De-escalation Skills

In this practical workshop, we’ll explore share and develop key skills in de-escalation to use in a whole range of situations.

Who this is for:

• Are you involved in a grassroots or community group, co-operative, NGO, charity or other collective working for social justice?
• Do you want to practise responding to potential confrontational behaviour in a way that centres care and anti-oppression, and keeps everyone safe?

We will:

• Explore safety concerns and fears about events or actions where there is likely to be counter-protesters and/or confrontation from folks present;
• Build skills and confidence in responding to confrontation in different settings, through words, actions and body language;
• Explore how we can best prepare in our groups and collectives for potential escalation.

Training date & times: Friday 22 November, 930am arrival for 10am start, 5pm close.

Location: Glasgow Autonomous Space (GAS), 9 Hollybrook street.

Google maps link here. Access info below.

Our approach

Tripod’s trainings are inspired by direct education methodologies and based in our intersectional values. Our work focuses on creating space for personal, collective and systemic transformation. We are committed to experiential education, which means that we’ll be learning by doing and that we’ll centre the experiences and knowledge already in the room. You'll have plenty of opportunities for practice and feedback and to address specific questions and challenges you're bringing.

Accessibility

The venue is wheelchair accessible. Have a look at the Accessibility Check-list of GAS for more detail.

Tripod is committed to ensuring our trainings are accessible to a wide range of participants. We will use a mixture of written and verbal content, and share resources and notes in written form after the sessions. We can share some content beforehand on request. Please let us know about any access requests when registering.

We also have a limited pot available to support with any access barriers. Please let us know when signing up whether you need your travel or childcare costs covered to be able to take part in the training.

On the Day:

• We will provide tea and coffee, with access to hot and cold water taps.
• Please bring your own lunch or plan to purchase food in the local area (which would be a little walk away). There’s a microwave and some crockery you can use.

Exchange

To make our trainings affordable for everyone, Tripod uses a sliding scale for fees. We also have a number of free spaces available. Organisations and individuals who can pay more help us offer these trainings to grassroots groups at little to no cost. Any additional income from this training will also be shared with the training venue, Glasgow Autonomous Space, to cover their running costs.

Tickets are available at three rated tiers: 'Supported', 'Exchange', 'Nurture' & 'Redistribution'. More about each ticket tier & how to assess your financial situation is available when booking your ticket.

About Tripod: Training for Creative Social Action

Tripod builds the power of social movements tackling the root causes of injustice in Scotland and beyond. As a collective of facilitators and educators, we connect people and develop skills to embody the liberated futures we’re fighting for. We seed active solidarity and strengthen strategic collaboration within and across movements. We offer training, meeting facilitation and conflict mediation to support groups to work in better alignment with their visions and values. We are a worker-led, not-for-profit coop, and have been embedded in movements since 2008.

For more info about our approaches and other work visit our website tripodtraining.org. Our new 2025-2030 strategy has a big focus on increasing the capacity within and across groups to better navigate conflict: https://tripodtraining.org/what-we-do/strategy/

On the 25th of October, we're also running a - do join us!

About the trainers:

Aoife (they/them)

Aoife is a trainer, facilitator and project coordinator, with a background in science, feminist organising, campaigns for reproductive justice, queer liberation and climate justice. Having participated in various kinds of organising groups and contexts they’re fascinated by the ways in which we can counter wider injustice and transform our ways of working from the small scale and create effective, subversive, dynamic and fulfilling movement spaces. Aoife can be found baking, knitting, and reading YA & sci-fi.

Olga (she/her)

Olga is a trainer, facilitator and project coordinator. She's been involved in movements organising for climate justice, food justice, radical education and community-led democracy over the past 15 years. She’s interested in how we can support each other to act collectively and strategically in this time of spiralling crises, and stay resourced for the long-haul. Personally she finds nourishment in dancing, wild swimming, writing and reading poetry, and doing land work together with others.

Host or Publisher Tripod