Developing Across Differences: Power Dynamics and (In)Equity

Participant profile

• Serving in a role to support colleagues’ professional development and wellbeing (e.g. HR, human capital, people development) 

• Implementing diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives within an organisation and want to address (inter)personal changes needed to strengthen their impact

• Providing training or on-the-job professional development opportunities to help colleagues better communicate and collaborate across diversity

• Teaching or training across cultures in a way that acknowledges historically rooted power dynamics and inequities to create more inclusive learning experiences for all learners

Please note that this course focuses on individual / interpersonal skills development rather than organization-level efforts (e.g. policies, procedures) also needed for sustainable change. Different DAD courses may be available to examine effective structural approaches to this topic.

Contact the organisers at ic rug.nl or info iddifferences.org if you have questions about the suitability of this course for your circumstances.

Level requirements

The DAD is for multipliers who help individuals, organizations and societies better recognize, appreciate and use differences as a way of better communicating, working and thriving together.

These are (in-house and external) trainers, educators, consultants, coaches, researchers, scholars, facilitators, HR staff, advanced-level (MA+) students, and professional development specialists with 5+ years of experience/study in the greater Differences field. Contact the organisers at ic rug.nl or info iddifferences.org for consultation about appropriateness and eligibility.

It is expected that the participants have a sufficient command of the English language to actively participate in the discussions and to present their own work in English.

Sunday, 6 July
15.00-18.00 Optional networking event

Monday, 7 July
09.00-17:30

LEARNING APPROACH

This course will blend cognitive discussions about key concepts and frameworks together with group discussions about challenges you currently face, plus Interactive Learning methods in which you will sample and consider how you might apply the knowledge and strategies gained in this course within your own contexts.

In this course, you will learn how to help yourself and those you work with so that you/they can better:

• Understand the historical underpinnings of racial, ethnic and other discriminatory practices. 

• Appreciate and articulate ways in which negative aspects of legacy can be present in current interpersonal dynamics and interactions.

• Identify key interpersonal strategies for how to “break” with history in order to create more equitable systems moving forward.

• Develop and deepen interpersonal skills in order to begin to enable more constructive and inclusive interactions about difficult topics using perspective taking, holding space for discomfort in dialogues, using emotion regulation techniques, and offering/accepting genuine apologies, that can ultimately contribute to a more equitable future.

Workload

6 hours of in-class learning and active participation using experiential methods.

Upon successful completion of the programme, the Summer School offers a Certificate of Attendance that mentions the workload of 6 hours (28 hours corresponds to 1 ECTS). Students can apply for recognition of these credits to the relevant authorities in their home institutions, therefore the final decision on awarding credits is at the discretion of their home institutions. We will be happy to provide any necessary information that might be requested in addition to the certificate of attendance.

Please note that as all courses are subject to meeting minimum enrolments, the DAD team will confirm on or before 19 May 2025 that your course is taking place. We strongly advise you not to book non-refundable travel until you have received this confirmation. In all cases, refunds for courses are not available except in the case of course cancellation by the DAD organisers. In the case that your preferred course is cancelled, you are welcomed to enroll in an alternative course or request a refund. You will be notified on or before 19 May 2025 if the DAD course is cancelled. This policy is different from that of other University of Groningen Summer School and Language Centre courses. Full details are available on the Developing Across Differences (DAD) Learning Lab & Community Week Terms and Conditions page.