Running Head: FACILITATION ARTICLE REFLECTION #2

Dustin K. Grabsch
Facilitation Article Reflection #2
ALEC 616
Dr. Summer Odom

FACILITATION ARTICLE REFLECTION #2

The Basics
This chapter is chapter 8 entitled From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces: A New Way to
Frame Dialogue Around Diversity and Social Justice. This is within Part Three of the text The
Art of Effective Facilitation which concerns itself with Facilitation Design and Techniques.
Summary
The authors make the assertion to move away from safe space to the alternative of brave
space. Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens (2013) offer this alternative that may be more effective in
helping participants understand and expect the challenge require for growth and learning taking
place within social justice facilitation. This framework is proposed as a component of the ground
rules or community guidelines offered at the beginning of any effective facilitation. The guiding
questions Arao and Clemens (2013) explored in the chapter include: to what extent can we
promise the kind of safety our students might expect from us? (p. 135). Were we adequately
and honestly preparing students to be challenged in this way? (p. 135). Within this reflection,
the order of the reflection was intentionally shifted to the order of cognitive, behavioral, and then
affective.
Cognitive

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The notion of this framework rests on discussions the authors had with students. The
theme of a conflation of safety with comfort (p. 136) during facilitation arose (Arao &
Clemens, 2013). The authors suggest there may be a cognitive transition in the expectations of
the participants when facilitators update their language from traditional safe spaces to brave
spaces. The idea of removing risk from the equation is impossible, posit the authors, but revising
the language used by social justice facilitators may help students understand and rise to the
challenges of diversity and social justice issues (Arao & Clemens, 2013).
To me, this shifts my rhetoric I will use in some of my future facilitations. I think the
concept of changing language does have effect on participants. I would have appreciated more
consideration and research to support that this change in practice has empirical support. This
would have provided a stronger cognitive argument for adoption in practice.
Behavioral/Psychomotor
Within the chapter, a case study is outlined by the authors of an experience they had
facilitating training modules within the Department of Residential Education at New York
University. The activity that was used by the facilitators in the case study was to illustrate the
phenomenon of social stratification and injustice in the participants lives. The activity, called
Level the Playing Field, is a very tangible and understandable activity. This activity was easily
added to my toolkit as a facilitator.
Affective
Following the conclusion of the activity, students were sharing critical feedback. The
feedback centered on their social identities of the participant and the degree to which their target

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or agent group identity held salience for them. Common expressions shared by the authors were
student saying I cant help being White and These problems arent my fault.
These types of insights shared by participants are the type that many social justice and
diversity facilitators aim for. A critique to the authors is how one can assume the role of the
adapted ground rules played in this process vs. the activity itself.
References
Arao, B., & Clemens, K. (2013). From safe spaces to brave spaces: A new way to frame dialogue
around diversity and social justice. In L. Landreman (Ed.), The art of effective
facilitation: Reflections from social justice educators (pp. 135-150). Sterling, VA: Stylus.