2012-2013 Diversity Calendar Notes
National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) 2012-2013 Diversity & Inclusion Series
Learning and Leadership in a Diverse and Polarized Society
Options from this acclaimed series give participants awareness and skills to be a healing force in the campus community and in the wider world. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the experience of pain in the face of hurtful words and acts. They will learn skills to take leadership that can shift an environment from one that makes people closed and defended to one that enables all parties to be open and receptive to learning.
The Upstate (Rochester) Chapter of the National Coalition Building Institute has a diverse team with over 25 years of experience in training leaders for a multicultural society in institutions of higher education, as well as in the not-for profit and corporate world.
Beyond Politeness: Fostering Deeper Connections Across Race and Other Social identities
Debates about whether we have entered a "post-racial" period have flooded academe and the media. Regardless of what has happened on the national political scene, myths and misperceptions from the media and other institutions, from families and friends -- inculcated over hundreds of years -- can keep us from relating to others in a socially just way. Through this workshop, participants deepen self-knowledge about their own social identities. Dramatic shifts happen in how people relate to one another when deep dialogue takes place beyond politeness, giving an opportunity for profound healing of the hurtful experiences and conditioning that affect groups on all sides of the divides.
Beyond Bystanding: Insights and Strategies for Empowering Our Students, Our Clients, and Ourselves
Given the basic moral instinct of humans, recently examined by Harvard's Steven Pinker, why don't people take action more often to intervene in the face of words or actions they know to be harmful? When do individuals decide it is possible to make a difference, and what motivates them to step in?
The workshop will offer experiential elements of award-winning National Coalition Building Institute programs that provide insights useful for participants into the recordings, internalized oppression, and life experiences that come into play when bystanding is an issue. Participants will examine real-life scenarios and be introduced to specific strategies to become more empowered actors in their own lives, as well as empowering those they will teach or counsel, rather than settle for being passive bystanders.
Beyond Shouting Heads: You Don't Have to be Wrong for Me to be Right
Given the extensive polarization of our society, especially around issues such as abortion, gay marriage, tax policies, how can we live peacefully with those whose views are so different from our own? Inspired by Rabbi Bradley Hirschfield's book You Don't Have to be Wrong for Me to be Right, and drawing from 25 years of experience of the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI), participants will learn specific skills to build bridges across seemingly unbreachable divides. The message is, it is possible to hold onto one's integrity and identity while opening to another's interests, values and perspectives.
Beyond Political Correctness: What to Do When You Can't Stand What They're Sayin
Trigger words based on identity or core values can grab us in the gut and set off a sequence of responses that tear apart a classroom or community. It is crucial for leaders -- official or unofficial, to shift the energy and open up possibilities for a healthy discussion with those whose words are experienced as hateful. With 25 years of experience on campuses and in the wider community, the National Coalition Building Institute brings participants the opportunity to experiment with typical scenarios on campus or in the larger community, leading to insights and skills that can turn around tense moments and lead to learning on all sides.
The Truth about Violence
In our society violence is a fact of our lives -- individually and collectively. We are all unwittingly and unwillingly drawn into the cycle as witnesses, victims, and/or perpetrators. This workshop, which NCBI has successfully presented hundreds of times in Europe and the U.S., helps participants become clearer about the complex dynamics of violence, as well as personal reactions which diminish the possibility of making positive interventions. Taking leadership in workplaces, the community, and in families requires understanding the challenging dynamics and developing skills to make creative interventions. The goal is to become a peacemaker -- one who seeks to heal and not to blame.
The Gay Alliance 2012-2013 Higher Education Series
LGBT 101: An Introduction to Diversity
PRESENTER: Gay Alliance Speakers Bureau Members
TIME: 1-2 Hours
LEVEL: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
For over 20 years this presentation has been the cornerstone of our education and outreach. The presentation provides participants with a general understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. Trained Speakers Bureau members will share their personal coming out stories. They will discuss basic terms and vocabulary, including the distinction between sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The format for this presentation encourages dialogue and provides ample time for participants to ask questions and get honest answers.
Straight Talk: Understanding the Power of the Straight Ally
PRESENTER: Jeanne Gainsburg, Gay Alliance Outreach Coordinator
TIME: 1.5-2 hours
LEVEL: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced
Although the majority of straight people in the U.S. believe in equality for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, most of them remain uninvolved in the civil rights fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. Fears and anxieties associated with becoming active, as well as the belief that a straight ally has little to offer, prevent many people from becoming involved. In this presentation, we will discuss overcoming these concerns. We will study the "coming out" process for the ally. Participants will learn the power that they have to bridge the gap between the straight and the LGBT community. Finally, allies will learn what they can do to work towards decreasing heterosexism, homophobia and transphobia. Straight allies have a unique gift that we can give back to our LGBT friends to thank them for making our world such a wonderful and diverse place.
