In a recent Member Story check-in with René Benavides, she shared, “Trusting the people in the room opens up powerful connections.” Preparing that room for those people to connect – materially, metaphorically, metaphysically – is an ongoing process that René stewards with intentionally designed self-care practices. She credited rituals based on transformative somatic concepts and restored indigenous knowledge of bodywork as grounding forces that make being flexible and fluid as a design justice practitioner possible in those powerful moments of community connection.

René’s design justice practice takes shape most potently through DJN Principle #4: “We view change as emergent from an accountable, accessible, and collaborative process, rather than as a point at the end of a process.”

Text in black font on a light blue background, decoratively accented by multi-colored arrows. Next to text from the article, a quote from the linked story reads: "Something that I'm super conscious about in the ways that I facilitate space to design for well being are: paying attention to pace, modalities, access. Intentionally designing for experience as opposed to just outcomes. Beginning to feel into what freedom feels like now, in my body. And creating spaces where other ares in that discovery too. That's a start of the way I'm intentionally designing experiences." René Benavides

In her role as a facilitator for accessible, inclusive design processes, René approaches DJN Principles through an emergent strategy (a framework designed by adrienne maree brown also invoked by Principle #4) and a deep level of care for her own embodied experience as a practitioner.

Through this attunement, René aligns her design justice practices with disability justice goals: accommodating access and inclusion for those most harmed by exclusion is key to creating non-exploitative systems and liberatory experiences for all. She shared she seeks embodiment exercises that expand her capacity to hold space for complexity and deepen her sensitivity to how needs may manifest in the moment – for herself and for others – in response to the tools, resources and conditions a group shares throughout the collaboration process.

*An image of René standing with arms extended and fingertips touching a bodywork table in their studio. René is smiling and wearing a brown and tan hand woven poncho.*

In this 2022 DJN Member Session, René shares more about her work and design perspective.

Recent initiatives through which René develops her work as a designer include coaching individual practitioners as they restore indigenous knowledge to their healing arts and educating caregivers in building the self-care skills necessary to sustain their practice.

Read more about René’s work in her original Member Story interview conducted by Lydia Hooper. You can learn more about René by visiting www.thevtacollective.org and/or following @rene.benav1des + @vtacollective.

Text in black font on a light blue background, decoratively accented by multi-colored arrows. A smaller version of René's image encircled with a purple border connects to a quote from the linked text (centered on a yellow circle) which reads, "I want to challenge myself and others to imagine a world outside of the medical industrial complex, to create localized solutions that center community care... I'm eager to create spaces to bridge, dream and create together." René Benavides

Interested in sharing your Design Justice story? Are you inspired by another member’s practice of the Design Justice Principles? Sharing member stories is a powerful part of honoring our community’s history and building a more just and joyous future together.

There are no prerequisites (which means a traditional background in design isn’t necessary!) Past stories have featured members working in a variety of fields such as social work, community organizing, and handicrafts.

We shape the storytelling process around what works best for you and will only share what/how/where you consent for us to share. As our Network grows globally, we’re particularly interested in elevating stories from new and international members!

Please contact info@designjustice.org to share your story or ask questions!