The Office of Multicultural Affairs Presents

The Office Of Multicultural Affairs Presents…

Residence Assistance

Guide to Planning

Diversity Awareness Program

Please do not remove from the

Office of Residence Life

THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING TO LEAD A DIVERSITY PROGRAM FOR YOUR FLOOR.

This Binder filled with experiential learning activities, aims to help address those issues with student groups or student staff

Diversity Program Objectives (a.k.a. Reason for this Binder)

To help participants see the world from other points of view
To promote awareness, understanding, acceptance and celebration of diversity

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Many of these resources were found by searching the web. I would like to take the time to recognize 2 very helpful resources, that National Coalition Building Institute and the Leadership Center at Washington State University. This is in no way an original work, and if it was reviewed there would be some copy write infringements. This is simply a binder, a guide for you to look through because best practices should be shared with everyone.

I have color coded where I took what from, here is the key:

Washington State University - Blue

National Coalition Building Institute – Green

Resources on campus – Yellow

Other (World Wide Web) - Red

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

Take a moment to think about your RA Training. Have you done some true self exploration? Many of the activities in this binder will have your floor do just that. It would be good to really get to know all your cultural backgrounds before beginning (much to what we explained during training). You can’t build a relationship with anyone else, until you have a good concept or understanding about yourself.

BEFORE LEADING A PROGRAM: * IMPORTANT PLEASE READ*

Whenever sharing information on Diversity Program, it is important to state that YOU are not an expert in Diversity. What you do know is that it is important to build relationships with people and you can do that with the tools that you are about to share with them.

Table of Context

Activity / Time / Method / Materials / Page
Who Are We? Let’s Begin / 15-20 minutes / Small group discussion / None / 5
Choices / 10-15 minutes / Small group formation / None / 6
Trading Places / 15-20 minutes / Activity / Post-It notes and pens/pencils / 7
Seeing How It Is / 20-25 minutes / Role play/simulation / Depends on how it’s presented / 8
Chatter / 20-25 minutes / Activity / Copies of etiquette sheets / 8
Exclude / 15-20 minutes / Activity / Player Allocation Table, Outsider Instruction sheet, whistle / 10
Reincarnation / 15-20 minutes / Personal reflection and discussion / Playing cards, paper, pens / 11
Same Difference / 35-40 minutes / Activity / People Attributes handout, playing cards, paper and pens, whistle, timer / 14
Disability Empathy Activities / Varies / Simulations / Varies / 17
Guided Journey / 30-35 minutes / Self reflection and discussion / Six index cards for each participant / 19
Pairs / 15-20 minutes / Self reflection/ exploration / The list of Identities / 22
First Thoughts / 15 minutes / Understand where first thoughts come from / A blank board and marker / 23
Caucuses / 20-30 minutes / Giving a voice to groups, setting the tone / Larger easel paper, markers (tape optional) / 24
30 Days Series / 1 hour / Perspective, small group discussion / Media equip, 30 day video, group discussion question starters / 25
Media Maddness / Varies / Understanding how sterotypes are reinforced / TV, red paper (or some type of buzzers), discussion questions / 25
Cross the Line / Varies / Building cross-cultural connections, building relationships / List of questions, large space / 26
Carousel / Varies / Self exploration, or building cross-cultural connections / List of questions / 29
BafaBafa / 1 hour / Simulations on being different from larger group / 2 cassette players, pencils, small sheets of paper, and the game with instructions and cards / 30

Who Are We? Let’s Begin

15-20 minutes

PURPOSE

To give participants have a chance to discuss their ideas about diversity and diversity workshops, and to help participants find out who they are and what they would like to see happen during their time together as a group

EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS: None

PROCEDURE

Begin by asking the group how many work in the same department or same organization (or attend the same class, live in the same dormitory, etc.) and then ask them, if possible, not to group together for activities.
Explain to the group that people often come to a diversity workshop with fixed ideas about what will happen. This activity will give them an opportunity to discuss their ideas about diversity workshops and what they would like to see happen while they are together.
Divide the participants into small groups. Allow about 5 minutes for discussion, first on their expectations from past information, and then on their hopes for the next few hours.
Suggest that they may also use the following questions as guidelines:
What kind of work do we do and how does diversity affect that work (or our learning, life at school or on campus, etc.)?

What might be a real concern or fear about this type of workshop?

What are our hopes for the future of diversity in our organization?

Where would we like to see our organizations go in the future?

Who benefits most?

Reconvene and ask for a report about the key points discussed.

DEBRIEF (facilitate a discussion using processing questions)

Choices

PURPOSE

To experience how people make decisions when choosing those with whom they want to work

TIME: 10 Minutes, EQUIPMENT: None, MATERIALS: None

PROCEDURE

1. Ask the group to stand up and mill around as if at a reception or cocktail party.

2. Give the following instructions:

Each person's goal is to form a work group of 4–5 people. To do that, your task is to find people with similar histories, values, attitudes, work/family responsibilities, or even assumptions about others.

