anticipate them. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Could be co-presented with EC and other RJ groups. Could be presented by culturally-congruent or culturally-competent presenters.

Resilience Practice. Staying resilient in the face of challenges and obstacles takes practice. We recommend regular resilience opportunities for teams, which could include 60-90 minute workshops at regular intervals (maybe once or twice a year). As an ongoing workshop we can build in reminders about the strategies for tackling power and oppression that the group is practicing. Could be presented by culturally-congruent or culturally-competent presenters.  

The “What” of Birth Justice

 Legal Systems

Rights During Birth. What rights do people have during pregnancy and birth? What are human rights, versus constitutional or statutory rights? What is the role of health care providers in defending human rights? What happens when people’s rights are violated during pregnancy and birth? Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

Rights During Birth Part 2. A deeper dive into some portion of the broader subject area, like the right to informed consent, and how it is commonly violated, and some strategies for dealing with it as a doula. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

How Laws, Rules and Policies Are Made (And How They Can be Changed). Looks at common laws, rules and policies in the perinatal care context, where they come from, who controls them, and how to bring about change in each. Includes an introduction to concepts related to community organizing. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

Provider Accountability and Facility Accountability. Looks at the types of accountability in the perinatal care context for providers (regulation, malpractice) and facilities (regulation, malpractice, constitutional) and how they bring about accountability, or fail to bring about accountability. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

Planning a Campaign to Change a Law, Rule or Policy. If the organization decides to take on a campaign to change a law, rule or policy, coaching and consulting could be warranted (see below) but a workshop could be helpful to coordinate the team and take the team through a “power-mapping” process. Would be harder to do remotely. May need a half or full day. Could be co-presented with EC and other RJ groups. Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

 Health Systems

Learning Your Place in the Perinatal Care Universe. Provides an introduction to the types of providers and types of organizations that work in the perinatal care setting. Includes how different providers and organizations are regulated (or not) and how they are paid for (or not) and who is accountable for what (or not).  Also includes some resiliency practice (the skill of zooming in and out). Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

Grappling with Being Part of a System. Would take the team through a process of understanding how they works as a group, what the team’s internal systems for accountability are, who the team is accountable to, and what the team’s role is in the perinatal care universe. Ideally paired with several other workshops for more context. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom.   Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

Introduction to the Medical Industrial Complex. This overview helps people see how lots of interconnected organizations and entities have gotten locked together in a system that has momentum and power beyond any of the individual people or organizations in the system. Also includes some history about how today’s perinatal care system was influenced by racist/classist/anti-immigrant/misogynist campaigns that started over 100 years ago.  And how the Medical Industrial Complex related to other “complexes” like the Military Industrial Complex and the Prison Industrial Complex. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

Follow the Money. Puts perinatal care in perspective in terms of how much money is spent in the field compared to other forms of health care. Includes how much money goes into advocacy, compared to other health issues, who the players are in advocacy, how lawyers are paid, and how that shapes the field. Also includes a look at how insurance companies (both health insurance and malpractice insurance) shape the field. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

The Perinatal Period

Thinking Ecologically. An overview of the perinatal period in the context of mammalian physiology, ecology and culture. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Would be multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

Cannabis Use, Laws and Policies in the Perinatal Period. An overview to the science and the legal context of cannabis as it relates to the perinatal period. Provides a good entry-point for learning about multiple intersecting legal and clinical issues in the perinatal period. Includes an introduction to thinking about risk in the perinatal period, and how to discuss cannabis with people and develop an individualized risk-benefit analysis. Ideally paired with several other workshops for more context. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).

Gender and Sexuality in the Perinatal Period. An introduction to LGBTQUIA2S issues as it relates to the perinatal period. Ideally paired with several other workshops for more context. Could be done remotely, feasibly in 60-90min via Zoom. Would be a multi-racial training team (but may not be culturally matched for all).