Services

Diversity Enlightenment (DE)

What is Diversity Enlightenment? Not Diversity Training

Let's start by clarifying what it is not? It is not diversity training. Diversity Training may be something accomplishable, but definitely not in a limited time period. However, you can enlighten someone in or through one significant moment that you share with them. However, our Diversity Enlightenment Sessions provide much more than a moment's enlightenment.

So, What is Diversity Enlightenment?

It is an innovative approach to diversity education that challenges individuals to consider the reasons they see the world as they do. Enlightenment sessions centered on the topic of diversity don't skirt any issues, but are designed to construct conversations on difficult topics in ways that are less threatening, but undeniably poignant and pertinent to the advancement

Our method?

You can't separate a sophistication about diversity from the concept of leadership. So we encompass a plethora of approaches. Some are listed below:

• Establishing the importance of the university and community as essential contributors to the success of diversity through methods of empowerment.
• Utilizing thought experiments that attempt to demonstrate to the participants exactly where they are in terms of their knowledge and sophistication of diversity.
• Recognizing that there is no more powerful tool for learning than conversation, we attempt to create an environment where honest interaction occurs on difficult subject matter.
• Addressing and demystifying the notion of xenophobia.
• Learning from a three-pronged approach towards diversity enlightenment.
• Discussions on controversial or uncomfortable aspects of diversity (i.e., race, sexual orientation, disability, class, gender, privilege, toleration, disenfranchisement, etc.)
• Introducing new concepts, theories, and paradigms on diversity that effectively challenge conventional practices with invigorating new approaches.

Ultimately it is our hope that our participants will leave our diversity enlightenment sessions understanding the inherent contradictions that accompany:
Wanting respect without giving it,
Pursuing knowledge that is skewed,
The difference between having xenophobia and succumbing to it.

Our DE Sessions are geared to many different types of organizations or groups, as indicated below:

• Middle School Faculty, Staff & Students
• High School Faculty, Staff & Students
• College/University Student Organizations
• Teachers/Faculty Organizations
• Business Organizations

In general, we introduce the concept of diversity; articulate diversity to our participants as pertinent to them or their organization on the strength of diversity's merits; introduce our participants to facets of diversity never previously conceived; caution our participants about the conscious subterfuge surrounding diversity; acknowledge and engage the rhyme, reason, and resentment people have towards diversity; convince our participants of the celebratory aspects of diversity.

Specifically we enlighten our participants in ways others simply don't come close to accomplishing. If you want to fully understand the meaning of this, then you will have to attend a session, won't you!

Engagements

• Winooski Middle School (VT)
• Princeton Junior Scholars Institute (NJ)
• Bellows Free Academy, St. Albans (VT)
• Youville College Buffalo (NY)
• North Seattle Community College, Seattle (WA)
• Puget Sound Educational Service District # 121, Seattle (WA)
• The Bush School, Seattle (WA)
• Seattle Public Schools, Seattle (WA)
• Garfield Community Center, Seattle (WA)
• Pace University (NY)
• Peru Central School District: Faculty, 5th, 7th & 9th-12th grades (NY)
• Northern Adirondack Central: 9th-12th grades (NY)
• Willsboro Central Middle School, High School and Faculty (NY)
• National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) Chicago '06
• University of Vermont (UVM) Resident Assistants (Jan. '06, Aug. '06 & Jan.  '07)
• Plattsburgh City School District
• Champlain Valley Physician's Hospital
• Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Employees, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Management (Chazy, NY)
• Winooski Central (VT) Faculty, High School and Middle School
• National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) Miami '04
• White Privilege Conference, Pella, Iowa (WPC5)
• St. Albans Town Educational Center (SATEC), VT
• New York State Troopers
• City of Plattsburgh Administration
• Plattsburgh State University Police
• Norwich University in Vermont ('02, '03, '05, '06)
• Girl Scouts of the North Country
• Joint Council for Economic Opportunity (JCEO)
• Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC)
• Plattsburgh City Police
• Northern Adirondack Planned Parenthood
• North Country Legal Services of New York
• NCORE 2003 San Francisco, CA
• Bombardier Corp., NYC
• U.S. Customs & Border Protection (Champlain, NY)
• Canadian Association of Principals
• Institute for Laboratory Animal Management (ILAM) (Tn)
• Marymount University (Va)
• National Center for Atmospheric Research (Co)
• The Midwest Conference (MWC)
• U.S. Customs Border Patrol
• Los Angeles County Fire Dept (Ca)
• Pfizer Pharmaceuticals (NY)
• New York State Nurses Association (NY) 
• Univ of Mount Union
• John Carroll University
• Saranac Lake HS/MS

Virtual Classroom

Session A:

In this introductory session we will challenge our participants to engage the methodology we will utilize to explore the dimensions of diversity and social justice. We will introduce them to all of the themes that we engage in our actual classroom at SUNY Plattsburgh (ability, race, gender, sexual orientation, class, and privilege) and engage them in those topics to give them an overview of the dysfunction that often exists in our interactions with our differences.

Session B:

This session will delve into one of the specific themes introduced to your organizations participants (to be determined from surveys from the participants) from Session A.

Engagements

• New York State Nurses Association (NY)
• Excelsior College (NY)
• Peru Central School District (NY)

Consulting

XD Consultation is proud of our non-traditional approach to diversity education. We assist in a broad understanding of diversity and then challenge individuals and organizations to own the concept in an array of intriguing methods.

While there are so many ways a diversity initiative can be advanced within an institution, a common mistake often made with launching diversity initiatives is a lack of ownership of the initiative by the primary stakeholders. XD Consultation specializes in getting your organization excited about diversity by demonstrating to the organizational members the personal benefits of diversity while simultaneously unpacking the significance of diversity to the organization. XD’s Diversity Enlightenment session is often the conduit to the launching of a diversity initiative, as evidenced in the accolades section of this website.

If you are genuinely interested in examining diversity, you owe it to your organization, if not yourself, to carefully peruse what XD has to offer you in terms of services. Please visit our website in detail and then contact us for a more detailed conversation.

Engagements

• New York State Nurses Association (NYC & Atlantic City)
• New Student & Resident Assistant Orientations Paul Smith's College, NY
• Excelsior College (online course)
• Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Chazy, NY
• Rouses Point Elementary School
• Peru Central School District (Faculty Retreat)
• Beekmantown Central School District
• Pace University
• Plattsburgh City School District & Mountain Lake PBS
• Champlain Valley Educational Services

Business

Providing consulting services in a business environment presents a wide range of opportunities to challenge the organization in various ways while supporting the development of the diversity initiative.

Academic

Providing consulting services in an academic environment presents a wide range of opportunities to engage the various constituent groups invested in developing a diversity initiative or advancing the educational enterprise. Factors as wide ranging as socio-economic class to geographic location are often determinants of the level of sophistication different audiences may have with diversity as a concept. Xamining Diversity consulting recognizes how detrimental a cookie cutter approach to diversity education can be, which is why we develop a plan tailored to your specific needs to facilitate an educational session or weekend retreat.