Reflections on UFE’s Fall Training of Trainers

In this piece, Yashini Krishnakumar, UFE’s 2024-2025 Tisch Scholar, reflects on her experiences of sharing stories and developing critical consciousness at UFE’s Fall Training of Trainers. It was held November 14–17, 2024 at the Avila Center for Community Leadership.

Fall 2024 Training of Trainer participants, facilitators, interpreters, and participants’ children. Yashini Krishnakumar, front row, second from left.

My Introduction to ToT

My turn. I rose from my chair, assuming the same posture those before me had taken. As I breathed in, I felt the woody smell of incense warm the insides of my body. I stood delicately, my weight gently shifting from leg to leg, as my arms remained outstretched at my sides. 

As I directed my attention forward, my eyes caught those of Luana Morales, Birth and Bereavement Doula, Midwife, Circle Keeper, Spiritual Coach, Officiant, Reiki Master Teacher, and Herbal Apprentice. One of the healers facilitating UFE’s 2024 Fall Training of the Trainers, Luana began each session by “cleansing” each of the participants. I can still recall the reassuring warmth in the creases of her eyes and the curves of her face as our gazes met. Her presence helped quell the conflicting feelings of nervousness and anticipation I felt in the moment, and leading up to the retreat at large. 

The ToT was my introduction to popular education methodology and circle work. It was also the first time I met many of the UFE trainers and facilitators I had been working with during the fall in person. As UFE has significant organizing bases in both North Carolina and Alabama, I saw many unfamiliar faces as well. 

Jeannette Huezo, UFE Executive Director and Senior Popular Educator – better known as “doña” by the participants at the retreat – had extended an invitation to partake in the training within a week of my start date at UFE. Her eagerness to make sure I was present in a space with healing and liberation at its forefront touched me, contributing to my desire to participate and put my best foot forward. Especially after the retreat’s completion, I truly believe one takes away what they are willing to put in – a sentiment echoed by another facilitator of the event, Eroc Arroyo-Montano, UFE’s Director of Cultural Organizing, and an educator, artist, facilitator, organizer, youth worker, community activist, and proud father of three. Being open and comfortable with vulnerability allowed me to benefit from the strength and wisdom of other participants and experience the transformative nature of circles as a whole.  

While I was one of the only attendees experiencing a UFE ToT for the first time, the uncertainty I had quickly dissipated. As soon as I arrived at the Avila Center for Community Leadership, I was met with an overwhelming abundance of warmth. I felt it first in the smiles that pointed in my direction and then in the powerful hugs I shared with countless community organizers and leaders… an energy that has stayed with me as I continue to converse with many participants on my own time. 

Our Facilitators, Trainers, Circle Keepers. L to R: Eroc Arroyo-Montano, Luana Morales, Justice Roe Williams, Jeannette Huezo

An Exploration of Pop Ed Methodology

A core activity in the retreat was creating presentations with a group curated by la doña, Jeannette; I was paired with Mama Cookie and Yamileth. Mama Cookie is a Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW) worker-leader, grandmother, and community leader, and Yami is a dedicated high school volunteer, daughter, and youth member of UFE’s Grassroots Organizing School of Alabama 2024 cohort. When we first got together, Mama Cookie prompted us to choose a topic of personal interest. After some reflection, I volunteered a possible topic: barriers to accessing mental health services, whether they be financial, cultural, or so forth. 

While healthcare is often at the forefront of political conversation and debate, I find that mental health continues to be severely under-addressed. I proposed developing skits to showcase experiences participants may relate to (loosely inspired by the structure of Jimmy Fallon’s Saturday Night Live). We presented our skits, then tasked attendees with moving to the side of the room that demonstrated how much they identified with a statement derived from the skit – for instance, “A loved one or I myself have experienced stigmas surrounding mental health access, whether internalized or from society.” 

The power of the exercise was in seeing how all participants assembled around the “Strongly Agree” section. The urgency of the issue at hand was made overwhelmingly clear – every individual had felt suppressed or neglected by the mental health system in some way… and yet had not realized that their experience was not theirs alone. As we shared both hugs and tears, I was empowered by the fact that what had begun as an abstract idea had become a means of building connection, strength, and community. 

It was through this exercise that I first truly felt the power of Popular Education methodology – though participants interpreted each prompt in various ways, the universality of our experiences offered comfort and light. In listening and partaking in the remainder of the groups’ presentations (which spanned a wide variety of topics), I was reminded of home, my connection with nature/the outside world, and those whose stories are buried in the land we stand on today. 

After completing our presentation, we received valuable feedback from the facilitators. Especially given the emotions our exercise had brought into the space, their advice made me reevaluate how to best juggle engagement and facilitation when engaging with sensitive topics. While I have grown familiar with leading peers, there is inevitable vulnerability in stepping up in a space with individuals who have much more experience than I do. As such, the popular education framework showed me I have something to learn from everyone – including myself. 

