Module 3
Belonging: Identifying with Cultural Strengths
Trainer Resources

CSAP GONA Curriculum Optional Module #3
Trainer Outline

I. Exercises: Effects of Unconscious Prejudice*

Trainer Note: Sheets of newsprint should be taped to the wall, each with one of the following groups written on it:

Native American/Alaskan Natives
Latinos/Hispanics
Jews
African American/Blacks
Caucasians/White
Asian/Pacific Islanders
Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals
Elders
Persons with Disabilities/Physically
Challenged/Handicapped
Women
Men
Youth

Do not change any of these terms. To do so runs the risk of confusion, challenges, and misinterpretation.

NOTE: With an all-Native Group, you make a list from the group that would be appropriate in creating awareness on internal prejudices. The training team should brainstorm this list during their prep meeting for the next day.1

A. Introduce the exercise

Content Points

Before lunch, we looked at some of the ways in which unconsciously held stereotypes could affect leadership style.
- This exercise is adapted from the National Coalition Building Institute's Prejudice Reduction Model.
We mentioned that those stereotypes often have two basic effects:
- The unintended use of offensive words and actions; and
- An unconscious discomfort in sharing power with those about whom we hold the prejudgments.
The following exercise will allow us to see how offensive words and actions often play out in our everyday interactions with others.
During this exercise, you will meet in groups that represent a cultural population to which you belong.
For the purposes of this exercise, "culture" is defined as "a group to which you do not belong by choice." It does not refer to a group with which you identify. If you, for example, are a nondisabled person who works with persons with disabilities and identifies strongly with them, you cannot, for purposes of this exercise, join their group.
For 15 minutes, you are going to list on newsprint, examples of subtle prejudice or discrimination that you have experienced in organizations. (It needn't necessarily be the partnership.) For the purposes of this exercise, a subtle act is one done by a person who was clearly not trying to be offensive, or who really didn't know that he or she was being offensive.

B. Conduct the exercise (15 minutes)

Directions

Instruct participants to stand under the newsprint of the group with which they want to work. They are free to join whichever group they wish, provided that they are a member of that group. (Inform any individuals who are standing alone under newsprint that they may change to another group if they are not comfortable working alone.)
Assign each group to a different section of the room and instruct them to list, not discuss, examples of subtle prejudice and/or discrimination and that they have 15 minutes to work in their small groups. Emphasize that if they discuss the examples, they will run out of time and may have only one example listed when time is called. It is important that they just briefly describe the examples. Note that members do not have to be in agreement about the subtle prejudices.

C. Small group brainstorming session

D. Large group reporting (30 minutes)

Reconvene large group.
Have each small group in its entirety take turns going to the front of the room.
Instruct the group to have one or more members read its list aloud.

E. Large group discussion (45 minutes)

Use the Learning Wheel to facilitate discussion of what participants were thinking and feeling as they heard the various lists (or one particular list) being read. Process first in small groups, then with the large group.
End the discussion with the following comments:
Content Points

The people in the individual "culture" groups are not speaking for the entire culture. What one person finds offensive or hurtful, another person may not. There are no universals.
None of the lists that the groups generated is complete in itself.
The exercise was intended to illustrate how we can easily, unknowingly, and, totally without meaning to, act out our unconscious prejudices and stereotypes.
The point of this exercise was not to make anyone feel bad or guilty about things that they may have said or done in the past. The point was to illustrate that we cannot be good leaders of multicultural partnerships unless we become conscious of words we may use and actions we may take that result from unconsciously held prejudgments and lack of information.
An excellent leader of a multicultural organization models the behavior that s/he wants others in the organization to follow. The very first step in being able to do that is to become conscious of our own prejudices--our own cultural lenses,
- With regard to our words, one way of doing that is to think before we speak; to consider whether our comment may unintentionally offend.
- With regard to our actions, one way of doing that is to consistently ask ourselves questions such as "Why did I choose this person for this duty? "Why didn't I share this information with that person(s)?" or "Why do I always have lunch with X people and never Y people?"
In the second part, we will look at how our individual perceptions about people become reflected in organizational culture, practices, policies, and structure.

3. Ask participants to think about the groups that no one selected. How do they feel about those groups? How should we acknowledge the groups that were not selected?

4. Facilitate a brief discussion about these questions.

5. Encourage individuals and partnerships to network: remind them of the availability of breakout rooms.

WHAT I HEARD/WHAT I LEARNED
THOUGHTS	FEELINGS

Reprinted with permission from the Author. (Emily Chavez-Haack)

PARADIGMS AND PARADIGM SHIFTS

(This is also an overhead)

(Need to located and insert here and make reference transparency too)

--Have requested copies from Circle Solutions--