Workshops & Training

This keynote/workshop provides awareness, knowledge and skills to participants about personal and institutional dynamics of social inequality. Gaining an understanding of the legacy of institutionalized discrimination allows us to make different, more inclusive choices. Hands-on strategies to build cultural inclusiveness better equips campus members to engage diverse social identities, to explore how oppression and privilege operate in our daily lives, and to create a more inclusive campus culture. This keynote/workshop can be incorporated into any other workshop as a framework from which to discuss other leadership and/or diversity concerns and growth.

How can we overcome the many obstacles to creating cultural inclusiveness, including: Implicit Bias, Stereotype Threat, Microaggressions, Identity-Blindness, among others? Pushing past these challenges requires a willingness to consider our own biases, and a commitment to learning what we don't know we don't know. We will reflect on our selves, our environments, and our practices using 8 transformative steps. This session should particularly benefit educators of any experience level teaching any subject who are willing to engage in self-reflection and who are specifically interested in increasing their teaching effectiveness by making their classrooms more culturally inclusive.

Inclusive classrooms where every student feels like they belong increases student engagement and retention, not only in the classroom, but in the educational system, and can set the tone for a supportive, inclusive campus. This keynote/workshop provides specific curricular and environmental strategies for creating inclusiveness in the classroom and beyond. An option is available to have faculty members bring their syllabi to review and/or transform to become more culturally inclusive.

Often discrimination happens in classrooms and organizations because of engrained stereotypical thoughts and ideas we have been taught to believe as true. These ideas are so imbedded in our brains we actually believe they are "natural" or the "norm." This keynote/ workshop asks us to consider our own biases and their consequences, and provides strategies for minimizing bias and stereotypes to create a more inclusive educational environment.

Many campus members would like to move forward in reaching their organizational and personal goals, but do not realize that their daily behavior can have a remarkable effect on their ability to do so. We will contextualize microaggressions and deconstruct them to uncover their often-unintended consequences. We will consider how to effectively challenge microaggressions when they arise to become agents of change as we strive to create more culturally inclusive spaces.

Leadership is the act of empowering others and is demonstrated by words and actions that represent the values and standards to which we hold ourselves accountable. Leaders then model those practices, inviting other organization members to follow suit. Inclusive Excellence incorporates good listening skills and inclusive practices to create an environment where every organization member feels empowered to bring their whole selves into the room and feels confident that their voice will not only be heard, but valued, fostering creativity and innovative solutions. This keynote/workshop provides strategies for any organization that strives toward Inclusive Excellence, and offers solutions for avoiding burnout for hardworking organization members.

After campus, school, or organization members are equipped with a framework for understanding social inequalities, this workshop provides specific strategies for creating an environment in your organization where everyone feels like they belong. Creating inclusiveness is critical for any organization and correlates with recruitment and retention of a diverse workplace.

If unchecked, strong emotions can cause mental and physical stress, can keep us from moving forward in our goals, and can hinder interactions with others. We will discuss emotions, triggers, and how to reframe these uncomfortable situations as moments of potential growth and relationship-building in support of a more holistic learning/teaching approach.

It is useful to have a planned strategy before we are confronted with organization members who express resistance to the ideals of equity. Using a social identity development model, we will identify obstacles, discuss what it means to be and have allies, and provide strategies and techniques for creating a more positive, inclusive environment where members feel engaged in and excited about their work.

Geneva Gay, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching, said that in order to become culturally responsive educators, we must become culturally responsive people. Recent research has demonstrated that meditation and mindfulness practices serve to decrease bias against others. Through self-reflection of our own biases, a broader understanding of contemplative practices, and a focus on mindfulness techniques, this keynote/workshop provides strategies for minimizing bias and stereotypes that any educator teaching any subject can use to create a more inclusive educational environment.

Taking action is critical for the advancement of social and environmental justice. Action, however, is unlikely without the motivation prompted by self-reflection and awareness of the larger problem of social inequities and injustices. This keynote/workshop introduces a framework for understanding these pernicious problems that are rooted in a legacy of abused power and domination, and offers contemplative practices for transforming suffering in ourselves, in our relationships, and in the planet. The Practice is rooted in Native wisdom, Eastern philosophy, and many ancient teachings that allows us to live healthy, culturally inclusive lives filled with connectedness, meaning, and purpose.

We welcome the opportunity to discuss diversity development strategies with your organization, institution, or workplace. Please contact Abby Ferber, Matrix Center Director, for more information on the aforementioned workshops or to discuss developing a customized experience.

  aferber@uccs.edu
  719-255-4764