Diversity workshop 2011
The document discusses the importance of diversity in clubs, exploring how diverse backgrounds can enhance insights, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. It encourages clubs to reflect on their inclusivity practices and outlines strategies for recruiting and managing diverse members. Benefits of diversity include improved outreach, better understanding of community needs, and a broader pool of resources and skills.
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Diversity workshop 2011
- 1. “The Power ofDiversity”Presented by Governor Sue Riney and Governor Elect Kathy King
- 2. What is diversity?Whyis it important?How do we get it in our clubs?How do we manage it? TOPICS
- 3. In groups ofsix take turns sharing the following (1 minute per person)Ethnic background
- 4. Where yougrew up
- 5. Where your parentswere born
- 6. Which generation yourepresent in the U.S. for your family
- 7. One customor tradition your family practices. Diversity Exercise
- 8. Did anyone’s answerssurprise you? What similarities did you identify?
- 9. What differencesdid you identify?
- 10. How do thinkunderstanding a bit about each other’s backgrounds would help if you were to work together on a club effort? What Did You Learn?
- 11.
- 12.
- 13. The Melting Potvs the Salad Bowl
- 14. What are thebenefits of a diverse club?
- 15. Memberswho belong to various diverse groups may have better insights into the services needed by that population.
- 16. Providesa larger pool of potential volunteers and donors.
- 17. Volunteerswith different backgrounds, cultures, and career fields bring different skills to your club. Benefits of a Diverse Club
- 18.
- 19. Different(diverse) opinions promotes creativity.
- 20. Diversegroups have been shown to produce better solutions to problems. Benefits of a Diverse Club
- 21. Diverse team producebetter results Benefits of a Diverse Club
- 22. Diverse team producebetter results :problem-solving
- 23. conflictresolution
Editor's Notes
- #2 SUE: Good afternoon everyone! This morning we voted on a new resolution for this Region related to diversity of membership within our clubs. As was shared it is not the intention of the resolution to say that clubs must now go out and make sure that they have a proportionate representation to match the populations within their communities. Instead the intent is to promote understanding within our clubs that by having a diverse membership you can have a more successful club.Having plenty of members to do all of the work isn’t always enough to say your club is successful; another indicator of success is if your members represent a variety of ages, economic levels and other demographics. And that’s what we’re going to talk about here today.
- #3 SUE: We will be looking at the following items:What is diversity?Why is it important to have diversity within our clubs?How do we get it?And – as club leaders – and you’re all leaders whether you’re the club president or a committee chair or an event chair or the editor of the club newsletter – how do we manage it?But first, we are going to do an exercise to help you all get an understanding of what diversity is all about.
- #4 KATHY:At your table you’ll be taking turns sharing the responses to these questions on the screen so that you can learn a little about each other and your backgrounds. You only have one minute each to share, and we’ll let you know when you need to rotate, so don’t be too wordy. Any questions? Okay – you can begin.(Announce each minute to go to next person)
- #5 KATHY: Time’s up. So – What did you learn? (take a few answers to each of the following)Did anyone’s answers surprise you? Did you identify any similarities between your answers?What differences did you identify?How do think understanding a bit about each other’s backgrounds would help if you were to work together on a club effort?(TAKE RESPONSES FOR 2 MINUTES)
- #6 SUE: So – what is diversity? Shout out those characteristics you first think of when you think of diversity. When many people think of diversity, they think first of ethnicity and race, and then gender. But diversity is much broader. Diversity is those human qualities that are different from our own and outside the groups to which we belong, yet present in other individuals and groups.
- #7 SUE: Let’s take a look at some of the aspects of diversity that are shown here in what has been so creatively titled “The Diversity circle”.In the inside ring you see those characteristics that are genetically chosen, are permanent and visible.The outside ring represents the external characteristics that influences our lives and our value systems, and contribute to the development of our personalities. The combination of these characteristics for each of us makes us the unique individuals each of us are --- they influence our values, our beliefs, our behaviors, and our expectations. We all learned this past fall about the differences we exhibit and how we may approach or react to various circumstances based on the generation we come from. Now layer all these additional characteristics that could vary between our Traditionalists, and Boomers, and X and Y generations, and the possibilities – and need for communication and understanding – are endless!
