Jennifer Chassman Browne

In this session, participants will learn about, engage with, develop, and practice using norms that will help to ensure successful conversations even about challenging topics. This session will help to lay the groundwork for fruitful dialogue. Participants will learn the difference between Calling In and Calling Out, as well as how and why to use each approach. This session will help participants to assess the intent and impact of their own and others words, and to become skilled in addressing both. This involves understanding how our own perspective and life experience directs our communication. This session will enable participants to examine their own identity

We are all practiced at using these terms, but rarely stop to define and discuss them, thinking about how they operate in relation to each other. Participants will be able to co-construct definitions by reading critical experts in these areas as well as adding their own expertise. In this session we will discuss these terms, moving to a place of shared understanding so that we can refer to these topics as we move forward

In this session we will examine the experience of difference. Many in our society are marginalized in some way, and we will learn about individuals and groups that are ‘othered’ in that they live lives that are impacted by the fact that the mainstream society is often unaware of the needs of these groups and individuals. Differences addressed in this session include those with differences of race, class, ability, age, sexual orientation, and gender. This session will be focused on building empathy and understanding across differences.