Get in step with diversity by ‘Moving Forward’
With an eye on furthering the conversation on inclusion and equity, Kern Dance Alliance has again partnered with Cultivating Better Tomorrows for the upcoming “Moving Forward: 6 Engaging Sessions for Unity,” a six-week series that will focus on facilitating conversations addressing diversity.
The latest series started as individual sessions on dance and diversity for KDA members led by instructors from Cultivating Better Tomorrows, which produces programming to aid self-reflection and knowledge building among students, educators, administrators and professionals.
“We had a great conversation, that was partial conversation and partial training,” said CBT founder Erica Lynette Edwards, who danced for the Joffrey Ballet for 15 years before moving into community engagement. “It’s been a very powerful experience for people getting more information on diversity, equity and inclusion.”
“It’s was about creating an anti-racist learning environment,” Andrea Hansen, KDA president, said of the original KDA sessions in May and June. “Our members were jazzed about the difficult conversations we were having. They were learning from each other and they wanted more. So we went back to the drawing board.”
The organizations realized it would be great to build on what they had started and expand it, opening it to the larger community. Thanks to a grant from Chevron, that plan is becoming a reality.
“‘Moving Forward’ is a play on words,” Hansen said of the program’s name. “In KDA, we use the word move a lot. This is less physical and more about moving forward as an evolution and growing together.”
Edwards, who will work with CBT colleagues Mauro Villanueva and Kenny Borchard on the sessions, said she would like participants to walk away with valuable tools that they can use in their everyday lives.
“We want people to go out with hope,
feel confident that they can take some actions as an individual and as an organization.”
Although program facilitators all come from a creative background, both Hansen and Edwards said the sessions are accessible to those in any field.
Each session is focused on a different topic, developed between the two organizations.
The first, on Friday, is about “The Power of Shared Language,” with the goal of improving communication without coded language, which is often used to avoid talking about uncomfortable subjects.
The Jan. 29 session is “Listening with Purpose, Compassion, and Empathy,” aiming to value all voices and believe them. The focus is on listening to those not in leadership roles in the workplace, seek honest opinions and learn how to create a work culture where people feel they can state concerns without fear.
On Feb. 5, the discussion will be “Racial Equity: From Heroes Then to Action Now,” setting yourself up to make changes by knowing your industry’s past. Conversations will direct participants to seek out the history of their organizations, the past policies, practices and experiences that led to crises and how they shaped the present culture.
There will be a emphasis on “Intentionality” on Feb. 12, teaching participants to make diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) intentional in the workplace, setting goals to keep their company accountable.
Participants will explore
“More than Words” on Feb. 19 in acknowledging the work still left to do. While organizations implement programs to prove that they’re committed to change, they need to be able to see where those can be improved through a DEI lens.
And finally, on Feb. 26, the subject is “Community Circles,” teaching those involved how to provide a safe space for all community members to listen and express emotions without fear of judgment. These circles help people understand the perspectives of others and develop deeper connections, uniting rather than dividing.
Hansen said the conversations, held in an intimate group of about 20, help create a safe space for participants to share and learn from one another.
“I feel like a lot of people want to feel supported to have these conversations and feel empowered to carry the torch forward,” she said,
“Everybody comes to the table with a different perspective. Sharing those perspectives is how we learn from each other. When people live in echo chambers that’s where the problems arise.”
Edwards said people do not need to take part in all sessions and should not be discouraged if they miss one.
“We are going to make sure to meet everybody where you can be. You can pop in any time that you have availability and you will not be left behind.”
Each session will run from noon to 2 p.m. on the scheduled Friday. To sign up for the free event, visit kerndance. org/MOVINGFORWARD.