The Power of NO

 

A common experience in an IMPACT Chicago program is participants gathering in a circle and uniting their voices with a loud NO.  What is it about that circle that unleashes such powerful energy? On the surface it seems like a simple exercise, however, the underlying assumptions and principles are complex.  Key assumptions are that experiencing and/or witnessing violence affect the total person, disrupting our sense of wholeness and creating individual isolation and feelings of helplessness and powerlessness; and that we have the capacity to turn feelings of helplessness and powerlessness into empowerment.  

Empowerment occurs when we claim or reclaim our body, mind, and spirit and experience our connection to others. In a NO circle:

• We are in community with others.
• We practice our right to say NO.
• We engage our whole selves.
• We experience the power of a collective voice.

Martha Thompson

IMPACT Chicago

Lead Instructor and Admin Team Co-Leader

Drawn from Martha Thompson."The Power of NO." First published 1990 in Feminist Teacher 5(1):24-25. Republished in 1998 in The Feminist Teacher Anthology: Pedagogies and Classroom Strategies. Teachers College, Columbia University.