THROUGH THE LENS OF CULTURE: Part 1 (2 hours) & Part 2 (4 hours) & Part 3 (2 hours)

Part 1 (pre-requisite for Part 2): Creating shared definitions.

This workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to develop shared definitions of key concepts in cross cultural effectiveness. Some examples include: Culture, Cultural competency, institutional racism and oppression, internalized oppression, cross cultural effectiveness.

Through story telling and a round robin exercise, we will develop shared definitions which provide the basis for a conversation and practice in Part 2 for looking at organizational oppression.

This workshop will increase consciousness about engaging in a culturally based way. It will be conducted in English. If needed and contacted in time, we will work to provide simultaneous translation. This workshop seeks to begin to address structural and institutional oppression. A tool will be available at the end to use in assessing and addressing structural oppression in any organization.

Part 2 is focused on assessing organizations; where are the pressure points of oppression?

Through a very short presentation and lots of small group work, participants will become familiar with the tool and how to apply it to their own organizations.

This workshop will increase consciousness about engaging in a culturally based way.

Part 3: it is not necessary to participate in Part 1 or Part 2 to participate in Part 3. In this workshop we will invite people to bring stories of institutional oppression in their own organizations. We will provide case studies as well. Using the case studies as a catalyst, we will focus our conversation on dismantling oppression at the structural and institutional level. This is not a look at individual behaviours per se. We want to move beyond personal behavior to develop strategies for creating social change through eliminating oppression within social change organizations.