FACILITATION
The word facilitation comes from the Latin word "facilis" which means "easy,” and my work as a facilitator is grounded in that very spirit. My role and responsibility is to make our conversations, our work, our dreaming, our planning, our time together as easy as possible.
I work collaboratively with each group to create inclusive, supportive, and, most importantly, courageous spaces where meaningful dialogue and connection can emerge and thrive. I am passionate about guiding groups through complex topics with empathy and clarity, encouraging conversations that are deeply rooted in trust, care, and compassion. Whether leading workshops, storytelling sessions, or community events, I work to ensure that every voice is heard and that experience is impactful.
AREAS OF CONVERSATION
Race, Identity, and Belonging
Power and Oppression
Conflict and Care
Grief and Gratitude
““Justine brought such abundance to our work together. From project vision to workshop design to facilitation to documentation to follow up, we were blown away by her energy, skill, creativity, adaptability, and humour, alongside her deep commitment to a rigorous decolonizing practice. This work is hard, and organizations need a steady and tenacious guide to move it forward. We were blessed to have that with Justine for an extended period of time. May all organizations willing to do this work be blessed with the same!””
LET’S WORK TOGETHER
Interested in learning more about my facilitation practice and what I offer? Want to talk through your group’s facilitation needs? I’d love to start a conversation with you.
“When we first reached out to Justine, we approached [her] as readers and supporters of the [Living Hyphen] publication and writing workshops due to the beautiful way in which they hold space for intersectional storytelling. So when we were looking for workshop facilitators to come into our Cohort X space (which brought together 6 incredible Black, Indigenous, and racialized femme community leaders working at the intersections of Climate Justice & Gender Justice) [it] felt like a perfect fit. Justine graciously designed and put together a new kind of workshop to specifically fit the interests of the Cohort...The workshop itself went above and beyond our expectations...It was such an energizing, nourishing, and healing space and that is a testament to the thought, care, and intentionality that was held by Justine. ”
MY APPROACH
EMERGENT STRATEGY
My facilitation practice has been deeply shaped by adrienne maree brown’s teachings around emergent strategy – that is, “a strategy based in the science of emergence; the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions.” In emergent strategy, we look to nature to guide our facilitation process. It is “intentional, fractal, decentralized, adaptive, interdependent, and creating more possibilities.” Learn more.
EMBODIED PRACTICE
Our Western society prioritizes the mind over the body. I push back against this colonial mentality and connect to embodied practices as a facilitator. Engaging our bodies is the key to fostering deeper connection and presence, keeping us grounded, supporting us in breaking through mental barriers, and accessing insights that words alone can’t reach. By connecting mind and body, we create the opportunity for more transformative experiences.
ART & WRITING
I have been deeply influenced by the many artists and writers in Living Hyphen’s community who have shown me how art and writing can be deeply transformative. Drawing, writing, moulding shapes with clay – all of these different ways of play allow us tap into our creativity, process complex emotions, and communicate beyond what we are used to in daily life. I often ground my experieces in playful activities to create an inclusive space where diverse perspectives can emerge.
NONVIOLENCE
I am a student of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolence, an approach rooted in the belief that peaceful resistance is the most effective and morally just way to combat injustice. His teachings have profoundly informed my facilitation practice. The principles of nonviolence show us how strategic disruption and discomfort, paired with empathy, care, and deep listening can foster meaningful dialogue that effects necessary change.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER
Interested in learning more about my facilitation practice and what I offer? Want to talk through your group’s facilitation needs? I’d love to start a conversation with you.
“Justine’s facilitation invited thought provoking ideas, conversations and activity. There was so much spirit and creativity brought into the work we shared together. I appreciate her sense of intuition to guide our facilitation to where it needed to go. I cherish our time spent together and feel it is especially important for the times we are currently in. ”
MY JOURNEY
My facilitation practice began in the early 2010s while working for an experiential education organization focused on unpacking intersecting social justice issues. The organization was founded and led by young Jewish leaders who are some of the fiercest, wisest, and most intelligent people who I have had the privilege of learning from and the deep honour of calling my friends.
Together we designed and facilitated peulot* for youth to learn about global politics, the intricate dynamics of power and oppression, how to hold circle and propel dialogue forward, and how to struggle for justice in community. It was here that I first learned how to call people into conversation with kindness, generosity, and deep, deep empathy.
I’ve since taken those lessons into my work with Living Hyphen, a community that explores what it means to live in between cultures, where I facilitate tender and courageous storytelling with racialized communities. Using art and writing as a conduit for conversation and self-expression, I have worked with arts and culture institutions, corporate employee resource groups, public libraries, and other community spaces. I’ve also facilitated workshops with elementary and high school students at school boards across Ontario while also training educators on decolonizing their classrooms to create equitable and inclusive spaces for newcomer and immigrant communities.
At Living Hyphen, we take a decolonial, intersectional, and anti-oppressive approach to all of our workshops. We let go of perfection and embrace our messy pages. We focus on the nourishing and healing process of writing instead of the product. And we embrace writing as an embodied practice that brings together mind and body for a healing and joyful journey.
Over the last few years, I have integrated all of these powerful learning experiences from different spaces to facilitate visioning, planning, organizing, and conflict resolution sessions with community groups, non-profit organizations, and companies. Facilitating generative dialogue is sacred and profound work that I am honoured to be able to do with so many collaborators.
As adrienne maree brown so beautifully puts it," “facilitation and mediation are ways the spirit moves towards justice. I weave myself into the lineage of understanding facilitation and mediation as a way we bend the arc.”
Let’s work together
Interested in learning more about my facilitation practice and what I offer? Want to talk through your group’s facilitation needs? I’d love to start a conversation with you.
“Partnering with Justine was an amazing experience not only for the weareHUH network members who attended our workshops but for our team as well. Justine’s thoughtfully facilitated sessions helped us to engage and grow our network, and brought learning and the values from our project and shared them better than we ever could. If you’re looking for an artful facilitator who shares your values of anti-oppression, equity and accessibility look no further.”
ORGANIZATIONS I’VE WORKED WITH
* Puelot is Hebrew for “activity” but really there is no English translation that captures the breadth and depth of this word and experience