Transformative communication and young people, with an intersectional perspective

Transformative communication (TC) skills can profoundly empower young people, especially those who experience one or more forms of discrimination. At Lighthouse, we use TC from an intersectional perspective, including analysis and awareness of various possible forms of discrimination and their intersection. By integrating TC with an understanding of the structural inequities that affect individuals and communities experiencing marginalisation or oppression, TC becomes a tool not only for personal empowerment, but also for social transformation.

Here are some ways in which learning and practising transformative communication (TC) can help young people:

TC fosters emotional awareness and self-expression.

It helps young people identify and express their emotions and needs in a constructive manner, promoting greater emotional awareness and empowerment.

For young people (especially those from communities that are exposed to racial, gender or cultural discrimination), CT can provide a safe space to explore and articulate their feelings. It is an opportunity for young people who have not been able to express themselves openly due to their circumstances or life experiences.

TC promotes self-compassion and self-empathy.

Self-compassion is a key element of CT, which helps us treat ourselves with kindness, care and understanding in times of suffering or difficulty. It helps us recognise personal suffering without judging ourselves. There are tools for offering ourselves emotional support, just as we sometimes offer it to others around us. This can help people recognise and name their own mistakes without engaging in destructive self-criticism.

Self-empathy allows us to fully understand and feel the emotions of the moment without judging ourselves, without trying to stop or change them immediately. It is related to the ability to be present, to experience that emotion openly and honestly, and to connect deeply with our inner selves. This can be key to the process of authentic communication.

Self-compassion seeks to contribute to self-care, and self-empathy seeks to understand and become aware of what is happening to us. Both, sometimes difficult to separate during the practice of CT, are essential for conscious and respectful communication, including with ourselves. They also allow us to set boundaries that protect us while nurturing our resilience during and after a conflict or situation of systemic violence.

TC promotes personal and collective empowerment and agency.

It can help young people understand and take responsibility for their feelings, actions and needs, while empowering them. Many young people often feel powerless in society and can learn to reclaim their agency by communicating their worldview, a concrete solution to a problem, their needs and desires, while also taking others into account.

For those who experience interpersonal and/or systemic violence, empowerment goes beyond personal growth: it is a tool for breaking down social hierarchies. By learning to communicate their needs and assert their rights, young people facing one or more forms of discrimination can begin to resist the systems of power that oppress them.

This empowerment is possible, among other things, because TC provides the tools to understand and express experiences of injustice, inequality and/or violence from a place of humanity rather than victimisation.

CT fosters empathy and connection with others.

This occurs by promoting both self-empathy (understanding one’s own needs and feelings) and empathy towards others. This is essential for young people (again, more intensely for those exposed to oppressive situations), who often feel isolated or dehumanised because of their gender, race or social status.

In addition to fostering compassion towards others, CT allows young people to practise empathy towards themselves, which is especially important for those who have experienced generational or race- or gender-related trauma, among others.
For young people from communities facing intersectional oppression, empathy through CT can help bridge gaps. It allows them to feel seen and heard in a world that often excludes or marginalises their proposals and visions, their identities and experiences. It also builds solidarity among young people from different backgrounds, creating a sense of collective power to challenge inequality.

The connection that follows empathy, in the case of young people, also focuses on other generations. Reconnecting with people of other ages from whom they feel very distant can be both empowering and healing.

CT contributes to reducing violence and cultivating peace.

In communities where systemic violence—both physical and emotional—is present, CT offers a constructive way to address conflicts and reduce violence. Many young people experience violence, whether institutional, in their household, intimate partner violence, in their peer group, among others. CT can provide them with tools to unblock and de-escalate conflicts, without neglecting their needs and perspectives.

In addition to promoting an attitude and a vision of how to communicate and occupy our space, CT also offers us concrete tools to deal with interpersonal and systemic violence. It is an opportunity to challenge social norms and structural inequalities without perpetuating cycles of harm or violence, turning the younger generation into those who shape a just and peaceful future on a small or even large scale.

CT creates safe spaces for exchange and dialogue.

It encourages open, honest and safe communication, leaving value judgements, social norms, etc. aside in order to move forward. CT can help create inclusive environments where young people of all genders and backgrounds can share their experiences, challenge oppressive narratives and build community solidarity.

The skills that CT fosters, when practised and integrated into the mode and structure of communication, can also contribute to greater safety. When a young person tries to express dissatisfaction with a specific situation to people who have more power than them – for example, because they are part of an educational institution – having the skills to manage that moment can help create a real dialogue without prejudice to them.

TCpromotes healing and repair.

Many young people who face one or more forms of discrimination suffer pain or experience trauma related to racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, or other forms of systemic oppression. CT can contribute to healing thanks to its compassionate approach to processing and healing these experiences. Identifying feelings and needs without judging them, being able to name them and express them, can allow emotional pain to begin to heal.

CT is not a therapy or medical treatment. CT can never replace the crucial work done by trauma professionals. CT can, in some cases, be sufficient to promote a healing process in conjunction with other actions.