How to Be an Ally

Equip employees with the knowledge and skills they need to be allies to their colleagues.

Training Overview

HOW TO BE AN ALLY

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• Prepare for this training by reviewing the speaker's notes and instructions well in advance of delivery.
• Conducting training over two sessions:
• If you wish to conduct this training over two sessions, present Module 1 on the first day and Module 2 on the second. The Handbook will be the same for both modules.
• Customize the agenda on slide 4 accordingly.

Training Session Materials

• How to Be an Ally Handbook(same Handbook for both modules)
• Training session feedback form

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5. There is an optional video on slide 36. If you wish to play this video, you will need audio functionality.

Agenda

Learning Objectives

1. Define allyship and core concepts related to being an ally
2. Recognize allyship accountabilities
3. Learn how to practice allyship in the workplace

Ground Rules

1. Allyship is a sensitive topic. Set ground rules before beginning the training.
2. Respect each other and avoid judgment
3. Share only what you are comfortable with and maintain confidentiality
4. Know that everyone's experience is valid
5. Allow people to finish their thoughts
6. Use "I" statements

What does it mean to be an ally?

Activity
Personal reflection

Think of a time when someone stood up for you or when you witnessed someone standing up for another person.

• How did that make you feel?
• How did it have an impact on your life?

What does allyship mean to you?

What does it mean to be an ally?

Allies foster inclusive work environments

Being different due to inherent diversity traits/identities
(race, gender, etc.)

• Being different due to inherent diversity traits/identities
  (race, gender, etc.)
• Being on guard against biases
• Impacts on employee wellbeing and productivity

It's not enough to think you're an ally

I see myself as an ally to colleagues of other races and ethnicities

Black women have strong allies in my workplace

Activity
To be or not to be

Individual Brainstorm

Complete the statements:

• "I care about allyship because…"
• "I am hesitant to be an ally because…"

Paired Discussion

Find a partner and discuss your statements.

Debrief

Share your thoughts on your brainstorming and discussion.

• Why do you think it's important to reflect on why we want to be allies or why we may have some reservations?
  

Learn about the implications of social structures and systems of inequality

*This is not an exhaustive list of social structures/systems of inequality/privileges
Source: Adapted from BMC Public Health

Allyship begins with recognizing your privilege and power

	Top of the coin: privilege You have advantages others do not You did not earn it You have it because of who you happen to be
	The coin The social structures that produce and maintain inequality (e.g. racism, sexism, ableism)
	Bottom of the coin: oppression You have disadvantages others do not You did not earn it You have it because of who you happen to be

Anyone can be an ally

*This is not an exhaustive list
Source: BMC Public Health

Activity

Privilege Self-Assessment

Individual Activity

Complete the self-assessment on page 7 of the Handbook.

Once complete, reflect on the following:

• Have you ever considered any of the items you placed a checkmark beside as an advantage or a disadvantage?

Debrief

Share your reflections with the group.

Equip yourself to be an ally by learning key concepts

Anti-oppression

Anti-oppression is the active practice of challenging and resisting oppressive systems on an ongoing basis.

Anti-racism

Anti-racism is the practice of opposing racism by challenging values, structures, systems, and behaviors that further perpetuate systemic racism and aiming to change the status quo. It is an active process that deconstructs power imbalances between racialized and white people.

What if I make a mistake?

It's okay!

Allyship is not about perfection. You won't always get it right. It's a journey of learning and unlearning.

Own your mistake

• Apologize for your mistake, even if you didn't intend harm.
• Listen graciously while being called in or out and build your capacity to receive criticism.
• Hold yourself accountable to changing your behavior.

Listen

• Proactively educate yourself.
• Don't expect those you're trying to ally with to educate you or show you the right way.

Keep trying

• You're going to keep making mistakes.
• Embrace the process of allyship by constantly answering these statements:
  • "I want to learn more about…"
  • "I intend to listen more closely to…"
  • "I will pay more attention to…"
  • "I will get better at…"
  • "I will show up with…"
  • "I will do…"
  • "I will work on being more…"
  • Source: S.P.A.R.K.

What would you do?

Group discussion

In your groups, select one or two scenarios and discuss how you would respond as an ally.

Scenario debrief

Share your thoughts on the scenarios you selected.

Self-reflection

Take a moment to think about what factors may have contributed to your response as an ally.

Allyship requires active behaviors

Learning and unlearning

Find opportunities to learn about those who are different from you to unlearn and challenge your biases and assumptions.

Speaking Up

Leverage your privilege and power by standing up for those who may not be able to stand up for themselves.

Owning your mistakes

Graciously accept mistakes and take it as an opportunity to learn.

