Conflict and harm within the dance community may be inevitable, but destructive escalation and polarization are not. Incidents of unwanted, unexpected, or dangerous behavior at dance events can compromise an atmosphere of safety, respect, and enjoyment, and can affect event attendance and community involvement on a broader scale.
The Portland Blues and Jazz Dance Society (PB&J) is currently restructuring their conflict support process to reflect their values of inclusion, equity, and restorative response. This project offers PBJDS a multi pronged approach to engaging with community conflict. It is designed to empower community members to generate mutually supportive resolutions and, when needed, to offer support in having constructive conversations across difference.
Under this initiative, PB&J seeks to cultivate an environment of accountability, courage, and mutual support in the dance scene, both for community members’ protection and wellbeing and to free up leadership resources to attend to other organizational concerns. It seeks to center the needs of harmed parties as well as those of the community as a whole, and prevent future instances of conflict and abuse.
Courage in Community:
A Conflict Engagement Support Process Handbook
This training handbook is designed to assist the PB&J leadership and other key community members in navigating normative conflict in a way that supports healing and healthy relationships within the community.
PB&J Conflict Engagement Support Process
The mission of the Conflict Engagement Support Process is to assist community members in negotiating ways to share space safely, supporting reconciliation, and creating a more resilient and cohesive community.