A lot of the inquires we receive are about a desire for churches or organizations to use Be the Bridge materials, but there are so many options they aren’t sure where to start.
We are so thankful to be able to provide so many resources for those interested to be successful in their journey of reconciliation. Here’s a bit of a roadmap to get you started.
Whether you are new or more seasoned to the work of Be the Bridge, you first have to grab our Founder’s book! In here you will read the story of how Latasha Morrison became a bridge-builder and what it will take for the church to be a credible witness in this work. It is a perfect primer for all other resources we provide and a fantastic starting point either for individuals to read, or for a book club or small group.
So you’ve read the book, perhaps checked out the website, or simply had a friend tell you all about us. Where do you go next?
If you have a multi-racial group of people who have done the work of educating themselves for a while now and want to dig right into reconciliation work, you can continue with our Discussion Guide. The group leaders will need both a regular guide AND a leader guide. We highly recommend all white people complete our Be the Bridge 101: Foundational Principles Every White Bridge-Builder Needs to Understand course. You can find the guide in our shop and work through it with a small group or complete our online Zoom training.
Our next course will be offered in January and you can register for that here. This is foundational work that will take some real burden off the shoulders of people of color and allow white members to enter the reconciliation space in a healthier place where they are ready to engage without exacerbating harm. In addition, we have a curriculum specifically for people of color called We Need To Talk: A BIPOC Guide to Healing Ourselves. Diverse groups who are interested in meeting together to work through our Discussion Guide will find it helpful for the white people and people of color to complete these steps prior to meeting.
Want to know how to get a group started? We’ve got guidance for that here and we also offer a Facebook group specifically for group leaders or those wanting to start a group. There, you will find all kinds of support such as the ability to ask other leaders questions as well as watch leader training videos by our team. We recommend groups no larger than 8-12 members, so if you have a whole church wanting to participate, you will need to divide people up into small groups, as both trust and relationships are key to this work. Before your group gets started, it is helpful to have all members, regardless of race, read the 16 Tips for White Bridge-Builders to make sure you have common language and expectations for interracial communication.
Maybe the community you’re trying to have participate in this work are youth or college students, and you’re wondering if the curriculum is right for them. No worries! We have guides specifically designed for those stages of life.
We know that often people struggle to find community locally to engage with on these topics, or, if they do, still like to broaden their understanding and engage with people from all over. We have a variety of options for online connection. You can follow us on social media on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
We also make lots of use of Facebook Groups. We have our main group we invite everyone to join (be aware we have all new members not post or comment in the group for 3 months while they work through an educational program we have designed with both people of color and white people in mind), a group packed with even more resources and any help you need for those who are monthly donors of $20 of more, a group just for leaders, one for those in church or ministry leadership, a group to care for people of color, one for those doing bridge building on college campuses, as well as a group for those who have purchased our Transracial Adoption Guide (perfect for those white people considering adopting outside their racial group or who already have).
If you haven’t looked all through the shop on the website, be sure you do! Not only can you find all kinds of resources there, but also keep an eye out for new merch!
Amongst those shop resources are a series of webinars. There are options for understanding how to talk to kids about race, options (for free!) surrounding racial trauma and self care for people of color, healthy next steps for meaningful action for white bridge-builders, transracial adoption resources, and more. We regularly add new options, so keep checking back!
We also have a podcast! Check out “Be the Bridge Podcast” and subscribe on your favorite podcast app.
And finally, we have so many resource lists you can access! There’s a variety of them in the Facebook groups, on the blog, throughout the website, and we also have an Amazon ideas list where we compile everything possible you might want to purchase for yourself or those in your life.
You can always stay up on the latest news from Be the Bridge from where Tasha may be speaking next to new resources coming out by signing up for our newsletter. When you do so, you will receive a free download: Roadmap to a More Diverse Life.
We hope this provides the guidance you need to utilize all the resources we love providing. Still have questions? Reach out to [email protected] and we will be sure to help you out.
Amazon links on this site are affiliate links that benefit Be the Bridge.
Now I wish I could meet Latasha Morrison in person! I’m so happy to be “introduced” to her virtually and looking forward to my journey learning how to be a better bridge builder with the help of Be the Bridge & all these amazin’ resources!