Safe Zone Training
PRESENTERS: Gay Alliance Staff and/or Speakers Bureau Members
TIME: 1.5 to 3 hours
LEVEL: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced
This fast paced, educational presentation will be tailored to the needs of your organization and can be presented at Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced levels (length of workshop plays a role in determining depth of information, also sessions of different levels can be scheduled individually). The session is perfect for health providers, resident advisors, corporate work teams, student leaders, faculty and staff. Participants will learn: LGBTQIA vocabulary, the difference between sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity, what is myth and what is fact, how to deal with difficult LGBT situations, (teams, housing, client, opposition to inclusion), how to be a supportive straight ally, the Cass developmental model of coming out. At the end of the session, participants who want them are eligible to receive a Gay Alliance "Safe Zone Sticker."
LGBT/Queer Youth Issues
PRESENTER: Jessica Cohen, Gay Alliance Youth Program Director
TIME: 1-3 hours
LEVEL: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced
Adolescents are coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning at younger ages than ever before. In this presentation participants will dialogue about the coming out process, issues that young people face when coming out to family and friends, present school climate, and how to make schools and youth services welcoming and safe for all youth regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
The Gender Spectrum
PRESENTERS: Gay Alliance Staff and Speakers Bureau Members
TIME: 1-3 hours
LEVEL: Intermediate or Advanced
The goal of this presentation is to increase participant's comfort level with gender variant and transgender people, encourage an open discussion of these issues, and teach the importance of inclusive non-discrimination policies, like the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA). Trained Speakers Bureau members will share their personal coming out stories and encourage participants to ask questions and dialogue in a safe and respectful environment.
Promoting Safety in the LGBT Community
PRESENTERS: Kelly Clark, Community Safety Director and Anti-Violence Team Members
TIME: 1-3 hours
LEVEL: Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced
This session will focus on the bias, discrimination and violence faced by members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. The Gay Alliance is the regions' only participant of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, and as such is responsible for working with LGBT victims of hate and bias crimes as well as domestic violence and incidents of discrimination. Sessions are designed to provide insight into the root causes of homophobia or anti-LGBT bias, and how this bias, like all biases, actually hurt all of society. Statistics and trends can be addressed as can other aspects of violence prevention.
Independent Media and Advocacy Journalism: Writing With An Objective
PRESENTERS: Susan Jordan, Editor, Empty Closet Newspaper and Ove Overmyer, Social and Political Activist, Librarian
TIME: 1-3 hours
LEVEL: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced
Under our existing conditions, private enterprise inevitably controls, directly or indirectly, the main sources of media information, including press, radio, and public education. It is extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of our political and social rights. The role of independent or "alternative media" strikes an important balance in leveling the playing field of independent primary source information. The internet and publications like the Empty Closet Newspaper are distinct alternatives to the business or government-owned mass media sources and are designed to share information, promote individualism and encourage critical thought. This presentation will encourage dialogue and discussion around advocacy journalism and its role as an alternative outlet and a necessary voice for millions of Americans.
LGBT History and Rochester's Rich History
PRESENTERS: Gay Alliance Staff and/or Archive/History Project Volunteers
TIME: 1-3 hours
LEVEL: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced
This is an examination of the history of the LGBT movement.Points in history that can be examined include: the early Sexuality Liberation movement of the 1930's in Europe, the early American Homophile movement of the 1950's, and the beginning of the "modern Gay liberation" movement in 1969. Since the mid 1960's, Rochester has been at the forefront of many of the important changes that have brought us to where we are today.
Examining the Implications and Consequences of "That's So Gay!"
PRESENTER: Gay Alliance Staff
TIME: 1-2 hours
LEVEL: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced
Research shows that when a community does not draw a strong line against stereotyping and biased behaviors, it can lead to more extreme hate crimes like assault, rape, and murder. This workshop examines the continuum of behaviors from biased jokes to murder and explores how ignoring behaviors along the continuum leads to more and more negative behaviors. This workshop is appropriate for grades 6-12, for colleges and universities, and groups and organizations seeking to increase their knowledge of bias related incidents.
LGBT Cultural Competency for Professionals
PRESENTERS: Gay Alliance Staff
TIME: 1-3 hours
LEVEL: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced
This professional development workshop is an introduction to LGBT cultural competency. Participants will examine what it means to be culturally competent to work with LGBTQI clients. Workshop content includes review of human sexuality, including sexual orientation, gender identity, and sexual and gender expression, as well as appropriate use of terms and labels. This workshop is appropriate for victim's advocates, first responders, medical and mental health providers, or professionals who work in any agency within the criminal justice system.