Uplifting those around you

Raise those who are around you to ensure that they are accessing the same opportunities and experiences.

Supporting colleagues

Listen to the experiences of your colleagues and identify opportunities to support them.

As allies, we'll all encounter challenging situations

Hearing an inappropriate joke

Watching someone be left out

Noticing that someone is spoken over

Witnessing someone be hostile

Allyship accountabilities and responsibilities

Agenda

Activity
What are some challenging situations you have encountered at work?

Brainstorm some challenging situations you've encountered at work. → For each situation, write down why the situation was uncomfortable for you.

Example
Someone made an inappropriate joke about a colleague's cultural practices.

• I didn't know who the people involved were.
• I didn't know what to say at that moment.
• I didn't think it was my place to say anything.

Speak out against non-inclusive behavior

Calling In

• A private and intentional conversation with a colleague regarding problematic behavior that needs to be addressed.
• A learning opportunity for the colleague to reflect on their actions, understand the impact of their actions, and hold themselves accountable for improving their behavior in the future.

Calling Out

• A public confrontation of a person's non-inclusive or discriminatory behavior.
• Call someone out when:
• An individual isn't receptive to call-in conversations.
• An individual is becoming aggressive.
• You need to prevent further offense or there is immediate danger.

Handle difficult conversations with EASE

Removing someone from a harmful situation

1. Remove the person being harmed
2. Remove the person doing the harm

Leverage empathy to support your colleagues in the workplace

"Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts of another person"

– Psychology Today

Empathy means refraining from focusing on yourself when others share

• Recognize that it does not feel great to be left out, tokenized, or othered.
• Do not provide solutions based on what you would do.
• Avoid putting your similar experience in the center of someone else's current experience.

Activity
Build your empathy map

Think of a time when you needed an ally.

Complete the empathy based on your partner's identity and situation.

Sometimes your support as an ally will be less obvious

• Extend your network
• Sponsor someone in the organization
• Make yourself available to your colleagues
• Mentor a peer
• Recognize your colleague's efforts
• Adopt inclusive work practices

Activity
Allyship Tactics

How can you respond to certain situations as an ally?

• Call the other person in
• Have a meaningful conversation
• Share the space

Adopt a dynamic learning mindset

DLM
Dynamic learning mindset (DLM)

• Seeks to learn from mistakes
• Open to feedback
• Resilient in change through calculated risk
• Committed to growth
• Focused on the cumulative power of effort

Adapted from Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Activity
Create a learning mural

Take a couple of sticky notes and write down resources that you and your colleagues can use to continue learning on your allyship journey.

[Organization's name] Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion learning resources

How to use allyship to promote DEI at the organization

"Purl," Pixar SparkShorts

Activity
How will you hold yourself accountable?

Write down two or three personal allyship goals and share them with your group. As a team, identify actions to help each other reach your goals.

You're not in this alone

Training Session Evaluation

Works Cited

Crossman, Ashley. "The Concept of Social Structure in Sociology?" ThoughtCo, 28 June 2019. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
Dweck, Carol. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballentine Books, 2007.
"Empathy." Psychology Today, n.d. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
"Empowering Workplaces Combat Emotional Tax For People of Colour in Canada." Catalyst,
4 July 2019. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
Erskine, Samantha E., and Diana Bilimoria. "White Allyship of Afro-Diasporic Women in the Workplace: A Transformative Strategy for Organizational Change." Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, vol. 26, no. 3, 2019, pp. 319-338.
Gurchiek, Kathy. "Workplace Allies Serve as Ambassadors for Change." SHRM, 1 Mar. 2019. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
Jha, Rega, and Tommy Wesely. "How Privileged Are You?" BuzzFeed, 10 Apr. 2014. Accessed
9 Nov. 2020.
"Many white employees aren't stepping up as allies to Black women" Lean In, 2023. Accessed 7 July 2023.
Nixon, Stephanie A. "The coin model of privilege and critical allyship: implications for health."
BMC Public Health, vol. 19, no. 1, 2019.
"Purl." YouTube, uploaded by Pixar SparkShorts, 14 Feb. 2019.
Reed, Kayla. "Ally." Twitter,13 June 2016. Accessed 09 Nov. 2020.
Spark4Community. "Why I Don't Call Myself an 'Ally'." S.P.A.R.K., 24 July 2017. Accessed
9 Nov. 2020.
Spicer, Andre. "The Psychology of Being a Better Ally in the Office – and Beyond." City Press Office – City, University of London, 8 July 2020, Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
"Students Learn A Powerful Lesson About Privilege." YouTube, uploaded by BuzzFeedVideo,
9 Dec. 2014, Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
"White employees see themselves as allies—but Black women and Latinas disagree." Lean In, 2020. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.