Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults)

I offer comprehensive curriculum development for authors, organizations, and groups interested in:

Deep reflection on social and racial justice

Group discussion and exploration of identity, experience, and accountability

Resources oriented towards concrete action

You want to make the world a better place and I want to help you. As your thought partner, I can help you align your values with your momentum using tools like:

Theory of Change development and dynamic impact metrics

Analysis and design of your internal processes for impact and flow

Creative brainstorming to generate fresh ideas and thoughtful solutions

I utilize contemplative, restorative practices to support reflection, creativity, and collaboration. I offer several trauma-informed modalities that can be integrated into meetings, retreats, and courses or explored in workshops or individual sessions, including:

Meditation and mindful breathing for increased clarity and focus

Restorative yoga to support spaciousness in mind and body

Sound healing to promote relaxation and ease

I offer a full suite of communications support for organizations, coalitions, start-ups, and individuals, including:

Visual and narrative brand development, creation of high-resolution graphics, user-friendly websites, and style guides

Writing and editing short and long-form bodies of work including website and print copy, press releases, and annual reports

Communications plans to help you reach different audiences, grow your social media presence, and increase your impact

Whether you’re launching a new project or re-building something that exists, I can help you develop a map that centers discovery and growth with:

A strong mission, vision, and set of values to illuminate your work

Policies that center equity and antiracist action

Intuitive and flexible systems that support your goals

Rachael Zafer (she/her) has worked with organizations and grassroots groups committed to social change for over 17 years. She has collaborated and conspired with community organizers, spiritual leaders, artists, and writers across the country to inspire reflection, dialogue, and action. She is deeply committed to collective liberation, mutual aid, and abolition of the death penalty and the carceral state.

Rachael was the founding director of the Prison Education Program at New York University and was a co-founder of the Prison Arts Initiative at the University of Denver. She is a founding core member of Mourning Our Losses, a crowd-sourced memorial honoring the lives of people who died of COVID-19 while incarcerated in the United States. She has led hundreds of workshops and classes in prisons and jails in New York, Chicago, Michigan, and Colorado.

Rachael holds a Masters in Public Administration degree from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. She is a trained yoga and meditation instructor, an experienced facilitator and public speaker, and a board member of the Ministry Against the Death Penalty, led by Sister Helen Prejean.

Rachael lives with her partner Mateen, cats Bodhi and Lakshmi, and dog Raji in Ann Arbor, Michigan.