I’m through with talking about safety, physiological safety, and safe spaces.
I just returned from leading a team development retreat. Usually, I spend time creating safety in the room. I do this by having a couple of discussions that explore what it means for the team to create a safe space.
While it has always been a good discussion, I’ve never been satisfied that it felt as safe as I had hoped.
Participants later tell me stories that confirm this, which makes me wonder how it could be better.
People will sometimes tell me that an ongoing conflict within the team prevents the space from feeling genuinely safe. Or, they tell me of a cultural dynamic that makes it feel unsafe.
The result is that they hold things back and don’t take advantage of the opportunity to get even more out of the workshop.
Shortly before leaving for this retreat, I was introduced to the following poem (Thanks, George!)
Invitation to Brave Space
“Together we will create a brave space
Because there is no such thing as a “safe space”
We exist in the real world
We all carry scars and we all have caused wounds.
In this space
We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world,
We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,
We call each other to more truth and love,
We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow.
We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know.
We will not be perfect.
This space will not be perfect.
It will not always be what we wished it to be.
But it will be our brave space together,
And we will work on it side by side.”– *Micky ScottBey Jones*
I took this poem into the workshop and dropped all talk of creating a safe space.
My approach was to write the poem on flipcharts and lay them on the floor between us (we were in a circle of chairs). After reading through the poem, I led them in a discussion of how it speaks to them.
This conversation led beautifully to forming our agreements for the week.
The result was that the people leaned into creating a brave space. I know this because of the incredible work that happened, and I didn’t hear stories about holding back (trust me when I say that it didn’t feel like they were holding back.)
So, let’s start talking about brave spaces. With everything the poem talks about and so much more.
You’ve got this.
FYI, I used this poem for a number of years before learning that Mickey ScottBey Jones plagiarized (and slightly modified) it. I now use a slightly different version, or at least credit the actual author of the original.
Thank you for letting me know. Who is the original author as I’m always wanting to credit the actual author?
the true author of the poem commonly titled “Invitation to Brave Space” (or sometimes “An Invitation to Brave Space” or “The Brave Space Invitation”) is Beth Strano.
Here’s the background:
Beth Strano originally wrote and painted the poem on the front door of The Space, an anarchist community center in Phoenix—this was done before 2016. That original version was later reproduced online without attribution.
Sojourners
bluewingconsulting.com
Micky ScottBey Jones then shared a version of the poem, initially attributing it as “inspired by the words of an unknown author,” but later claiming it as her own. In June 2021, she admitted that the poem was almost entirely lifted from Strano’s original, adding only a few lines of her own.
Sojourners
The On Being Project
The poem became widely circulated under Jones’s name, especially through outlets like On Being, The People’s Supper, and Faith Matters Network—but both organizations have since acknowledged the plagiarism and are rectifying their usage.
Sojourners
The On Being Project
A blog post from 2019 reflects that the poem was initially misattributed, but was later correctly credited to Strano once the plagiarism came to light.
bluewingconsulting.com
In short: Beth Strano is the original poet. Micky ScottBey Jones’s version is effectively a rework or expansion (without proper attribution), now widely recognized as plagiarism.