- #8 SUE: Let’s just look at the aspect of ethnicity and culture for a minute. It’s no surprise to any in this room that our country is getting more and more diverse all the time, culturally and ethnically.It’s predicted that by 2030 most of America’s school-age children will be from a minority group and by 2050, so will most Americans.As I was growing up we said the United States was like a Melting Pot , with people from various cultures who had come to America and contributed aspects of their culture to create a new, unique American culture. The result is that contributions from many cultures are indistinguishable from one another and are effectively "melted" together. Just think of all the heritages you shared during your table time that each of you has “melted” into what makes up you as individuals.But with the Salad Bowl Theory we realize there are times when newly arrived immigrants do not lose the unique aspects of their cultures like in the melting pot model, instead they retain them. The unique characteristics of each culture are still identifiable within the larger American society, much like the ingredients in a salad are still identifiable, yet contribute to the overall make up of the salad bowl.This increasing diversity, which each of is experiencing in our communities, changes the nature of the population that our clubs will be serving, and likewise, should also change the makeup of our Soroptimist membership.
- #9 KATHY: If you take the opportunity to reach out and capture the volunteer potential of diverse community members – from a variety of areas within the Diversity Circle - how might your Soroptimist club benefit? What are some of your ideas? Take a few minutes at your table to share what ideas you have.3 minutesLet’s hear a few ideas you came up with.
- #10 KATHY: Here are some of the benefits we have identified. members who belong to various diverse groups may have better insights into the services needed by that population provides a larger pool of potential volunteers and donors.volunteers with different backgrounds, cultures, and career fields bring different skills to your organization.
- #11 KATHY: Various groups to which your volunteers do outreach may relate better to different groups of volunteers. Different (diverse) opinions promotes creativity. Diverse groups have been shown to produce better solutions to problems.
- #12 SUE: Let’s look just at this one for a moment. Diverse teams produce better results……..Let’s say you are chairing your club’s Ways and Means Committee this year and you want the group to come up with some new fundraising ideas, but everyone on the committee has very similar backgrounds. What are some of the challenges you might be facing? (let them shout out a few ideas)..
- #13 SUE:But if you instead have a Ways and Means committee that is made up with members from a variety of backgrounds, your team will perform better in terms of problem-solving, conflict resolution and creativity.In these three crucial skill sets, diverse groups have been shown by numerous researchers to consistently outperform other groups where members are the same.Although researchers are still working to better understand the why and how of these results, most agree that diverse groups perform better because they bring a wide variety of perspectives, experiences, and attitudes to the table. ,
- #14 SUE:Those of you attending this workshop will leave with a better understanding about what diversity and inclusion might mean for your club. But you know you can’t assume that everyone in your club will agree. Before you discuss how to become more diverse, your club needs to discuss the question “Why do we need to become diverse”? Your membership needs to have an open, thoughtful discussion to consider how your club and your community might benefit from a more diverse Soroptimist club within your community.Equally important, your club should discuss the opportunities that might be missed if you don’t become more diverse. In addition, you’ll need to anticipate how to react and resolve challenges the could arise due to different opinions, approaches and attitudes.Discussing race, culture, ethnicity, gender, and even age and generational issues within the club may ignite a lot of personal feelings and, for some, discomfort. Your club will need to consider if it is ready to confront and work to eliminate personal biases and prejudices in order to be a more diverse organization.,
- #15 SUE: Once you decide you need to be more inclusive in your membership and reach out to other specific groups, you may need to make some positive changes so that you can effectively recruit and manage volunteers from diverse backgrounds. Consider any changes you need to make your club more inclusive, such as: Look closely at your club’s marketing materials……Are they written in such a way as to reach out to a diverse volunteer base? Do you sound inclusive to all populations? What images do you include? Do you show only white middle aged women in the materials ?Do you meet at a time and a place that allows a diverse range of volunteers to be able to participate? Do you provide opportunities for involvement that supports those that are unable to regularly attend meetings but have talents to contribute through specific skills? For instance, if you want young moms they may have challenges meeting during daytime hours. Disabled or rural volunteers may need to be able to contribute remotely or electronically in addition to on-site.
