Power to Praxis Reflection Cards for Decolonial Design and the Power to Praxis Book (Physical)
Power to Praxis: Reflection Cards for Decolonial Design
Physical Card Deck (54 cards) + Companion Guide (Print Edition)
A reflective practice tool for people working inside systems of power
Power to Praxis is a physical reflection card deck and companion guide designed for people working in development, humanitarian, social justice, and community-led contexts who want to practise inclusion, accountability, and ethical action with integrity.
This is not a toolkit for compliance.
It is a practice for slowing down, asking better questions, and aligning how we work with the values we claim to hold.
Created from over two decades of practice in participatory and inclusion-focused work, Power to Praxis supports individuals, teams, and organisations to move from awareness to accountability across the full project cycle.
What’s included in the physical set
You will receive:
• 54 reflection cards, printed on high-quality card stock
• An A5 Companion Guide (approximately 80 pages)
• Thoughtfully designed, colour-coded cards aligned to stages of the project cycle
• A durable, practical format for individual or group use
The cards and guide are designed to be used together or separately, depending on your context.
What the cards are for
The Power to Praxis Reflection Cards help you pause and ask questions such as:
• Why am I entering this work, and whose interests does it serve?
• How does power move through this project, team, or institution?
• Where are inclusion and participation being compromised by urgency or risk management?
• What accountability looks like beyond reporting and compliance?
They are especially useful when:
• You feel the pressure to move quickly but sense something important is being missed
• Inclusion has become procedural rather than relational
• You want to support ethical practice without placing the burden on communities
• You are navigating institutional constraints while trying to act with integrity
The five reflection phases
The 54 cards are organised across six phases of practice:
• Pre-Project – Purpose and Positioning
• Pre-Engagement – Design and Readiness
• Implementation – Practice and Participation
• Completion – Accountability and Return
• Meta-Reflection – Systems and Solidarity
• Commitment Cards – From Reflection to Action
Each card is written in the first person to support honest self-reflection, whether used alone, in teams, or in facilitated spaces.
About the Companion Guide
The Power to Praxis Companion Guide provides depth, context, and facilitation support for working with the cards.
It includes:
• An introduction to reflexive praxis and decolonial design
• Guidance on using the cards safely and ethically
• A self-locating tool for examining positionality and power
• Facilitation approaches for teams and organisations
• Reflections on accountability, safety, and institutional systems
• A glossary and theorist lineage grounding the work
The guide is not a manual to follow from start to finish.
It is designed to be entered wherever your work or reflection begins.
Who this is for
Power to Praxis is designed for:
• Aid and development practitioners
• Humanitarian and disaster response professionals
• Gender, disability, and social inclusion specialists
• MEL practitioners and evaluators
• Consultants, advisors, and facilitators
• Educators and movement-aligned organisations
It is particularly suited to people working inside institutions, where power, risk, and accountability are unevenly distributed.
What this is not
Power to Praxis is not:
• A checklist or assessment tool
• A community engagement resource for direct use with communities
• A neutrality-based framework
• A replacement for local knowledge or leadership
It is a tool for practitioners to reflect on how they show up, how decisions are made, and how power is exercised.
How people use it
People use the cards:
• For personal journaling or supervision
• In team meetings and retreats
• During project design, review, or closure
• In coaching and reflective practice spaces
• Alongside MEL, safeguarding, and inclusion processes
Some draw one card at the start of a meeting.
Others build whole sessions around a single phase.
What matters is intention, care, and accountability.
Design and production
• Designed in collaboration with Yaye Wen
• Printed and distributed in Naarm / Melbourne
• Self-funded and independently produced
• Created as part of the wider Power to Praxis practice ecosystem
This work has been developed slowly, relationally, and with care.
A Note on Use and Licensing
This purchase is for individual use.
Use in organisational training, consultancy, facilitation, or multi-site programs will require an additional organisational licence.
The cards are primarily intended for individual practitioners.
If you wish to purchase an organisational licence to use the cards and Companion Guide within programmes, across regional offices, or globally, please contact hello@communitypoweredresponses.com and we can discuss the appropriate licence for your context.
Please contact us if you are purchasing on behalf of an organisation or intend to use the cards in paid training or consultancy contexts.