Housing & Dining ServicesIntercultural Certificate ProgramOpen To All Student Affairs Staff

The ICP is a multi-level program sponsored by Housing & Dining Services designed to provide staff with the framework to gain intercultural awareness, knowledge and skills. Participants can complete one, two or all three levels of the program with the ultimate goal of incorporating and practicing your newly acquired competencies in day-to-day life, creating a more inclusive environment. Level I – Foundations: earn four credits (through various trainings, sessions and reflections) and complete the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)Level II – Specialist: earn five credits (through a combination of trainings, consultation, reflections and projects)Level III – Practitioner: earn five credits (through trainings) and complete the IDI a second time to assess intercultural developmentYou do not have to attend all of the HDS trainings listed below but all are designed to support the certificate. You pick and choose the intercultural learning opportunities that will benefit you the most. Anything you believe contributes to your understanding and appreciation for cultural differences can count, so you can come to any of the trainings from the HDS schedule or you can attend other train-ings on campus that focus on diversity, inclusion and equity (DI&E). The program is meant to recognize individual effort you commit to gaining intercultural competence.

For instance, to get the Foundations cert, you need to attend four (4) DI&E trainings worth 1 credit each as well as complete the Intercultural Development Inventory and receive your results (1 credit) for a total of five (5) credits. Complete a reflection and you get the certificate and lapel pin and are eligible to move onto the Specialist cert. Each certificate level has different requirements but you must start with a Foundations certificate.

Anyone who attends one of the HDS trainings below will receive a notebook that has all the require-ments, forms and reflections you need to do to obtain all three certificate levels (these are still in production and will be available in early October). For additional information about starting your ICP journey, please contact Brian Shimamoto with Housing & Dining Services’ Organizational and Employ-ee Development at brian.shimamoto@colorado.edu or 303-492-3559.

To register for any of the following workshops, please email Gaylynne von der Nuell at 303-735-4944 or gvondern@colorado.edu

SeptemberMind the Gap | Thursday, September 21 | 1:30-3:30p.m. | C4C-S484

We communicate with others all the time -- in our homes, in our workplaces, in the groups we belong to and in the community. No matter how well we think we understand each other, communication is hard. Just think, for example, how often we hear things like, "He doesn't get it," or "She didn't really hear what I meant to say." Cultural differences are often at the root of our communication challenges.

Our culture influences how we approach problems, and how we participate in groups and in communities. When we participate in groups, we are often surprised at how differently people approach their work together. This workshop will examine how culture affects communication and how we can “mind the gap.” Participants will begin to recognize cultural differences in communication that may be escaping notice and consider how to adapt to make communication more effective.

Playing Your Hand | Friday, September 29 | 1:30-3:30p.m. | C4C-S484The word “trump” is a corruption of a 17th century card game called “triumph”. In triumph, trump cards temporarily outranked other cards and the trump suit was selected at random by cutting the deck. Selecting the right suit to match one's hand was an advantage in the game, so “coming up trumps” became synonymous with success. Our personal identity is comprised of a unique

combination of social group affiliations including, but not limited to, race, gender, class, sexual orientation, disability and spirituality. In this workshop, participants will have a chance to imagine their multiple social identities as their “hand” in a card game, allowing us to discuss how our individual affiliations affects “game play,” or our ability to be successful. Participants will learn more about their own culture and be able to avoid projecting their experience onto others.

OctoberCultural Dimensions | Thursday, October 5 | 1:30-3:30p.m. | C4C-S484

Diversity, inclusion and equity are central to our sense of community: Diversity is the mix. Inclusion is making the mix work™. This workshop will help you see how cultural groups may view the world differently using Hofstede’s model of Cultural Dimensions. The cultural dimensions represent independent preferences for one state of affairs over another that distinguish countries (rather than individuals) from

each other. The country scores on the dimensions are relative, as we are all human and simultaneously we are all unique. In other words, culture can be only used meaningfully by comparison. Participants will begin to develop cultural self-awareness and recognize cultural differences that matter.

It’s the Little Things | Thursday, October 12 | 1:30-3:30p.m. | C4C-S484Small slights, subtle inequities, and tiny injustices are little negative gestures called “microaggressions” and occur in organizations every day. They also have the potential to become big problems in the workplace by undermining morale and reducing productivity. This workshop will teach us to affect the change we all want to see by emphasizing the importance of thoughtfulness and understanding,

having an openness to information about others’ background and committing to creating respectful workplaces. Participants will better understand the cumulative effect of microaggressions and consider how to adapt in order to create more inclusive environments.

November“What does a blue sky mean?” | Thursday, November 2 | 1:30-3:30p.m. | C4C-S484

Often we assume what something means is the same for us as it is for others. A blue sky to someone who lives in a state with over 300 days of sunshine a year may mean a beautiful, warm day. However, to someone who lives in Chicago, a brilliantly blue sky in winter may mean one of the coldest days of the year. Our cultural experiences shape the way we view the world and sometimes our own

lenses are different from those of others’. Participants will learn more about their own culture and be able to avoid projecting their experience onto others and will link their knowledge of their own and other cultures to the skill of “shifting perspective.”

A Roadmap to Inclusion | Friday, November 17 | 1:30-3:30p.m. | C4C-S484Dr. Maura Cullen says, “When it comes to doing the right thing, good intentions are not enough. However, just because we put our foot in our mouth on occasion all is not lost. Building a set of skills by which to communicate will have a powerful effect on every relationship in your life. These skills or competencies are transferable to any conversation, with anyone, at any time. They are particularly

helpful in dialogues around issues of diversity, given the sometimes volatile nature of these conversations…” Every athlete knows they must develop and master essential skills in order to perform well on the playing field. The same is true for intercultural competence. Participants will better understand core concepts that support equity and will link their knowledge to the skill of “shifting perspective.” Each participant will also receive a copy of Dr. Cullen’s book, 35 Dumb Things Well Intentioned People Say.

DecemberMembership Has It’s Privileges | Thursday, December 7 | 1:30-3:30p.m. | C4C-S484

Often, when we discuss issues of inclusion and equity, we focus on how some people are targets of oppression and denied access to resources that ensure success. While recognizing this is crucial to dismantle systemic inequity, focusing on targeted groups is only seeing half the picture. The same system that oppresses some, benefits others. To achieve the full and equal participation of all

groups in a society, we must recognize “both sides of the coin” and acknowledge how our group memberships shape our experience. Participants will learn how to link their own culture and their knowledge of other cultures to the skill of understanding a different worldview.

Allies Redefined | Friday, December 15 | 1:30-3:30p.m. | C4C-S484What does it mean to be an effective ally? All too often, those who want to be allies seem to be more interested in getting credit than taking action to show support, operate with intentionality and use our privilege to help or demonstrate our commitment to end oppression. “Acting in solidarity” is a phrase that emphasizes what the label “ally” does not: actions count; labels do not. In this

session, we will take a candid look at the common mistakes made by those with privilege who want to act in solidarity but may fail to make a difference. Being an “ally” is not an identity, it is a practice; something that must be done over and over again in the largest and smallest ways, every day. Participants will recognize the importance of advocacy strategies that allow them to be able to support others effectively.