Groundwater Institute Workshops

-Presented by the Groundwater Institute

When The Indianapolis Foundation announced its new mission in 2018, it committed to a journey of expanding an understanding of the impact systemic racism has on Marion County communities. As valued partners, fundholders,  and community members, we invite you to join us by signing up for an upcoming racial equity workshop.

Learn more about the Groundwater Institute (GWI) and its work before your session or to help inform your decision on your participation.

the Groundwater approach & Types Of Session

Groundwater Analysis – An Introduction

In this introductory virtual webinar, GWI program leaders will use stories and data presented through video modules and facilitated conversations to demonstrate a perspective that racism is fundamentally structural in nature. The groundwater metaphor is based on a simple tale of dying fish that goes like this: If you see a fish in a lake by your house that is floating belly-up dead, you’ll wonder what happened to that one fish. But, if in that same lake half of the fish are floating belly-up dead, you’ll wonder what’s going on in that lake. Now, imagine five lakes in your neighborhood and in each and every one lots of fish are floating belly-up dead. It’s time to analyze the groundwater feeding all the lakes in your community. This metaphor is designed to help people internalize the reality that we live in a racially structured society using three key truths:

  • racial inequity looks the same across systems
  • socio-economic difference does not explain the racial inequity
  • inequities are caused by systems, regardless of people’s culture or behavior.

Each virtual session is three hours.

NEXT SESSION: Friday, May 16th at 1 PM

Groundwater Immersive Experience

This day-and-a-half seminar delves deeper into the groundwater analysis and gives space for a small group of participants to learn and process together. Three themes are discussed and connected: racial inequity looks the same across systems, socioeconomic difference does not explain the racial inequity, and inequities are caused by systems regardless of people’s culture of behavior. The groundwater metaphor is also applied to power structures – a system of self-reinforcing laws, norms, and narratives built over time. Those structures influence who benefits (and who doesn’t) and creates a justification for ‘why’ – usually absent of any personal intent. This powerful shared learning of history and grappling with the racial analysis becomes a gateway to thinking, listening, talking, and, ultimately acting differently.

This seminar is split up across two days, totaling around 12 hours.

NEXT SESSION: Monday, June 2nd – 12 PM-5 PM & Tuesday, June 3rd – 9 PM-5 PM

New for 2025 – Payment is required

The Introduction session on May 10th is $10/person and is intended for grantee leaders and staff, community organizers, educators, faith leaders, people managers, and human resource professionals.

The Immersive session on June 2nd/June 3rd is $100/person for non-profit staff and is $250/person for corporate participants. The session is intended for decision-makers, people managers, policy makers, community leaders, board members, educators, and faith leaders.

Please have each person register and pay for the session separately.

Once you submit the form, you will be redirected to the payment page to complete your payment.

Groundwater Training
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Please select which seminar you would like to attend:
There are two different types of Groundwater seminars. Scroll to the top of the page to confirm you're signing up for the correct session.
Participants are encouraged to sign-up for the post-workshop debrief and dialogue after the session. Would you like to attend the debrief (from 12:00-1:00 the Monday following the session).
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If you have any questions, please email Rob MacPherson, Vice President of Development & Strategy at robm@indianapolisfoundation.org.