- #16 SUE: After you’ve reviewed your internal operations and your external appearance to others you can start looking for these prospective new members. So here are some of the ideas for that process.You first need to identify the area of diversity your club needs to grow in, whether its finding younger members, members with different skillsetsthan what you currently have in the club, or members from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds.Rick Lynch, a leading author in the field of volunteer management, describes the sequence of steps to follow, once you have identified that target group: Identify a task or role within the mission that would appeal to those in the targeted group Determine where you will find members of the targeted group (young married groups at churches, cultural centers, community centers) Advertise volunteer opportunities in local ethnic community newspapers or on ethnic community radio What are the motivational needs of those in the targeted group? How would they benefit from joining Soroptimist?,
- #17 SUE: What will you say to them? You need to be honest as you recruit. You don’t want people to think you are asking them solely because of their skin color, or their age, or whatever makes them diverse. Make it clear that you think they are personally qualified and will be an asset to your club. This could be done by you attending their meetings, or by the club hosting and information evening where you invite people from diverse backgrounds.You may choose to focus your initial recruiting efforts on people who are influential among the targeted group. While they may not volunteer themselves, they may assist you in your recruiting.You can break down barriers and misconceptions up insuring you display inclusivity in every form of marketing your club uses. Make it explicit in your recruitment brochures, on your website, on your Facebook page, in your press releases, that you welcome and encourage people from diverse backgrounds to join in our mission, and ensure that photos in any marketing or published material include people from diverse backgrounds.,
- #18 KATHY: Let’s look at an example of a real-life situation your club may be facing. Your club is in a community with a large military population, but you have no active duty military members. The club believes they would have a better idea of how to serve the women and girls of that population if they had some active duty women as members. What are some of the considerations they should first take into account, and some of the strategies they might consider for recruiting these members?As a table group you’ll have 2 minutes to quickly jot down some of the things you’d want the club to first consider – what might be some of the challenges you’d need to be prepared for?And then you’ll have 2 minutes to come up with some tactics you might want to consider for attracting and recruiting these members?,
- #19 KATHY: Let’s hear from some of you.THREE TABLEs – ConsiderationsTHREE Tables – Strategies,
- #20 KATHY: It takes effort to build an inclusive environment in which you can really harness the diversity of all the people around you. To build inclusiveness you as a leader need to have and demonstrate a very simple but profound respect for individuals.Managing diversity means you openly acknowledge people's differences and recognize these differences as valuable to the club’s success. And here are some ways you can do that.,
- #21 KATHY: Make sure that everyone has a voice. Provide opportunities to gather input from all members on those issues that could impact various member groups. Understand the dynamics of creative problem solving. We learned this morning from Bill Stainton about how to develop creative teams. Diverse teams are going to be creative but they take additional skills to manage. Whenever possible, just step back and give your diverse team the time and space necessary to work things out in their own unique way. Don’t hover or micro manage them.Push your team past the “herd instinct” We tend to gravitate toward people who share our views, opinions, and backgrounds. But in order to truly reap the benefits of a diverse club, it's important to shake things up a bit. Insure that your committees for this coming year involve a variety of new and seasoned members, that you don’t have any particular clique embedded in any one committee, and that you have a variety of skills represented in each of them. That’s when you foster “What a Great Idea!” kind of thinking!,
- #22 KATHY: Even the most diverse team of club members won’t help generate new ideas into the club if they sense that new ideas aren't welcome. If your club has a lot of procedures and tradition, it may take some time to get to the point where members feel comfortable suggesting ideas that are outside of the box. As a club leader you can help support the process by openly praising and, more importantly, respecting the input, feedback, and suggestions of all club members.Great new ideas often result from a clash of different perspectives. Discussions related to these differing views and attitudes can result in conflicts between members. As a leader you would benefit by taking a proactive approach to address the unique challenge of conflict in a diverse club. For example, if your diversity is to add members of multiple generations, it may be beneficial to hold a generations workshop within your club. Most people believe in the golden rule: treat others as you want to be treated. Perhaps instead of using the golden rule, we could use the platinum rule which states: "treat others as they want to be treated." Moving our frame of reference from what may be our default view that "our way is the best way") to a diversity-sensitive perspective ("let's take the best of a variety of ways") will help us lead more effectively in a diverse team environment.,
- #23 SUE: The crux of all this is to respect individuality. Each one of us is just us; we are unique, we are ourselves, and that has to be recognized. And a leader in any team must start with that simple recognition of the individuals.And when people know you respect them and their opinions and what they have to offer, you can build understanding, you can build relationships and you can build trust. And then the diversity of your team will really kick in because people now know it’s safe to share their perspectives and different opinions with the group, enabling you to work smarter, faster and certainly to think of solutions which otherwise would never have been possible previously.,
- #24 SUEAs was reinforced in Bill Stainton’s presentation last night, if you really want to have a club that has top of the charts success, it requires time and effort – you have to Carry That Weight. Make it part of your personal agenda as a leader. Be clear to people about your respect for individuals and encourage all around you to do the same. That’s how you create new solutions to old problems, that’s how you learn to work smarter, and that’s how you achieve top of the charts success.,