ASRC Workshop
Creating breakthrough conversations with passionate change makers
Last week a group of students who are passionate about social justice, took part in a an interactive workshop run by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) and organised by one of our school captains, Rosie Thyer.
The workshop focused on ways to have powerful values-based conversations to shift community attitudes about the rights of people seeking asylum, and the students practiced new techniques in role-play conversations.
The asylum seeker resource center held a workshop for creating breakthrough conversations about policies that affect people who are seeking asylum. We learnt ways to engage with people who are on the fence in their support of people who are seeking asylum and have impactful conversations. We really enjoyed this workshop because it was a great way to help us to be proactive and engaged in these issues, particularly during lockdown when there are less conventional ways to be involved.
- Frankie and Beatrice Yr 10
Understanding your audience
Connecting to emotional responses
Re-framing the conversation
Understanding your audience
Connecting to emotional responses
Re-framing the conversation
Last Monday, myself and I group of 17 other students attended the ‘Northcote High Breakthrough Workshop’, run by the ASRC. Our teachers Jenna and Eva explained that the most effective way to educate someone to sympathise with refugees and people seekingasylum was to have respectful, values-based conversations. We learnt best ways to educate someone as the ‘toolbox’. Inside the toolbox, there were points such as tapping into shared values between you and the person you’re talking to, not acting superior to the person you’re talking to, using positive language to describe people seeking asylum, (eg. no language like “queue jumper” or “boat people”), and using active language, to discuss what can be done. We were then put into breakout ZOOM rooms, to role play a similar conversation that Jenna and Eva demonstrated. After that, we discussed the challenges of having those conversations, as well as what we thought our partnership did well. Some things I enjoyed about and learnt from the workshop was that surprisingly, studies have shown that people don’t listen to facts as well as they do to emotions, and facts may just exacerbate their position. Also, I thought the breakout room-role play was quite effective in demonstrating a helpful conversation. On the whole, I had a fun time at the workshop, and thought that Jenna and Eva were excellent and passionate teachers.
- Martha 7B