Thank you for your support and engagement with the D&I Digest. This digest is designed to be used as a learning resource throughout the quarter for County employees. At your leisure, please enjoy the content our D&I champions have helped source.
“Bridges symbolize change and flexibility! They show us this simple philosophy: When you are on one side, you can easily move to the other side!” - Mehmet Murat Ildan
DIGEST CONTENTS:
Stories of Us
- TED ED: How to have constructive conversations (11 min)
- TED Talk: The radical act of choosing common ground (16 min)
- TED Talk: Finding Authenticity in Discomfort (14 min)
Connecting the Dots
Belonging
- Article: How to Build Belonging at Work (and Why It Matters)
- Video: Who Gets to Belong? (17 min)
- Infographic: Belonging
County Spotlight
Gold is Good: P&G Tokyo Olympic Games Series
Exploration Zone
Podcast:
- Greater Good: 57 why shared goals can bridge divides (20 min)
Articles:
- Alder Koten: 10 Ways to Bridge Cultural Diversity
- DA News Center: Cultural Awareness App for Law Enforcement
Webinars/Trainings:
- Columbia Business School: Increasing Connections With Others
- Diversity Inc Best Practices
STORIES OF US
"We need to figure out how we go into conversations not looking for the victory, but the progress," says world debate champion Julia Dhar. In this practical talk, she shares three essential features of productive disagreements grounded in curiosity and purpose. The end result? Constructive conversations that sharpen your argument and strengthen your relationships.
To achieve lasting change sometimes requires the hard, even radical, choice of partnering with people you'd least expect. Justice reform advocate Nisha Anand shares her story of working with her ideological opposite to make history and save lives -- and urges us all to widen our circles in order to make progress with purpose.
LB shares candidly the paradoxical experience of parenting as a gender-queer individual . In this honest, compelling talk, making you laugh and cry while sharing a powerful message, graduate student and advocate for LGBTQ youth and students, shares a powerful message.
CONNECTING THE DOTS: BELONGING
Harvard Business Review shares that “social belonging is a fundamental human need, hardwired into our DNA”. One way this is demonstrated is by the use of shared language to deepen understanding and strengthen the connections between one another. As we both unconsciously and consciously create systems of acceptable social norms, we may look for the familiar and reject things that are different or unfamiliar. However, welcoming others in and making room for them to present their whole selves can create experiences that enrich us all. What we’ve learned as we intentionally seek out more information about equity, is that something extraordinary takes place when work cultures prioritize belonging – engagement increases, productivity is driven upwards, better decision-making happens and employees feel more connected to our organization’s goals.
- Susan Brazeau, Director of Human Resources and D&I Executive Council Member
Definition:
Belonging is having the right and opportunity to contribute a meaningful voice and participate in the design of social and cultural structures. It is the communal and dynamic process of constantly revisiting and identifying the elements of our common good to produce social cohesion.
Resources:
Article: How to Build Belonging at Work (and Why It Matters)
COUNTY SPOTLIGHT
Gold is Good: P&G Tokyo Olympic Games Series
In celebration of the Olympic Games and inspired by the athletes who are not only achieving athletic greatness, but are also stepping up to take action for good, our Good is Gold series spotlights those who are using their voices and their platforms to make a positive difference in their communities.
German boxer Zeina Nassar uses her Olympic platform to model justice and encourage inclusion.
United States, Track and Field team member, Allyson Felix uses her Olympic platform to shine a light on maternal mortality.
Great Britain Diver Tom Daley uses his Olympic platform to illustrate the power of authenticity as a queer athlete.
United States, Paraplegic Track and Field team member, Scout Bassett uses her Olympic platform to highlight the possibility in all of us.
EXPLORATION ZONE
Articles
Alder Koten: 10 Ways to Bridge Cultural Diversity
DA News Center: Cultural Awareness App for Law Enforcement
Podcasts
Greater Good: Why shared goals can bridge divides (20:20)
Webinars & Learning Opportunities
Columbia Business School: Increasing Connections With Others (33:00)
In this Leading Through Change webinar Michael Slepian, the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics, discusses his research on the obstacles between social connections and feelings of inclusion in common situations. Focusing on the everyday conversations at the workplace, Slepian explains the consequences of secrecy and when we are made to feel that we can’t be our authentic selves. Slepian also unpacks the slight differences between “belonging” and “inclusion.
Countywide Learning Subscription to Diversity Inc Best Practices: Diversity Inc Best Practices is a subscription website that offers insights, best practices and case studies on diversity and inclusion management. Corporations, nonprofits, academia and government/military organizations utilize content on the website to help gain support-for and evolve their workplace diversity and inclusion initiatives. Activation Instructions
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Credits:
Created with an image by Agzam - "the olympic rings symbol olympics"