After you have met 1–2 participants who share things in common with you, your group will establish the criteria for others to join. For example, your group may find that you are all single parents who are concerned about childcare. Or perhaps you may have attended the same high school, enjoy the same hobby, or are active in specific social advocacy programs. As the criteria become fixed, only those who fit can join your group.

3. Reconvene to discuss the activity, asking questions such as:

How did you feel during this exercise?

Was it easy or difficult? Were there any surprises?

What factors entered into your decisions about whom to talk with?

What happened to those individuals you included?

What happened to you when you were included? Excluded?

DEBRIEF

Close by pointing out that when people have a choice about those with whom they will work, the tendency may be to try to find people with more similarities than differences. In this way, we may exclude many others without realizing it.

Trading Places (from 101 Ways to Make Training Active, pg. 45-46)

Give participants one or more Post-It notes.
Ask the participants to write on their note(s) one of the following:
A value they hold
A recent experience
A creative idea or solution to a problem you have posed
A question about the subject matter of the training program
An opinion about a topic of your choosing
A fact about themselves or the subject matter of the session
Ask the participants to stick the note(s) to their clothing and to circulate around the room reading one another’s notes.
Next, have participants mingle once again and negotiate trades for other notes. The trades should be based on a desire to possess that value, experience, idea, question, opinion, or fact for a short period of time. Require that all trades be two-way. Encourage participants to make as many trades as they would like.
Reconvene the full group and ask participants to share what trades they made and why. For example, “I traded for a note that Sally had, stating that she has traveled to Eastern Europe. I would really like to travel there because my ancestors are from Hungary and Ukraine.”
Variations:
Ask participants to form subgroups rather than trade notes and have them discuss the contents of their notes.
Have participants post their notes in a public display (on a blackboard or flip chart) and discuss similarities and differences.
Case Example:
Introduce the activity by discussing how our society rewards conformity and minimizes, even ignores, diversity. Indicate, however, that in this activity, individuality is valued.
Give each participant six Post-It notes. Ask participants to write on each a label that might distinguish them from some or all of the other participants. Examples of categories include gender, ethnicity, race, age, physical characteristics, sexual orientation, religion, place of birth, educational level, language differences, economic status, and birth order.
Have participants stick their notes on their clothing and then instruct them to stand up and mingle, noticing each other’s unique qualities.
After a while, invite participants to trade notes with one another. Insist that the trades be two-way and that the participants assume their new identities temporarily. For example, a male participant might trade his “gender” with a female participant.
Reconvene the full group and ask for volunteers to share some of the trades they made and why.

Seeing How It Is (from 101 Ways to Make Training Active, pg. 203-204)

Choose a type of person or situation that you want participants to learn about. You may elect to have participants experience what it is like to be any of the following:
In the “minority”
In a different role or job function
From a different culture
A person with special problems or challenges
Create a way to simulate that person or situation. Among the ways to do this are the following:
Have participants dress in the attire of that person or situation. Or have them handle the equipment, props, accessories, or other belongings of that person or situation or engage in a typical activity.
Place participants in situations in which they are required to respond in the role or character they have been given.
Impersonate an individual and ask the participants to interview you and find out about your experiences, views and feelings.
Use an analogy to build a simulation: Create a scenario that participants may be familiar with that sheds light on the unfamiliar situation. For example, you might ask all participants who are left-handed to portray people who are culturally different from the rest of the participants.
Ask participants how the simulation felt. Discuss the experience of being in someone else’s shoes. Invite participants to identify the challenges that unfamiliar persons and situations present to them.
Variations:
If possible, arrange for real encounters with the unfamiliar situation or person.
Conduct a mental-imagery experience in which participants visualize the person or situation with which they are unfamiliar.
Case Example:
A simulation called “Instant Aging” is designed to sensitize participants to sensory deprivation and the normal process of aging. Participants are given eyeglasses smeared with Vaseline, dried peas to put in their shoes, cotton for their ears, and latex gloves for their hands. Each participant is then asked to take out a pencil and paper and write down his or her name, address, telephone number, any medication currently being taken, and any known allergies. Next, the participants are told to take a walk outside the training room, opening the door and finding their way around. The simulation involves further directions concerning the specific details of the tasks participants are asked to perform and the manner in which they are to take turns assisting each other.

