Duration: 90 minutes
About the workshop:
We've all been in the room when something shifts, a disagreement sharpens, a silence gets heavy, and the group looks to us to do something. This three-part cohort gives facilitators a restorative, justice-grounded toolkit for exactly those moments.
Across three weeks, we move through facilitating through conflict, designing for belonging, and holding the room when conversations turn toward racial and social justice
This is a working cohort, not a lecture series: you'll practice live in breakouts, build facilitation moves against real scenarios, and leave each session with a tool you can use the next time you're in front of a group.
Learning Objectives
In this session, participants will:
Facilitate through conflict using restorative moves. Participants will gain concrete techniques for working with tension rather than smoothing it over; naming what's happening without taking sides, de-escalating in the moment, and structuring a restorative process to reopen dialogue when a group is stuck.
Diagnose group dynamics and design for belonging in real time. Participants will build the ability to read the unspoken dynamics in a room, set and re-set norms mid-session, and design interventions that establish psychological safety and genuine belonging from the first ten minutes..
Hold the room when conversations turn toward racial and social justice. Participants will develop the self-awareness and skill to examine their own roles and behaviors as facilitators, respond rather than react when harm surfaces, and hold a group in productive discomfort. Participants will be equipped to move past performative gestures toward honest, structural practice.
Best suited for: Mid-Level Facilitators
NOTE: This workshop will be recorded for distribution to all who register (breakout rooms will not be recorded)
Each session is 90 minutes. It will take place at 1pm - 2:30pm EST on the following dates:
Speakers:
Stephanie Cuevas is an Organizational Consultant and Leadership Coach and the founder of Cultivating Joy Consulting, a Denver-based practice grounded in restorative justice, equity-centered design, and a "joy as resistance" philosophy. Drawing on 10+ years in higher education and mission-driven organizations, she designs and facilitates conflict-resolution, culture, and equity processes that help groups move from avoidance to action. Her facilitation centers on cultural humility, participation over performance, and the belief that the hardest conversations are where the most growth lives. She brings a deep library of interactive, field-tested facilitation tools and a warm, grounded presence to every room she holds.
ONLINE WORKSHOP REMINDERS:
MAFN does not offer refunds for events. Anyone who registers for an event will receive a credit that can be applied to any other MAFN event, or to MAFN membership. Credits must be used within 2 years.
Registered participants will receive instructions for joining the live session and any additional details 1 day in advance and the morning of the event. Please be sure to look for the link in your email.
This program begins promptly at 1:00pm Eastern. Please log on at least 5 minutes in advance to ensure your internet connections, audio and other settings are functioning properly.
For registration or membership questions contact info@mafn.org.
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