“I was co-leading a workshop with an African American man. A white participant said to him, „I don’t see race; I don’t see you as Black.“ My co-trainer’s response was, „Then how will you see racism?“ He then explained to her that he was Black, he was confident that she could see this, and that his race meant that he had a very different experience in life than she did. If she were ever going to understand or challenge racism, she would need to acknowledge this difference. Pretending that she did not noticed that he was Black was not helpful to him in any way, as it denied his reality – indeed, it refused his reality – and kept hers insular and unchallenged“
Dr. Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
“I was co-leading a workshop with an African American man. A white participant said to him, „I don’t see race; I don’t see you as Black.“ My co-trainer’s response was, „Then how will you see racism?“ He then explained to her that he was Black, he was confident that she could see this, and that his race meant that he had a very different experience in life than she did. If she were ever going to understand or challenge racism, she would need to acknowledge this difference. Pretending that she did not noticed that he was Black was not helpful to him in any way, as it denied his reality – indeed, it refused his reality – and kept hers insular and unchallenged“
Dr. Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
VIAD
Critical Whiteness Workshops
In our endeavor within AEWTASS to foster critical whiteness awareness within companies and organizations, we offer VIADworkshops on Critical Whiteness. These workshops provide a space for participants to explore and challenge white privilege, systemic racism, and deepen their understanding of racial justice and equality.
Why is Critical Whiteness essential in companies?
Promoting Critical Whiteness within companies is indispensable for creating inclusive and equitable work environments. By critically examining the role of whiteness in shaping societal structures, power dynamics, and individual biases, organizations can actively work towards dismantling systemic racism and fostering a more inclusive workplace culture. Dual Facilitation:
Black and White Trainers to ensure a comprehensive and balanced perspective, our Critical Whiteness workshops are facilitated by both a black and a white trainer.
This dual facilitation approach allows for diverse lived experiences and insights to be shared, creating a richer learning environment. Through this collaboration, participants gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of racial dynamics and are better equipped to implement meaningful change within their organizations.
Nicola Frantz, Mag. a (FH) (Austrian Master of Applied Sciences)
Workshop trainer, conception, and evaluation of seminars.
first studied International Development and Theatre Studies for two years and then studied at the MCI, University of Applied Sciences (Management Center Innsbruck) in the Department of Social Work, where she completed her studies. She is a certified gender and diversity consultant, certified intercultural conflict manager and intercultural project manager, certified anti-racism trainer and trainer of the Theater of the Oppressed.
Since 2006 she has been working as a freelance trainer (gender/diversity, anti-racism, critical whiteness, empowerment, mental training, conflict management and Theatre of the Oppressed) in Austria and internationally. Since 2014 she has been an external lecturer and supervisor of Bachelor theses at the MCI University of Applied Sciences and since 2015, she has been teaching as an external lecturer at the WU (University of Economics Vienna).
She was able to gain a lot of experience in coaching and training young people, as she has been working part-time as a coach and trainer of teenagers since 2011 (WUK, Wien Work and since 2021 for Jugend am Werk). In addition, she was responsible for the development and implementation of the WUK diversity and inclusion projects for the WUK Youth Coaching West project.
Seit 2006 arbeitet sie als freiberufliche Trainerin (Gender/Diversity, Anti-Rassismus, Critical Whiteness, Empowerment, Mentaltraining, Konfliktmanagement und Theater der Unterdrückten) in Österreich und auch international. Seit 2014 ist sie externe Lektorin und Betreuerin von Bachelorarbeiten an der Fachhochschule MCI und seit 2015 unterrichtet sie als externe Lektorin an der WU Wien.
Sie konnte viel Erfahrung im Coaching und Training von Jugendlichen sammeln, da sie seit 2011 nebenberuflich als Coachin und Trainerin von Jugendlichen arbeitet (WUK, Wien Work und seit 2021 für Jugend am Werk). Zudem war sie für das Projekt WUK Jugendcoaching West für die Entwicklung und die Implementierung der WUK Diversitäts- und Inklusionsprojekte zuständig.
Mag.a Mariama Sow
Workshop trainer Conception and evaluation of workshops.
Mag. a Mariama Sow studied International Development at the University of Vienna and at the University of Paris Diderot. Her MA research focuses on migration theories, migration & development and migration & integration. She worked as a research assistant at the “Association pour Favoriser l’Integration Professionelle” in Pantin, France, and is co-author of the publication “Discriminations et carrieres – Entretiens sur des carrières de noir-e-s et d’arabes”, a series of interviews on discrimination experiences of academics with migration background in France. Currently, Mag Sow works as an executive director in international volunteer management. In this capacity, she designs and conducts workshops in the areas of awareness in development policy and public relations work with a critical view of racism in the context of international volunteer assignments.