The demographic makeup of our United States society has changed dramatically over the last 25 years, and is continuing to do so. Living and working in our
... [Show More] society will require each of us to become increasingly aware of the challenges involved in this cultural change.
The changes our society is experiencing go beyond the diversities of race and gender. Within each culture lies a multitude of diverse backgrounds and perspectives. These diversities, or dimensions, are multifaceted and are a direct result of an individual’s experiences associated with many factors to include: generational eras, social contacts, families and friendships, and the work environment.
To some, diversity is a buzzword for political correctness. To others, it means individual groups or individuals are more important than the whole. For if each part or individual does not operate in relation to a greater mission, or to the whole, the system breaks apart and doesn’t work. Thus each is important, but functions as part of a larger, integrated whole to achieve a creative, respectful functionality.
Diversity training is a basic component of this quality whole. The purpose of this training is not just to inform, but to increase awareness and understanding; leading to the development of skills that will refine positive communication and enhance productivity in the workforce.
Diversity is then defined as the collective strength of experiences, skills, talents, perspectives and cultures that each person brings to the whole. This integrated whole will be the subject of this diversity training.
Instructor Note:
This training is designed to be hands on, interactive, and scenario based. It should utilize individual, team and group participation and scenarios should be oriented to relate directly to students day-to-day experiences, on and off the job.
Target population: Texas Law Enforcement Officers
Prerequisites: None
Length of Course: Minimum of 8 total hours. The first 4 hour block will include the required modules entitled “Introduction to Diversity” and “Cultural Diversity;” and the second four hour block will include four additional hours chosen from the remaining
topic modules included in this curriculum.
Facility Requirements: Standard classroom environment
Evaluation Process and Procedure: Classroom interaction with instructor and students
through oral and written participation as deemed appropriate.
Reference materials: See instructor resource guide
It is the responsibility of the training coordinator to ensure that copies of this curriculum and their departmentally created lesson plans are up to date and on file at your individual departments or academies.
George D. Little, C.C.P.S. – TCLEOSE Certified Instructor 02/20/2012 Deputy Chief, INTEL, Homeland Security and TRAINING
Bexar County Constable’s Office PCT#4
Dimensions of Diversity Introduction to Diversity Course # 3939
Unit Goal 1.0
To increase awareness of the various dimensions of diversity
Every culture teaches it’s young; every family shares its knowledge. All of us are lifelong learners. “The human condition is one of curiosity about the world, of the experience of living and the attraction of the new, of inborn innocence and acquired wisdom, and of a continuation of learning events.” (UNESCO)
Information we take from our family teaching interacts with our years of formal schooling; this in turn is taken into the arena of the adult learner. As a result, “Personal and social identity, expressed through language and culture, is formed by this continuous interplay of knowledge and learning as we move through the different stages of life.” (UNESCO)
The Challenge of Diversity:
Dealing with diversity can be at times insurmountable. It helps to keep in mind the “Seven Underlying Principles of Diversity”
Instructor Note:
This is adapted from Diversity: Just what is it anyway? Dimensions in Diversity, Vol. 3. Southeast Community College.
1. Diversity is an inside job, meaning that diversity is not about “them”
2. Diversity goes beyond race and gender
3. No one is the target of blame for current or past inequalities
4. Human beings are ethnocentric
5. The human species resists changes, continuing to seek homeostasis
6. Human beings find comfort and trust in likeness
7. It is difficult for people to share power
All of these truisms about the human species do not make people mean-spirited or cruel. It just makes us humans. Nevertheless, these realities make dealing with the topic of diversity a challenge.
Historically, some of the most creative eras in our civilization have emerged as a result of conflict among its people. The Renaissance evolved as a result of the meeting of the East and the West during the crusades. America’s creativity and inventiveness then have resulted from this meeting; this diversity brought about by a nation of immigrants.
This training encourages participation to assist in becoming aware of the influence of our cultural rules, values, beliefs and prejudices and to act in a manner that promotes mutual [Show Less]