Stacy Castle Director of Programs Cultural Sensitivity Stacy Castle Director of Programs

Culture….

Cultural Sensitivity is: Understanding your own culture Being able to appreciate another Having the ability to acknowledge that similarities and differences exist but not assigning values to them

Agreements Honor Confidentiality Unconditional Respect for Yourself & Others No Put-downs, Hostile Analysis Speak Your Truth Agree to Disagree Everyone Has the Right to Pass Experience Discomfort Expect and Accept Non-closure Anything Else?

Who Am I? How was that activity for everyone? Did anyone find that answering the questions was difficult or surprising? Why? Something to think about before and after meeting your child: what cultures does he/she identify with?

Challenge your culture What if YOUR culture was challenged? How might you respond? White board activity….

21 Ways to stop a conversation about diversity I don’t see color. We’re all just human beings. We have more similarities than differences. I think deep down we’re all the same. Racism/sexism happens all over the world. I think some people use diversity as an excuse. I think identifying into groups only further divides us. There are lots of other diversity issues other than race and gender. I’ve never seen that happen before. Are you sure it happened? Why does everything have to be so politically correct? I was just joking. Things are a lot better than they used to be. Don’t you agree? We’d hire more women and people of color, but are they qualified? I love everyone. Do you really think it’s that bad? I’m so glad you’re not like one of them. You know, you’re a credit to your people. You don’t see other races complaining. I think its reverse racism/sexism. America is the best place to live. Some of my best friends are colored. You speak such good English, where did you learn it from?

Power Shuffle Honor confidentiality. Unconditionally respect yourself and others. Speak for yourself only. Actively listen. No put-downs or hostile analysis. Avoid interpreting other people's experience. Give caring feedback. This exercise will include a dialogue, not a debate. There are no losers or winners in these exercises. Agree to disagree. Everyone has the right to pass. It is okay to express your emotions. No “rescuing.” Take responsibility for you own learning - ask for what you need.

“How I See It” Top three cards of the deck state “Agree, Disagree, Hung Jury”. Set them up at the top of 3 different columns. The rest of the cards are individual statements. As a group, you will review each card one at a time and decide individually out loud what you think about the statement. Do you agree with the Statement? Do you disagree with the statement? Are you unsure about the statement? Come to a consensus and place the card in the correct column.

Wrap Up Questions? Thoughts?