Designing For Belonging with Ashley Gallegos: A FLOX Studio Community Jam
Across our planet, people are looking for effective ways to build just, equitable, and inclusive institutions that serve and support everyone. Even more challenging, we’re looking for ways to do so without fueling the growing fragmentation that is separating us from each other and our sense of humanity.
Join us as we chat with Ashley Gallegos, the Belonging Coordinator at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley.
Ashley has authored belonging educational materials such as the newly released "Belonging Design Principles," amplifies varying expressions of belonging, and uses her understanding of the Institutes frames of Belonging, Bridging and Targeted Universalism to support initiatives.
If you’re ready to create a more just, impactful, and joyous school, workplace, or society, then join us on this journey of becoming a belonging-builder.
Event Highlights
[10:17] - What does "belonging" mean?
We kicked off our chat with some human hellos and getting to know FLOX. Things ramped up when diving into the work Ashley does explaining the robust nature of belonging as a concept and practice.
Belonging is multifaceted and invites flexibility into design
Belonging can be practiced at the individual, group and organizational level
Give a listen to learn more about belonging or check out the Belonging Design Principles for more information.
[16:29] - Can belonging happen in institutions?
Once we got a better, broader understanding of what “belonging” was, we began to wonder where does belonging fit in the intersection between capitalism and community? Can we have belonging at both work and home?
[21:28] - What is Ashley curious about?
We couldn’t help but ask Ashley, self-proclaimed “Noodler of Noodles” what she was curious about at work right now. Ashley shared with us the idea of shifting from dampening harm and othering to, instead, focusing on taking time and care toward collective imagination for creating a new world where everyone belongs.
[26:05] - Complexity and nuance
Building a new future can involve moments of tension and disagreement. Combined with coping with simultaneous cultural world events and the age of data overwhelm, we asked Ashley how do we create more containers where we can calmly engage with complexity and nuance? Recognizing how events at scale reflect our micro daily worlds, Ashley provided some tips for moving in chaotic moments:
Breathe
Bridge, don’t break! - Fear creates a sense of Us/Them(Othering) and breaks connections
Bond - Go in close to, and ground with, those who are similar
[35:38] - Collective change toward a future
As we navigate that chaos and change, it’s important to recognize the role that institutional responsibility plays in fostering belonging but also our individual opportunities to express agency. With people being bitter toward, frustrated with, and grieving over the behavior of institutions during the chaos and change, we were curious about the role conflict plays in creating belonging. What opportunities does conflict offer toward repair, healing, and growing more durable relationships? How do we change together so we can arrive somewhere new together?
[37:11] - Where does safety fit into the work of belonging?
An attendee asked a great question regarding conferences: “How can BIPOC people help to design spaces where other BIPOC folks can thrive and still feel safe?” This sparked our discussion about safety in the work of belonging. Ashley iterated that safety is not something that can be promised but instead, creating safer spaces is the goal.
[44:34] - Queering design and closing reflections
We rounded out our restorative discussion with the recognition of the importance of queering design and the benefits a fluid positionality can bring to the work of belonging. With heartwarming closing words from Ashley, we all left keeping curiosity, care, and love in our thoughts!
Keep in touch with Ashley Gallegos (she/they)
Author & Belonging Coordinator at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley
Website for The Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley
RESOURCES
Belonging Design Principles - https://belonging.berkeley.edu/belongingdesignprinciples
FLOX Studio's principles - https://www.floxstudio.com/approach
“There's just so much more flexibility and realness in designing through a fluid, queer, positionality. It's more inviting to the whole. It allows each and every person to show up in their full, authentic self, and with a commitment to design space for everyone. It's a must do.” — Ashley Gallegos
“Keep holding curiosity, care, and love. Keep holding curiosity with and for one another, each other's stories, and our experiences.” — Ashley Gallegos