Social Justice: When Diversity Isn’t Enough
(Typically, I would encourage a social justice or diversity workshop be entitled Social Justice: When Diversity Isn’t Enough, and then depending on time and the level of knowledge that is in the room at the point of the program, I will flow between the following programs).

What is the difference between Social Justice and Diversity? As a leader, change agent and person working and living with other people — this difference is imperative. Learn the difference, stretch from your comfort zone, sit in your privilege, power, and place of dominance within institutional and systematic forms of oppression in this highly interactive program.

Learning Outcomes:

• To understand how pre-existing assumptions affect an individual’s ability to recognize and value diversity.
• To recognize and give examples of difference in both a singular and plural context.

Comments from attendees:
“Made me further consider what I am seeing and hearing and assuming."
"This really made me open my eyes and made me look at myself and how I do things, make assumptions, and blindly see things.”

Just Rescue

Who has the power to choose who lives or dies? Who writes the moral code we live by? Who “unwrites” this code? Even with limited information, we are socialized to make quick decisions about another person. This directly relates to how we work with, talk to, and support other people. When given an opportunity to examine “back stories” and assumptions, participants learn the positives and negatives of stereotypes. Participants can use this knowledge to make informed decisions in the future.

Learning Outcomes:

• To identify default decision-making processes with regards to logical, relational, creative, and emotional connections.
• To recognize and challenge three stereotypes or assumptions they hold about others
• To identify three stereotypes/assumptions participants have about others
• To name one to three intersecting visible/invisible identities

Comments from attendees:
“I identify as Hmong and live in North Carolina. This activity helped me understand how it feels to be oppressed by more than one label and understand unlike others who only know of the label."

"The Just Rescue activity really opened my eyes to the many different stereotypes people use by just reading two or three words. I need to think before I think – not just think before I speak.”