The 2014 Diversity Leadership Symposium, “In-reach to Outreach: Fostering Cultural Engagement through Awareness, Reflection and Action,” goes from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Feb. 7, 2014, in the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on Ohio State’s Columbus campus. Lee Mun Wah will be the keynote speaker. There will also be a film preview of “If These Halls Could Talk” from 6-9 p.m. Feb. 6.
“Outreach” means creating opportunities and points of contact that are easily accessible and low or no cost; helping people create deeper connections to organizations and the community; and thus helping the growth and diversification between organizations and local communities.
“In-reach,” meanwhile, consists of creating quality educational and inclusive programs that deepen the knowledge and commitment of current staff and employees, thus having a positive impact on reaching the community members who do not attend the organizational programs and events.
Developing 'a clear understanding of who we are'
Outreach is a significant component of our university. However, the same people who we employ to reach those in need are themselves, often, the very ones who need to be reached. In other words, the people we send out to serve communities are sometimes in greater need of outreach than the people we are sending them to. Therefore, there is a need for in-reach in order to reach out to others in our communities.
Successful outreach depends on a clear understanding of who we are. Before reaching out to those in the communities in which we serve, we must first reach in to ourselves. When we increase knowledge of our own culture as well as the cultures of other people through in-reach efforts, the ability to effectively reach out and strengthen the lives of others through diversity outreach efforts is enhanced.
Here are the symposium’s objectives:
- Participants will gain experiences and resources to aid in the building of authentic relationships with other groups and cultures.
- Participants will develop an increased understanding of self-reflection as a skill necessary to become better practitioners.
- Participants will learn how to build on the strengths of differences and develop plans that support organizational goals and objectives.
For more information about the program, click here.