Workshops

The DIAL peer-led workshops are specifically designed and intended for undergraduate CSU students. However, graduate students, faculty, and staff can take part in diversity/equity/inclusion training opportunities through the Office of Inclusive Excellence.

Overview

  • We aim to keep workshops to no more than 30 participants per co-facilitators. We may be able to accommodate a larger group, but that would need planned in advance. 
  • Our workshops are typically 1.5 hours to 3 hours maximum. If you are looking for a workshop that is shorted than 1.5 hours or longer than the 3 hours, we would need to set an additional meeting to discuss if it is possible to make those accommodations. 
  • We encourage workshop request for Fall 2024 to be submitted by Monday, September 23, 2024 to provide enough time for workshop scheduling, development, and preparations.
  • Workshop Request will remain open. Any request submitted past this deadline will be added to our waitlist and we will do our best to meet your needs as best we can. 

Workshop Request Timeline

Request workshops at least 3 weeks in advance of intended date to provide enough time for scheduling, development, and preparation:

Week 3: 

  • You will receive an email confirming your workshop request and indicating the date and time.
  • You will be required to confirm via email within five to seven days.

Week 2:

  • Meet with Assistant Director of DEI Education (D. Romo) and Peer Educators for 30 minutes to talk about workshop goals, group needs & expectations, and answer any questions.  

Week 1:

  • Maintain contact in case there is need for confirmation of room location, details on physical space, participant size number, etc.
  • If we do not hear from you, we will be forced to cancel to respect the time of our peer educators.

Workshop Topics

INCREASE KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS OF ISSUES RELATED TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION:

Introduction to Social Identities – Participants will review definitions and become familiar with multiple dimensions of identity (gender, religion, class, race, ability, etc.). Participants reflect on their own identities, how they connect to social inequalities/system of inequality, and how they can impact group dynamics.

Bias Awareness – Participants will engage in an interactive group activity to recognize their conscious and unconscious biases. Participants will consider where stereotypes and assumptions come from and discuss how to mitigate and unlearn biases to create more inclusive communities.

Communicating Across Difference – Participants will play a card game activity called BARNGA. The activity prompts reflection and conversation about communication assumptions, expectations, and norms and the challenges of communicating across groups, communities, cultures, languages, etc.  

Privilege & Oppression –Participants will consider both their privileged/dominant and marginalized identities and reflect on how they have been impacted by, perpetuated, and/or disrupted oppression.

Allyship –Participants will develop their understanding of allyship by considering what an ally is and isn’t. Participants will also learn about the personal resources (passion, knowledge/awareness, skills, and action) needed to practice more effective allyship and inventory where they have more developed resources vs. where they need to continue growing.

BUILD AND PRACTICE SKILLS TO BETTER DIALOGUE/ENGAGE ACROSS DIFFERENCES:

Dialoguing Difference –Participants will learn about dialogue, which is distinct from other common modes of communication like discussion or debate. A dialogic approach can help groups with multiple perspectives to discuss complex issues and work through conflict. Participants will experience different modes of communication and then have a chance to practice dialogue as a group.   

Empathetic/Effective Listening –Participants will be introduced to a particular technique or strategy for listening, practice their listening skills together, and then discuss application and action particular to their roles or context.  

In addition to the frequently requested workshops above, DIAL can also develop a custom workshop for your group as long as it aligns with our mission, vision, and values. Please contact D. Romo at d.romo@colostate.edu to discuss custom workshops.