From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces: A New Way to Frame Dialogue Around Diversity and Social Justice.
Brian Arao, Kristi Clemens. 2013
The term “safe space” might make it seem like people won’t feel uncomfortable when discussing sensitive topics like race and gender. However, talking about these issues often involves challenges and risks. For people from marginalised groups, these difficulties are often part of their daily lives. So, when we expect discussions to be “safe” for the majority, it can be seen as a privilege.
The term “brave space” is a better choice. It means everyone involved accepts that difficult conversations will be uncomfortable, but they approach them with courage and openness. Using “brave” instead of “safe” doesn’t just set the tone for participation, it suggests how we should participate. This idea of a “brave space” resonated with me not only for classroom settings but also for creating strong student-college relationships.
This article mentioned an activity called “Step Forward, One Step Back” (also known as a privilege walk) that I’ve seen a lot about it on YouTube. In this activity, people stand in a line and answer questions about social justice and privilege. For example, someone might say “If you are white, take one step forward.” By the end, people who answered “yes” to more questions were closer to the front, while those who answered “no” were further back.
The goal is to help people understand how advantages and disadvantages (privilege) can affect their lives, even if they don’t realise it. It’s also meant to make people think more about social justice issues.
However, this activity can actually create a physical and emotional separation between people in the room. It can make people feel like there’s an “us” and a “them,” and that some people will never understand the experiences of others. Instead of feeling empathy (caring) for those with less privilege, it might make people feel more distant.
Here are some concerns about the activity:
• People with fewer advantages are expected to share their experiences, which may be uncomfortable.
• It can make people feel ashamed without offering ways to cope with those feelings or use their advantages to help others.
• It reinforces the idea of “us vs. them” instead of bringing people together.
After receiving the critical feedback on the One Step Forward, One Step Backward activity, Arao and Clemens revised their framework to emphasise the need for courage rather than the illusion of safety to accomplish the learning goals and more accurately reflect the nature of genuine dialogue regarding these challenging and controversial topics.
To create a brave space for social justice learning activities, it’s important to establish clear ground rules:
| Some ‘safe space’ ground rules | Evolved into ‘brave space’ ground rules |
|---|---|
| Agree to disagree. Welcome the disagreement and encourage them to offer contrasting views. | Controversy with civility. Different views are expected and honoured with a group commitment to the sources of disagreement and working together to common solutions. |
| Don’t take things personally. No judgement and it’s ok to make mistakes. | Own your intentions and your impact. The impact of our actions is not always congruent with our intentions. |
| Challenge by choice. Individuals will determine for themselves if and to what degree they will participate in a given activity. | If you can choose not to be challenged, consider the impact of that choice. To consider how their daily lives are affected if they choose not to challenge themselves. |
| Respect. They want to be respected and to be respectful to others. | Distinguish between challenge and aggression. How does someone demonstrate respect for you? |
| No attacks. Attacks as a form of extreme disrespect. | Distinguish between opposing a view and attacking a person. The differences between personal attack on individuals and a challenge to an individuals’ idea or belief. |
In my opinion, controversy and even conflict can be okay if we have some guidelines in place to manage them. Arao and Clemens talk about creating ground rules for discussing sensitive topics. A “brave space” is like a platform where you can have these discussions openly, knowing it’s safe to share your thoughts and feelings.
This makes brave spaces especially helpful for discussions about diversity and social justice issues. Unlike “safe spaces” that might focus on personal experiences and feelings, brave spaces encourage a more outward-looking discussion about broader issues and create positive change.
References:
Ali, D., (2017). Safe Spaces and Brave Spaces. Historical Context and Recommendations for Student Affairs Professionals, NASPA Policy and Practice Series. NASPA
Arao, B., & Clemens, K. (2006, March). Confronting the paradox of safety in social justice education. Educational session presented at the annual meeting of ACPACollege Student Educators International, Indianapolis, IN.
Callan, E. (2016). Education in safe and unsafe spaces. Philosophical Inquiry in Education, 24, 64–78. https://journals.sfu.ca/pie/index.php/pie/article/view/945.
Zheng, L., (2016). Why your brave space sucks. The Stanford Daily. https://www.stanforddaily.com/2016/05/15/why-your-brave-space-sucks/