DEI and Cultural Competency Skills
Cultural competency is a lifelong journey and commitment, and begins with self-awareness and reflection. We each have individual identities to explore and share, and we each belong to communities with others who have their own beautiful identities. Developing understanding of oneself and empathy for others are crucial steps toward cultural competency development.
Inclusive social and communication skills are also paramount to cultural competency and allow us to truly value, respect and learn from one another. They include listening to understand rather than listening to respond, speaking thoughtfully and with intentionality, managing the intent and impact of our words and actions and the ability to advocate for others.
Finally, recognizing broader systemic inequities allows our students to understand how their own identities interact with the world around them and provides insights to our larger commitment to inclusivity, equity and justice.