Resisting COVID Denialism: Strategy Clinics for Organizers

In the face of the ongoing COVID pandemic and Long COVID crisis, PeoplesHub is offering a series of three online clinics designed to bring movement organizers together to share strategies, resources, and political education.

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We recognize that people have been resisting COVID denialism within organizations and communities, often doing this work alone, or as part of the few groups organizing in their sectors and regions.

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The clinics are for everyone who’s already been resisting (or wanting to resist) COVID denialism – including long-term organizers & people who’ve become involved over the course of the pandemic.

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We’ve seen the rise and fall of concern about COVID in movement spaces, and the impact this has not only on collective care, but the overall success of our campaigns and projects. We also understand that COVID denialism is both a consequence of, and contributing to, rising authoritarian forces – forces that threaten all of our work. What we’re faced with requires us to apply learnings from the past, as well as share current models and interventions rooted in disability justice and harm reduction. This includes analysis around COVID mitigation strategies, and how to best incorporate these throughout our groups and organizations.

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Session 1: Connecting past & present, political realities on the ground, identifying challenges & opportunities in movement spaces.

Session 2: Reflections from Session 1, sharing interventions, practices, campaigns & strategies.

Session 3: Reflections from Session 2, determining where we want to go next, exploring possibilities for ongoing mutual support.

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FAQ:

• What is a clinic and the expectation of participation? Our clinics are peer-supported spaces to workshop strategies and challenges that organizers face in their local communities. There is an expectation of participation in our clinics. We know participation looks different for everyone, so we ask that everyone is open and responsive to questions about participation. Please note: There is no expectation of anonymity in this space. As it will be a place to strategize, it is also a site of peer support - and at times, participants will share intimate details about our lives. We want to protect the integrity of the space and the agency of each person to choose what they’re comfortable sharing. A part of that includes knowing who else is in the space.
• Will this be recorded? We will record for internal purposes only. The recording of this clinic will not be shared publicly. We encourage all registrants to attend this event in real time.

• What if I'm not an organizer? We ask that you not attend this particular offering. However, you’re welcome to join our Community Care Clinic if you are looking to connect with other chronically ill & disabled people in movement spaces. Refunds will be processed for anyone who needs to cancel their registration!
• What is an organizer? Organizers are people who are putting their time, energy, and resources into harm reduction efforts as we enter year 4 of this pandemic. We are looking to coalesce with groups actively working to resist covid denialism at community levels. This space is offering to help shape alignment around this emerging movement.