Story Workshop for Racial Trauma and Healing
Are you interested in learning to tell your story in bold, beautiful, and life-changing ways?
The Allender Center’s core belief is that we are best known—and our stories are best seen—in the company of others. The Story Workshop for Racial Trauma & Healing is a profound event that invites you to explore the themes of your life, particularly core themes common to those within racially marginalized communities who have experienced personal and collective trauma.
This Story Workshop is specifically designed for the BIPOC community, and it is led by BIPOC staff members. By focusing on the experiences of People of Color, we can create a safer space for you to explore your identity and learn more about your culture and family story. In the context of a supportive and facilitated environment through teaching and group work, you will receive encouragement and wisdom as you seek to understand, write, tell, and live your story in deeper and more transformative ways.
Offered in a live, interactive, online format, the Story Workshop for Racial Trauma & Healing is accessible from the comfort of your own home.
The next Story Workshop for Racial Trauma & Healing is April 25-27, 2025, and will be held online. Please sign up below to receive a notification when our next Story Workshop for Racial Trauma & Healing will be open for registration. If you have any other questions, please contact us at admissions@theallendercenter.org.
Workshop Experience
Who this workshop is for:
- If you are Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Color we invite you to participate in this workshop.
- If you are not BIPOC, please recognize and honor that this workshop is not for you. We invite you to participate in one of our upcoming Story Workshops.
During this online weekend, you will experience:
- Live, interactive teaching and presentations from Sam Lee, Wendell Moss, Linda Royster, and others, with special emphasis on cultural rituals, body-centering exercises and collaborative teaching formats.
- Small group sessions with a BIPOC Allender Center facilitator who is specifically trained to lead in a virtual format.
- A schedule that incorporates rest and sustainability, and body-based exercises for grounding and healing throughout the workshop.
- A seamless learning environment hosted by Zoom technology with access to technical support throughout the program weekend.
It wasn’t so much the content (which was all excellent), but rather the practice and optics. The facilitators were a beautiful representation of diversity, in both what appeared to be in identity statuses, but more poignantly, their approach and frameworks in which they engaged with the gospel. It was truly the first time that I feel like a got a glimpse of what heaven would be like. It also made room for me to make space in how God made me to worship.” — Story Workshop for Racial Trauma & Healing Participant
Preparing for the Workshop
Consider a particular story.
Prior to attending, you will be asked to consider an aspect of your own story that connects you to the deeper categories of trauma or harm. You will be invited to write and bring that story to read in a small group setting. Sharing these stories in a safe, kind space held by a facilitator is part of what takes this work from the head to the heart. More information and guidance will be provided after registration.
Prepare your space.
All small groups and teaching sessions will take place online. Stable internet connection with video and audio capabilities is required to participate. Locate a space in your home or other getaway location that is comfortable and offers privacy throughout the duration of the workshop.
Still wondering if this is for you? Read more about what our participants had to say:
The Workshop was deeply impactful. It’s helped me engage my body and emotions, and welcome feelings that make me uncomfortable. I was able to hear from God and feel a renewed sense of clarity in my identity and calling. The sense of solidarity was so powerful.”
This workshop had a deeply profound impact on me. I see the gospel and God in a different way. I realize the importance of how embodied my faith should be. It was sad to see how much white supremacy effects much of our faith and how much I need to continue to unlearn and learn/relearn things. It’s made me even consider wanting to take a training and/or course through the Allender Center to be a better minister as I believe what I’ve learned can be applied directly into my ministry with college students. I hope this workshop is offered again for BIPOC so more people can take it!”
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this workshop different from other Story Workshops?
- Highly specialized content focused on the particularity of experiences of Black, Indigenous, People of Color.
- This Story Workshop is specifically designed for the BIPOC community, and it is led by BIPOC staff members. By focusing on the experiences of People of Color, we can create a safer space for you to explore your identity and learn more about your culture and family story.
- Additional care and time is taken in the application and acceptance discernment process to ensure that this is an experience that centers People of Color.
Will Dan Allender be my small group leader?
No. This Story Workshop is solely led by BIPOC staff and facilitators from the Allender Center.
Can I still register if I have already attended another Story Workshop?
Yes! You may find that this experience is different from a previous Story Workshop as it will be navigated through the lens of Racial Trauma and Healing.