Chatter (from Diversity Simulation Games, pg. 22-34)

This is an exercise meant to help participants to experience and accept variations and behavior during small-group discussions. It should help participants to modify their conversational styles.
Make copies of the different etiquette sheets for participants (each person gets one; use as many different sheets as possible)
Distribute etiquette sheets. Get the attention of the participants. Shuffle the etiquette sheets, and give one to each participant. Ask them to keep their sheets hidden from each other.
Tell the participants to read their sheets. After they have read and understood the instructions, ask them to fold the sheet and keep it safe.
Form groups. Ask the participants to organize themselves into groups of four to six members. Suggest that they form groups with people they do not know.
Ask groups to start a conversation. Tell them that they can discuss any topic, including politics, sports, television shows, books, or the meaning of life. Inform them that the conversation will end in about 5 minutes.
Tell the participants to use their etiquette sheets. Throughout the conversation, they should follow the instructions on their sheets. However, they should not divulge the contents of their etiquette sheets.
Reshuffle the groups. Blow a whistle after about 5 minutes, and ask the participants to form themselves into new groups. These groups should start a new conversation, and the participants should continue to follow the instructions on their sheets. This conversation will also last for about 5 minutes.
End the conversations. Blow the whistle after another 5 minutes. Ask the participants to stop talking.
Ask the participants to guess one another’s instructions. Tell them that there are twelve different etiquette sheets and that it is possible for more than one person in the group to have the same sheet. Ask the participants to think back silently about their conversations and to guess what instructions each player had on his or her sheet. After a brief pause, ask the participants to take turns telling their guesses to the rest of the group. However, no participant should confirm or deny anyone’s guesses at this time.
Tell the participants that some etiquette sheets said, “Be yourself.” Ask the participants to look around and guess if any member of the group was acting as himself or herself. Use this step even if you know that no one received this etiquette sheet.
Ask the participants to tell one another what their etiquette sheet said. Tell them to congratulate the member of their group who had the most correct guesses.

Possible debriefing questions:
Which behavior did you consider to be the most rude or offensive? Was it one of your behaviors, or someone else’s? Why does this behavior offend you?
What were the differences between your conversations in the first group and in the second group? Why do you think these differences occurred?
Behaviors that we consider to be bizarre (or rude) may be acceptable (or polite) in other cultures. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Can you think of any conversational behaviors you exhibit that your colleagues may find distracting or strange? Can you think of any conversational behaviors in this country that people from other countries or cultures may find distracting or strange?

Exclude (from Diversity Simulation Games, pg. 35-43)

This exercise is meant to allow participants to experience the frustrations of being left out of a group or being ignored by its members. Participants will also explore the factors associated with the behaviors of insiders and outsiders.
Make copies of the Outsider’s Instruction Sheet for each outsider.
Select the outsiders. Count the number of players. Using the Player Allocation Table (make a copy of this), select the appropriate number of players to be outsiders. Select these players from different parts of the room.
Brief the outsiders. Give the selected players a copy of the Outsider’s Instruction Sheet and ask them to leave the room. Tell them to read the instructions and to wait outside until you call them.
Organize discussion groups. Organize the remaining players into discussion groups of appropriate sizes. Ask the members of each group to seat themselves comfortably (or stand) in a circle and to have a pleasant conversation. The players can talk about any topic that interests them. This discussion will last for about 5 minutes.
Explain the entry ritual. After the players have organized themselves into groups and have started their conversations, blow a whistle to get everyone’s attention. Warn the players that you are going to make an important announcement. Then announce that the groups can let anyone else from the outside join in their conversation, but only if the outsider uses a special entry ritual: The person who wants to join in the conversation should touch the left shoulder of any member of the group with his or her right hand.

Stress the details of the ritual. The outsider who wants to join in the conversation should use his or her right hand and should touch the group member’s left shoulder. If either of these requirements is missed (for example, if the outsider uses the left hand or touches the right shoulder), it is unacceptable.
Ignore the outsiders. Unless the outsider uses the correct ritual, members of the group should completely ignore him or her. They should avoid eye contact with the outsider and continue with the conversation as if nothing had happened. They should not even bother to say something such as, “Go away.” Some members of the group may feel squeamish about behaving in such a rude manner. However, it is very important that they follow this procedure.
Model the entry ritual. Tell the players that from time to time one of them should leave their group and join some other group, using the correct ritual. You, the facilitator, may also join different groups, but only after using the correct ritual. Emphasize that unless you use the correct ritual, the groups should ignore your attempts to talk to them.
Observe and participate. Circulate among the groups and observe the behaviors of both insiders and outsiders. From time to time, join in the conversation by using the ritual. However, don’t be blatant about the steps in the ritual or call attention to its key components. The idea is to require the outsiders to figure out what is happening. Let the conversations continue for about 5 more minutes. Encourage insiders to switch groups.
Conclude the activity. Wait until one or two outsiders have figured out the ritual and joined the group. Blow the whistle and bring the activity to an end. Demonstrate the exact procedure of the ritual for the benefit of the outsiders.
Possible debriefing questions:
What was the most frustrating thing that happened to you as an insider? As an outsider?
As an outsider, what strategies did you use to cope with rejection by the insiders?
Inclusion rituals give power to the members of the inner group. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Have you ever joined an exclusive group? Why did you join them, and what did you have to do in order to join them?
What types of rituals do we use to exclude others in our workplaces, at home, and among friends?
How could we make it easy for outsiders to join our group?

Reincarnation (from Diversity Simulation Games, pg. 44-47)