Learning from & with Community  

One of the experiences most fundamental to relationship and community-building at the ToT was being part of the healing justice circle, which Luana and Eroc facilitated together. As spaces that emphasize shared opportunities to converse and offer perspectives, the prompt at the ToT circle in particular was to discuss what had been weighing on us… as such, many shared unease regarding the election, personal matters such as health and wellness, and so forth. 

Gathering for Evening Circle

From the refreshing breeze that seeped in through the chapel windows and the dim flickers of the candles that illuminated the space, the setting itself invited warmth and discussion. However, I believe the circle was so special because of how we were able to share space with one another – a notion that transcends the physical aspects of the room and emphasizes the emotional weight of what we were sharing. During my turn, I felt words flow from my lips as if they had been long contained within. 

Not only do I want to thank our wonderful facilitators for their role in crafting the environment, but I also want to draw attention to the contributions of the ToT participants – who continue to carry some of the burden and tension I had been feeling with them, as I now do with their voices and stories. As I reflect on our circle, I revel in the relief and comfort that fills my body after feeling deeply heard. 

In addition to feeling embraced by community, the Training offered many opportunities for me to grow and learn from other participants. One of the workshops, hosted by Luana and Justice Roe Williams, focused on how we can support our communities in times of need. Justice is an intersectionality consultant, personal trainer, community coach/organizer, author, and acted as the last of our facilitators. 

Luana and Justice led us through an activity where we were tasked with planning how we would aid and provide relief to a community affected by a flood. Our minds jumped to “contacting individuals with boats” or “transporting food and supplies.” But we were struck by how we struggled to find action items that did not rely on bringing in external support. We need to have the relationships and trust to know what resources and skillsets are already available to and already present within the impacted community. As I recognized how our brainstorm fell short of our goals of how to provide aid and, I was reminded of what it means to be in and support community: in communities where everyone is valued or has a role, it is easier to look within to find ways to organize. 

In spite of the Training’s physical end, I am carrying with me a newfound resolve for tending to the causes and people I care about, as a direct consequence of the critical reflection work we did during the retreat. Testimonies from other participants confirms for me that this sentiment was not mine alone – we grew as a collective, rather than just as individuals. 

Reflecting on Language & The Land 

After the retreat, I returned home feeling more prepared to continue my work toward economic justice, and more equipped to be mindful and analytical in my daily life. In being more cognizant of the language I use and the land I live on, I both recognize and act with my own positionality in mind. 

The entirety of the ToT utilized seamless two-way interpretation between Spanish and English. Being in a space that held two-way interpretation to its core prompted me to reflect on instances where translation had been unidirectional – and the unconscious bias and prestige surrounding the English language. By allowing both Spanish and English speakers to speak in their native tongue, the environment felt both authentic and fluid. While certain words and phrases in Spanish may not carry the same weight in their English translation, our translators were able to embody words like “mujerista” with the intonation in their voices and the movements of their bodies, making listening to narratives a much more personal experience.

For allowing many whom I now treasure to share their stories with the words they feel most connected to, I extend appreciation to our wonderful translators, Emily Rhyne, Wendelin Regalado, and Catalina Nieto. From helping us share our gifts to our traumas, so many of the conversations we shared would not have been possible without the time and energy they devoted to helping craft our space at ToT.

Our lovely interpretation team. L to R: Emily Gibson Rhyne, Wendelin Regalado, Catalina Nieto

Moreover, being in an open space, with over 50 acres of beautiful meditation trails and greenery, was the perfect setting to explore my roots and what it means to be grounded – in myself, my work, and in community. I recall following the trickling sound of freshwater on my own time, and the joy that stretched across my face as I found a small stream on the land. Re-discovering the beauty of nature, along with realizing how disconnected we are from the soil and ground beneath us, was a bittersweet reminder to recognize and display my own gratitude to the earth.  

A Participant-Led Presentation Focused on Reconnecting with Nature

Main Cabins & Greenery at the Avila Center

Takeaways

One of many aspects I value about the Tisch Scholars Program at Tufts is its continuity – rather than working at UFE for a month, I was granted the opportunity to form long-term connections with mentors and organizing leaders. The Training of Trainers allowed me to forge new relationships with others I would not have otherwise met. 

From receiving beautiful reminders like “You are worth every prayer whispered by your ancestors” to connecting with participants about organizing/fundraising opportunities within the Greater Boston Area, I have been able to remain connected with those I was introduced to at the ToT in a variety of ways. I am grateful to say that connections that began from my work have now become dear to me even outside of it – it is truly so easy to feel loved and supported by those whom I met at the retreat. 

While I was first connected to UFE through my university, I now continue my work on my own accord. The Training of the Trainers helped me reflect on how my identity and experiences shape the contributions I bring to the ongoing fight for justice. By helping me relax, recenter, and redefine my aspirations for both the present and future, the ToT was truly invaluable in reaffirming my passion for driving sustainable, systemic change. I carry the transformative power of the experience I had at the Fall ToT with me as I continue to strive towards a more equitable, just economy in my work with UFE and beyond.