What can I do about racism?

In this self-paced online workshop, kids ages 7 – 12, along with a parent or caregiver, will:

use art, movement, and storytelling to understand what systemic racism is and why it’s a problem.
learn about other kids and families who are challenging racism in their communities.
complete an action project of their choice that helps them stand up against racism.
learn how to harness their unique superpowers to challenge racism in everyday life.

An honest, kid-friendly conversation about taking action against racism

Too often, when adults talk to kids about racism, we only share examples of individual people holding prejudiced beliefs.

While speaking out against racial prejudice is essential, kids also need to learn about how racism works as a system to harm People of Color and give unfair advantages to white people.

Understanding racism at the systemic level also helps kids see the many possibilities they have to challenge and undo racism in their communities.

In this highly interactive series designed with kids in mind, families will not only learn about racism but practice taking action against it.

During the workshop, each family will choose an action project to complete. Kids can choose to report back about their project and get personalized encouragement and further learning suggestions from Rebekah.

Participants will be provided with a project idea booklet with several options, including step by step instructions, or your family can create your own project.

I definitely recommend this workshop, especially for families that have already been having basic conversations about racism but want to learn more about structural racism.

My daughter was really proud of the work she did, appreciated getting to dig deeper, and enjoyed sharing her work with the other families.
Daphne F.

Enroll now

My daughter benefited from the opportunity to explore ideas she and I have talked about and share things she’s noticed in our community.

She loved carrying out her antiracism project: talking about and planning how to incorporate more books by authors of color into her classroom’s library.
Emily B.

Your workshop facilitator

Hi there! I’m Rebekah Gienapp, author of Raising Antiracist Kids: An age by age guide for parents of white children. I write and teach about engaging kids with social justice and antiracism, and I coach parents and educators on doing this work with children.

I’m mama to a boisterous tween and stepmom to a chill young adult. I’m also an activist, a former community organizer, a minister, and a religious educator for children.

Before my son was born, I spent my days working for economic and racial justice. Becoming a parent turned my world upside down (it usually does, doesn’t it?), and I left my community organizing job to focus primarily on motherhood.

It wasn’t until my kiddo was 4 years old that I understood how racially segregated our family life had become. Talking about race took on a greater urgency as I realized our youngest child was living in a white racial bubble in the midst of our majority Black community.

As we talked more about race and racism, my desire grew to find a way to fit activism back into my life. But this time, I realized that activism needed to include my family (at least some of the time.) I also knew we needed to find ways to desegregate our lives.

While doing this work within our own family, I learned even more about teaching children about antiracism and social justice as the director of children’s ministry in a United Methodist congregation, and as lead teacher and curriculum developer of a Peace Camp at a Presbyterian church.

The “what can I do about racism?” workshop emerged out of my desire to help families build skills and get support as we do this important work.

I’m still learning and growing every day, and I’m so glad to be traveling this path with you.

I loved the short, manageable time frame, and the content seemed spot-on for my son. I also liked that it was a joint parent/child experience. The more experience I get talking to the kids about race and racism, the more normal it feels.
kate S.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the format for this workshop?

This is a recorded workshop that you can work through at the pace that’s best for your child. There are 5 video mini-lessons, so you can choose to spread the lessons out over a week or two, or watch them all in a couple of days. The first two lessons explore the question “what is racism?”

Families are invited to complete a simple antiracism project mid-way through the video lessons (ideas and step by step guidance for six different projects are provided. Your child can also design their own project, of course!)

Mini-lessons 3 through 5 introduce children to other kids who’ve challenged racism in many different ways; help them identify their own unique “superpowers” that can be used for antiracism; and stretch your family’s imagination about a future beyond racism.

The mini-lessons are highly interactive, with several activities for the caregiver and child to do with each other.

When do I get access to the workshop, and how long do we have to complete the mini-lessons?

As soon as you purchase the workshop, you’ll have instant access to all the mini-lessons and resources.

You have lifetime access to the workshop, so there’s no rush to complete it.

My kid is really active. I’m not sure how they’ll do with video lessons.

Your child will be invited to move, draw, chant and more during the mini-lessons to hold your child’s interest. You may also want to provide fidgets or other items to help them focus. The mini-lessons are purposefully short, from 4 to 11 minutes long.

What age children is this workshop for?

The workshop is designed for children ages 7 – 12 to attend with their caregiver. Slightly younger children who are especially passionate about antiracism may also find it useful.

How involved is the project we’ll do?

I’ll be giving you a project idea guide with step by step instructions to help you. Some projects can be completed in an hour or less, while others will take about two hours. You can also choose your own project if the options I provide don’t appeal to your child.

I’m an educator. Will this workshop be helpful to me?

I offer a workshop for elementary educators and community workers about teaching systemic racism that is better suited to your needs. It covers how I designed the “what can I do about racism?” series and includes a copy of the antiracism project booklet. You can learn more about the educator workshop here.

Enroll now!

What happens after you enroll:

1. Click the enroll now button above.

2. Complete your order on using a major credit card.

3. You’ll receive a confirmation email from me with instructions on how to access course material.

4. If you have any problems with your ordering process, please email rebekah[at]thebarefootmommy[dot]com.