Building Multicultural Competency Workshop
The Building Multicultural Competency Workshop focuses on issues of power and privilege within our personal organizing frameworks. Those frameworks may include patient/professional, professional/ professional, SES, gender, race, religion, mannerisms, body type or any other framework to which we attach meaning and significance. We hope to assist students to recognize the richness of another person’s life experience which is different from our own. We also hope to recognize that work is needed to develop the categories of understanding that allow us to appreciate the richness of another person’s understanding of the world. It is a life long journey to develop the tools for that understanding. The Building Multicultural Competency Workshop is often embedded in the syllabi of courses. However, it has also been offered as extra credit as required preparation for another experience. Workshop activities include presentations and discussion in large group and small group settings, the use of the Film “The Color of Fear 2: Walking Each Other Home”, questions that are discussed in facilitated small groups, and small group activities. Opportunities for ongoing or continuing discussion are offered. In addition to providing this training for health and human service students, IIHHS has received requests to conduct the Building Multicultural Competency Workshop from a JMU dormitory, a learning community and the Centennial Scholars and Student Government Association. Future plans for the Building Multicultural Competency Workshop include ongoing and expanded involvement of graduate students.
For more information contact Emily Akerson at akersoek@jmu.edu.
