2. Definitions
Diversity
The quality or state of having many different forms,
types, ideas, etc.
The state of having people who are different races or
who have different cultures in a group or
organization.
Inclusion
The action, practice, or policy of including any person
in an activity, system, organization, or process,
irrespective of race, gender, religion, age, ability, etc.
Social justice
Justice in terms of distribution of wealth,
opportunities, and privileges within society.
3. Paul Gorski’s Programming Model
1. Exclusion
2. Heroes and Holidays
3. Representational Inclusion
4. Participatory Inclusion
5. Equity and Social Justice
4. Stage I: Exclusion
At the Exclusion stage, we give no thought
or consideration to diversity or
multiculturalism. As a result of this lack of
consciousness (i.e. no active decision to
do harm), day-to-day life, as well as
programs and events, reflects dominant
culture. Our work styles ultimately maintain
the safety, comfort, and privilege of those
people who already enjoy the most
safety, comfort, and privilege in the larger
society. Groups include white people,
men, heterosexual people, Christians,
wealthy people, first language English
speakers, and able-bodied people.
5.
6. Stage II: Heroes and Holidays
At the Heroes and Holidays stage, we
design individual programs to celebrate
diversity. These programs are often built
around holidays or celebratory months,
such as Black History Month or Women's
History Month. We might decorate our
halls with posters of famous people from
particular groups or host programs that
center around food, costumes, and other
surface-level aspects of culture.
7. These types of programs often provide
opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration.
However, too often, special celebrations
are used to justify the day-to-day exclusion
of particular groups. Sometimes, these
celebrations can be, in the long run, more
alienating, as they further define particular
groups and individuals as "the other."
Additionally, this approach fails to recognize
and address real issues and problems like
racism, sexism, heterosexism/homophobia,
and others.
Stage II: Heroes and Holidays
8.
9. Stage III: Representational Inclusion
At this stage, our programs transcend surface-level
cultural celebrations to focus on serious issues. These
programs normally involve guest speakers or presenters
who represent a particular group or share an experience
that relates to a current issue of importance to a resident
community. For example, if we hear homophobic
remarks, we might invite a panel of LGBT students to talk
to our residents. The primary aim of these programs is to
address multicultural issues and tensions by providing
information to our residents.
Particularly if we are in a privileged group(s), we are
sending a strong message that these are important
issues, and that we are allies. However this approach
often excludes the voices, stories, and real experiences
of the people for whom we have created the programs.
10. Rosie King: How autism freed me to be myself
“But that's not just with autistic
people, either. I've seen it with
LGBTQ people, with women,
with POC people. People are
so afraid of variety that they try
to fit everything into a tiny little
box with really specific labels.”
11. Stage IV:
Participatory Inclusion
Here, programs are designed to engage the
residents themselves in dialogues about the
issues, concerns, prejudices, stereotypes, and
oppressions that affect the community. For
example, we might respond to a racial
epithet by facilitating a dialogue among
residents about race and racism. Program
attendees would be encouraged to share
their experiences around race and their
perspectives about how it affects their
residential community. We could form a small
committee of students to help decide on hot
topics. Overall, at this stage, multicultural
programs are designed to fully engage the
participants.
13. Stage V: Equity & Social Justice
The Equity and Social Justice stage transcends all stages
that focus solely on programming. At this stage, our roles
in resident life begin with a determination to provide a
safe, comfortable, equitable experience for all residents,
regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic
class, (dis)ability, first language, gender, sexual
orientation, or any other social or cultural identifiers. We
become proactive instead of reactive, recognizing that
the prejudices and stereotypes that affect people’s
experiences in society are mirrored in our residence halls
and working to minimize these from the beginning. We
work to create an environment in which people in the
community can discuss issues that emerge. We also work
to understand how our perspectives, experiences, and
biases affect the way we function in our roles in
residential life and our relationships with others.
14.
15. References
Gorski, P. (n.d.) Stages of Inclusion in Residence Halls. Retrieved
from http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/resources/residence.ht
ml
King, R. (TED). (2014, September). TEDMED 2014 Conference. How
autism freed me to be myself. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/rosie_king_how_autism_freed_me_to_be_
myself?language=en#t-5007
