Connecting in times of Crisis – Sharing stories to build coalitions 

Have you been impacted by rapidly emerging political changes in the United States?  Do you know people around the world in precarious conditions? The CIES community has been affected directly by the changes in the current political climate, with ramifications that have immediate and long term impacts.  

This facilitated session offers a caring space to share lived experiences and create solidarity for those of us who call CIES our professional home. Current events are affecting our community in a wide range of ways. From those of us who are students, to those of us who are front-line workers in all corners of the world, all aspects of our personal and professional lives are being touched whether we are development or higher education practitioners. By framing this session with intentional hospitality to meet this moment and all the emotions it brings, we are soliciting stories to be shared as the entrance point to first have deeper conversations with each other to learn about what people are feeling and thinking. 

We invite you to share personal stories or those of family and friends in a supportive space. We do not intend to save these stories or to identify anyone who shares what is going on in their lives as a result of these disruptions. This dialogue is an opportunity to process recent events and foster creative approaches to a disruptive agenda. By building camaraderie, community, and solidarity with one another, we seek to cultivate persistence in turmoil. Through the sharing of experiences and the intense power of storytelling, we seek to facilitate this session to build coalitions while also fostering a desire to choose to find hope in otherwise troubled times. During this upheaval, our members can learn from and stand alongside one another and we hope you can join us for this participatory session.

We invite you to share a story because stories are important and should not be forgotten. This session is designed to: 

1) Collect stories both prior to and at the conference. 
2) Share those experiences and stories in session. 
3) Make significant time and space for people to engage in dialogue to think about solidarity, support and the future of CIES. 

Through these stories, we hope to process recent events and foster creative approaches to a disruptive agenda. By building camaraderie and community with one another, we seek to cultivate persistence in turmoil through dialogue and discussion.   If you are interested in sharing a story before you come to CIES or if you are not able to attend this year, please click here.

Everyone is welcome to attend the session, even if you don’t want to share a story. This is about learning from and with each other. There are two repeated sessions on the following dates:

Session Facilitators

Jeffrey C. Lee is a Professor of Organizational Leadership, Qualitative Research Methods and Teacher Education. His expertise lies in the intersection of education, technology and rural education. He has served as the chair of the ICT4D SIG and has also served as a member of the SIG Oversight Committee as well as the Co-Chair of the Social and Policy Engagement Committee.

Laura Wangsness Willemsen is an anthropologist of education whose research, teaching, and practice are aimed at ensuring schooling better supports equity and wellbeing for students, educators, and communities alike. Her work on gender, climate resilience, secondary schooling, education in emergencies, and research ethics is primarily focused in Tanzania.

Betsy Scotto-Lavino graduates May 2025 with a doctorate in International Education and a qualitative methods certification. Her dissertation explored the influences of researcher reflexivity on ethical decision-making. Currently, she works as a homeschooling parent, a part-time policy researcher for a school board representative, and a community leader of public arts programming.

Supriya Baily is an activist, scholar, and educator. She is Professor of Education at George Mason University, focusing on social justice issues in education, the marginalization of girls and women in educational policy and practice, and the role of teacher education to address educational inequity. Her new book (November 2024) is called Bangalore Girls: Witnessing the rise of nationalism in a progressive city.