Beyond Diversity Courses:
Real Change–Great Courses in Diversity
If you are a pioneering individual looking for new ways to embrace diversity in your work, home and community, then the Beyond Diversity resource Center has exactly what you are looking for.
Our workshops offer unique opportunities for real conversations and education about race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. Course settings provide an energizing combination of openness and unparalleled learning opportunities. We welcome individuals from diverse backgrounds to participate in all courses.
The Center offers training across the United States and Canada. Most of our workshops are specifically tailored to meet the needs of organizations that request our services—please call us at 856 235-2664 for more information on workshops designed for your business, government, faith-based, or social service organization. The workshops described below are open to the public at large, and are held at the Westfield Friends Meeting House in Cinnaminson, New Jersey.,
Cinnaminson is easily accessible from major highways is about a 30-minute drive from the Philadelphia International Airport. Driving directions will be sent to all course registrants.
Hotel information is noted at the bottom of this page.
Download a printable course brochure and registration form (PDF) by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.To register for any of the following courses click the Add to Cart button after the course description. If you prefer, call the Center at 856 235-2664
Race and Sexual Orientation :
Dealing With Two Tough Issues
September 21 , 2010
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Westfield Friends Meeting House
Cinnaminson, NJ (near Philadelphia)
Race and sexual orientation continue to be important, pervasive, and difficult social issues. Despite the election of an African American president, race relations in the United States still remain strained. Despite societal claims of tolerance, violent bias crimes against gay men, lesbians, and transgender people remain high.
In this course, we’ve decided to take on these two tough issues at the same time. We seldom take on both issues at once, but with the help of participants who are willing to immerse themselves fully in the training experience, the similarities and differences in racism and heterosexism will offer an opportunity for new insights.
We’ll investigate the following key topics:
•Racial and sexual orientation privilege.
•Essential concepts relating to race and human sexuality.
•How race and sexual orientation shape attitudes and beliefs.
This advanced workshop is designed to be especially challenging and informative.
Tuition: $50
Register by September 14, 2010
If you plan to register online and want to enroll more than one person, please put the number of persons registering in the "Quantity" field on the screen that appears after you add the course to your cart. Add the names of additional persons in the "Special Instructions" section that appears before final check out.
We use PayPal for our online registration, but you don't need a PayPal account to register online: Just click where it says, "Use your credit card or bank account," instead.
The Cultural History of Chocolate :
Tasting a Food and Expanding a World View
November 19 , 2010
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Westfield Friends Meeting House
Cinnaminson, NJ (near Philadelphia)
We’ll begin with the origins of the cacao tree in Central America, follow the story of chocolate to Europe and Asia, and look at the modern slave labor used to harvest cacao in West Africa. Along the way, you’ll be treated to tasty delights of chocolate from various regions of the world, and you’ll learn that this intriguing food has a riveting social and gastronomic history. You’ll be surprised how a piece of chocolate binds so many cultures together.
Yumiko Mishima, Executive Director of the Jointure for Community Adult Education, will be our guest facilitator. Her presentation is fascinating and thought-provoking.
Tuition: $25
Register by November 12, 2010
If you plan to register online and want to enroll more than one person, please put the number of persons registering in the "Quantity" field on the screen that appears after you add the course to your cart. Add the names of additional persons in the "Special Instructions" section that appears before final check out.
We use PayPal for our online registration, but you don't need a PayPal account to register online: Just click where it says, "Use your credit card or bank account," instead.
Beyond Racial Microaggressions:
Looking Across the Diversity Spectrum
January 28 , 2011
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Westfield Friends Meeting House
Cinnaminson, NJ (near Philadelphia)
Racial microaggressions are brief, commonplace indignities, both intentional and unintentional, that communicate racial slights and insults toward people of color. In our spring schedule of courses, we investigated how people of color are subjected to this usually subtle and often hidden form of mistreatment.
In this course, we will broaden our investigation of microaggressions to include other areas in which microaggressions arise, such as religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, class, and gender. For individuals who want to increase their diversity knowledge, understanding all forms of microaggressions is especially important: microaggressions affect productivity, achievement, stress levels, morale, and feelings of inclusion.
Participants will learn to identify microaggressions, investigate the effects microaggressions have on others, and discuss ways to remedy the damage microaggressions cause.
Individuals who attended our Racial Microaggressions course in the summer of 2010 are specially invited to register, but the course is open to everyone.
Tuition: $50
Register by January 21, 2011
If you plan to register online and want to enroll more than one person, please put the number of persons registering in the "Quantity" field on the screen that appears after you add the course to your cart. Add the names of additional persons in the "Special Instructions" section that appears before final check out.
We use PayPal for our online registration, but you don't need a PayPal account to register online: Just click where it says, "Use your credit card or bank account," instead.
Intersectionality:
An Emerging Diversity Concept
March 11 , 2011
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Westfield Friends Meeting House
Cinnaminson, NJ (near Philadelphia)
Intersectionality refers to how parts of our cultural identities relate to one another. The concept helps us recognize that membership in various cultural groups can make us vulnerable to several forms of bias simultaneously. It also allows us to see how cultural intersections can place us in both privileged and unprivileged positions.
In this workshop participants will
• Perform a personal intersectional analysis.
• Investigate how their cultural intersections affect the way they perceive the world and how others perceive them.
• Discuss the simultaneous experience of holding one type of cultural privilege (such as being white) while not holding another (such as being a woman).
Registered applicants will receive an article that will help prepare them for the workshop.
Tuition: $50
Register by March 4, 2011
If you plan to register online and want to enroll more than one person, please put the number of persons registering in the "Quantity" field on the screen that appears after you add the course to your cart. Add the names of additional persons in the "Special Instructions" section that appears before final check out.
We use PayPal for our online registration, but you don't need a PayPal account to register online: Just click where it says, "Use your credit card or bank account," instead.
Hotel Information: For our participants who need hotel accommodations near the Westfield Friends Meeting House, we recommend the Comfort Inn & Suites of Mount Laurel. For reservations call 856 727-0010.
If you'd like information on lower-priced hotels, please call the Center at 856 235-2664 and we'll be happy to offer recommendations.Download Printable Registration Form (PDF)
(Adobe Acrobat Required)