Holistic security - Collective Memory

Title of the tutorial	Protecting memory, protecting ourselves: collective memory as a Gateway to understand holistic security
Attributions
Kind of learning session	Holistic
Tutorial category	Discussion
Duration (hours)	1
Learning objectives	- Understand the significance of collective memory and the steps that can be taken to secure it. - Provide means to think about security from a holistic perspective, both personally and within a movement.
Prerequisites	xxx
Methodology	Activity Option I. Walking through our personal journey In this activity, participants individually create their own 'path' (represented on the floor by materials such as seeds, flour, sand, masking tape, etc) as a narrative of their journey in activism and their personal lives until this point, and perhaps also where they want to go. This activity is a very individual one. Participants are given at least 15 minutes to design their path and then take turns to walk along the path, presenting it to the rest of the group. The key is that this session is self reflective and allows people to review both what influences and events have led them to where they are now (particularly with reference to their activism), and also to reflect on where their path may lead them next. The activity can be influenced by the choice of shape: this can be pre-set by you as the facilitator, or be left open for participants to create their own. A spiral can be walked ideally first from the outside to the central point, beginning with where I am now and going backwards to the furthest desired point (maybe to the first trigger instance, or even all the way through childhood to birth) before moving chronologically back out from the centre to where I am now and further, where do I want to go? A maze shape can also be used. In this case the we have more autonomy over the path which we walk, we must perhaps also face pathways that lead to dead ends where we are forced to turn around. Option II. Drawing our collective memory This is a group activity where all participants collectively create a mural to represent their own shared history. The activity is similar conceptually to the “Draw your Day” activity, but could encompass a much broader time frame and focuses on the experiences common to the group as a whole. The activity is easiest within a relatively homogenous group, but could also be useful in defining common ground in a heterogeneous group too. Step 1. On a large area of wall or floor space, spread out a number of sheets of flipchart paper Step 2. Instruct participants that they will collectively create a mural to represent their shared journey together. It can be a narrative (with a clear timeline) or structured differently. Step 3. In the centre, they could put a representation of what they are fighting for, what they stand for and who they are. This can be something that inspires them and reminds them of their principles throughout the training. On either side of this, they can map out their collective memory and the events, positive and negative, that have led them to establish and fight for this vision. Step 4. Give participants time, at least 10 minutes, to discuss what to put in the centre. In the other areas, they can work more individually on their collective memory Alternative: In groups where collaboration like this may be challenging, give each participant their own half-sheet of flipchart paper wherein they will draw their own journey, and eventually assemble all of them together. Step 5 Give participants 30-45 minutes to draw together and assemble the drawing on the wall. Additional step: Participants can use string and pins to make connections between the moments they have experienced together and represent the interconnected nature of their individual journeys. Option III. Reclaiming our history When working with a group who struggle against a State who re-writes their own history through control of the media and other outlets, an interesting variation on this activity could be to ask participants to bring news articles, photos and other media with them to include in the mural, contrasting the “official truth” with their own lived experience. __________________________________________________________________________________ Discussion The discussion should take place between the whole group, first reflecting on the experience of the activity, any themes which emerged and feelings about this experience. It should also touch upon what collective memory means to us. Here are some themes which may be useful for guiding the discussion: How HRDs establish an official narrative - historical truth Lived experience vs. official “truths” and who creates these Structural influence on the way official “truths” are retold (e.g. victim blaming/shaming, gendered violence) The power of our narrative to influence who we are, how we got here and where we want to go The political, economic, social and technological trends and how they have affected our work (see also: Situation Monitoring and Analysis) Identifying trends, threats, vulnerable groups, methods of repression, and our capacities within this Considering the role of justice within our movement, especially when this is not delivered through the judicial system Making space for our difficult memories and experiences (group or individual) The role of physical space within our collective memory and our activism or the way in which control of the physical space has been taken away The importance of naming perpetrators How we preserve and protect our collective memory It is worth noting that whilst for some groups the link between their current activism and collective memory is obvious, for others, this link may not be immediately apparent. It is incredibly important for HRDs to see their work as the living form of their collective memory, and not as separate from a collective memory which is purely historical. __________________________________________________________________________________ Input The inputs in this exercise, like the discussion above, will depend greatly on what you are using the exercise as a vehicle for (i.e., the overall purpose of the training). Some themes and topics to highlight in almost any case would include: Security is personal, and like our objectives as human rights defenders and activists, we define it for ourselves. We build security together just as we build our movement together, and when we protect ourselves and each other, we protect the movement and what we believe in. Speaking our truth from our lived experience is political and sometimes subversive. Our truth is to be protected, and sharing and celebrating it, strengthens it. Evidence of our experiences – documentation, videos, pictures, news articles, files, and so on – are therefore vital and need to be protected (link to information security) ____________________________________________________________________________________ Deepening The deepening, like the input, will depend largely on what your objective for the training is. The question of how we preserve and protect our collective memory is incredibly important. It is this realisation that can be very useful in opening the door to conversations about physical and digital security which may otherwise seem abstract or low in importance. Many HRDs may have large data sets, video and photographic evidence, objects which are significant to their evolving collective memory. Some ideas for deepenings may include: I. Situational Analysis Participants could use this visualisation as a platform for mapping the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental trends around them, and thinking about how they collect this data, and from which sources. (see: Situational Monitoring and Analysis) II. Actor Mapping Participants could use this visualisation as a means of identifying their allies, adversaries and neutral parties relative to their work and their ideals, and then analysing them in terms of their interests and resources (see: Actor Mapping) III. Information Mapping Particularly in groups working with evidence of human rights abuses, conflicts and so on, this exercise could be used as a platform for mapping the sensitive information which they are managing, where it is stored and under what conditions. (see: Information Mapping) IV. Documenting and Reporting Violations (Gender perspective) This exercise could be used to highlight the contrasting narratives of a patriarchal State/society and Women & LGBTIQ human rights defenders, and the ways in which injustice is hidden behind patriarchal discourses. Then, participants could use this exercise in order to come up with strategies on how to document, preserve and articulate their truth. Below are some topics that you could link to in the discussion, and follow up on is direct sessions later: Secure data storage Secure cloud storage Physical storage, archiving, preservation of objects Techniques and strategies for long term digital preservation ____________________________________________________________________________________ Synthesis The synthesis will depend on the deepening you choose. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Additional Considerations Confidentiality ; Psychologically sensitive space ; Awareness of emotion (our own & each others); Know some good sources if you need to offer referals for people suffering seriously from trauma etc. ; Gender framing of personal and collective history ; Small groups better for trust, sharing; Respecting the plurality of perceptions ; Awareness of homogeneous / multiple backgrounds or conflicting identities ; Awareness of conflict resolution positive for the trainer ; Guide the conversation to identify trends and methods of repression, especially with vunrable groups
Number of facilitators involved	2
Technical needs	Be as creative as possible: large space (indoors or outdoors), something to mark a pathway (either in a spiral, or maze shape) e.g. masking tape, seeds, flour, sand, pens & paper coloured markers, photographs, news clippings, nuts, seeds, stones, etc.
Theoretical and on line resources	xx