Social Positionality & GROW Team Dynamics

(Module 3)

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After working through this module, every GROW team member should be able to:

  • Reflect on the different experiences they have which shape the ways they interact with the world

  • Identify the ways in which their positionality influences their goals and participation in the GROW experience

  • Honor their own and their team member's strengths, weaknesses, & reactions to stress

  • Establish a self-care toolkit

  • Initiate an introductory conversation on team norms/team dynamics and expectations for a GROW experience

PRE-WORK (30 mins)

Do this on your own

KNOW YOURSELF

You know yourself best. However, it is natural to lack the all-encompassing, full comprehension of other people's reactions to stress. Similarly, you might reflect on your work style & personal preferences often, but how frequently do you consider others' preferences? These are important areas to explore when working in your GROW team, especially as preparations and trainings are currently happening, and with special considerations of virtual, in-person, and hybrid work barriers.

( 1 ) To better understand your strengths, weaknesses, habits & reactions to specific outcomes, use the Leadership Development Packet.

You'll share your results with your team during the Discern section.

( 2 ) What's in your self-care toolkit?

There are hundreds upon thousands of self-care resources online. HQ recognizes that every individual is unique, and that to prescribe GROW interns one method of self-care for the sake of healthy GROW team dynamics overall is unrealistic. However, we highly encourage each GROW intern to collect & develop personal resources that function as a self-care toolkit, because your self preservation is important to your team's health. While we don't anticipate increased stress or conflict during these experiences, taking the time to cultivate such self-preservation tools is key.

Here are some guiding links compiled by HQ that can help lead you to various resources to build your self-care toolkit.

EXPLORE & DISCERN (1 hour)

Do this together


  1. As a team come together and share resources you have each put together in your self-care toolkit.

    • Are there commonalities/ differences?

    • Are there ways you can support each other as resources or accountability partners?

  2. As a team, reflect on your Leadership Development Packet results.

    • What strengths resonate with you? What strengths do you have that aren’t listed?

    • What weaknesses resonate with you? What weaknesses do you have that aren’t listed?

    • Choose a strength that you are especially proud of and a weakness you struggle with. How can you approach each of these to grow throughout the GROW experience?

    • Based on the responses from the team on the Leading with Others Reflection, are there any team norms that can be created? Use this question as a starting point to creating commitments to each other while preparing, training, and participating in this year's GROW experience. You can always return to these views & commitments throughout your GROW internship and change them as needed to fit the the interests of your team's dynamics.

  3. Continue using the Leadership Development Packet results to dig into Social Positionality. Once everyone has been able to share their perspectives and learnings, work through your teams' social positionality. This will be beneficial to be aware of while preparing, training, and participating in your GROW experience.

    • What does your positionality have to do with what stories you hear, and which you choose to listen to, and ultimately, remember?

    • How does your positionality recognize, honor, and/or grapple with intersectional notions of difference (politics, economic class, race, ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, legality, age, ability, education, sexuality, gender, religion, etc.?) between your own community and that of your partner’s?

    • What are my goals and intentions for participating in this partnership?

    • What are my partners’ goals and intentions?

    • What roles do our respective positionalities have in shaping these goals and intentions?

INTERACTION

Do this on your own

Our goal for this section is to share back these reflections during our live programming to gain perspectives from our entire network as your team progresses through the GROW Modules.

RESOURCE BANK