Diversity Shifts (Asynchronous Session)
Creating Inclusive Community Sustainability Plans View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ramona Madhosingh-Hector, Linda Seals
Many local governments are ramping up capacity to address complex issues such as sustainability and resilience especially given the global context of climate change stressors and a public health pandemic. Oftentimes, these institutions lack practical knowledge on democratizing participation and ensuring representative community diversity to develop inclusive government plans. University of Florida (UF) used democratic principles gained from the Kettering Foundation to undertake and develop a long-term sustainability plan for a Florida community that conspires to be more conspicuous and inclusive representing multiple facets of the community’s history and desired future state. This 18-month project focuses on democracy and the role of citizens in an active democracy offering multiple pathways for active engagement that are deliberate and representative of the many voices in the community. The methodology utilizes concern collecting circles as the basis for development of a framework that is representative of suitable options that underpin the values of the residents of that community. In this research project, UF Extension agents have undertaken the tasks of convening and interviewing key stakeholders, conducting concern collecting circles and community forums, and identifying issues for the development of alternative options. This deliberate participatory approach aims to attract diverse sectors of the community and inform long-term, equitable, community-oriented solutions. The insights gained from this work will be invaluable in other projects and offers a blueprint for replicating similar projects in other communities.
Five Essential Elements for Study Abroad Preparation : A Focus on Inclusive Involvement View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Tony Monahan, Lampeto Efthymiou
In the era of globalization, the world is becoming increasingly ethnically diverse. It is seemingly important for our students to have the ability to live and work alongside people of various cultures. Employers often seek professionals with intercultural skills and competencies in order to recruit productive members of a complex, borderless workforce. Information and responsiveness towards international topics, socio-economic conditions, and human rights issues have been gaining attention in the higher education curriculum. We recognize the need for promoting students’ empathic and intercultural skills in order to stimulate their understanding about local and global issues, enhance their perceptions and understanding of the world, and cultivate a willingness to develop relationships with those from different backgrounds who may exhibit differing perspectives. By enhancing these competencies, students not only learn to deal with differences, but also realize their own potential for transformation, and ultimately, inclusion in the global society. Study abroad participants from all academic majors can develop marketable skills in cross-cultural communication and collaboration to enhance their learning and obtain the confidence and skills to engage in meaningful discussions on these issues no matter where they are or who they are speaking with. In this study, we present the key elements of a Global Diversity Learning Study Abroad preparation program with students at Queensborough Community College, City University of New York. Our program helps to transform our youth into inclusive global professionals through the development of: Empathy development, Active listening, Intercultural communication, Global citizenship, and Interpersonal preparedness.
Community-driven Research and Scholarship with Refugee Communities: Exploring University-Community Partnerships and Decolonizing Knowledge View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jessica Lee
This paper considers community-driven scholarship on resilience and inclusive service delivery among refugee communities in one U.S. city. The collaborative research team includes one university and two refugee-serving agencies. The goals for this community-driven project are to: 1) yield action and deliverables that are beneficial to refugee communities and other stakeholders; 2) decolonize knowledge about forced migrants by supporting scholarship that is produced by forced migrants and immigrants; 3) move towards a strengths-based, survivor-centered understanding of refugee health and wellness, which is presently confined by deficiency-focused frameworks; and 4) develop critical understanding of how to undertake participatory community-engaged work that will enrich campus-community partnerships. The study explores models of university-community partnerships, participatory research methods, and critical community-engaged scholarship on forced migration.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Workforce Diversity in the Gig Economy View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Shani Kuna, Ronit Nadiv
More and more workers in Western economies are operating as freelancers, moving from one project to the next. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought great challenges and tremendous disruption to almost all aspects of labor markets, including the "gig economy". A scholarly debate revolves around the question as to whether this type of employment relationship is beneficial in terms of promoting workforce diversity. On the one hand, the "gig economy" enables a varied group of freelancers to gain valuable knowledge and expertise in their transition from one organization to the next. On the other hand, freelancers are only hired for short-term projects, where limited knowledge is created. In this study, we focus on the impact of COVID-19 on workforce diversity in the gig economy. The stay-at-home orders and social-distancing practices meant to help control the spread of the virus have led to the loss of many permanent jobs, hence leaving some organizations in need of ad-hoc freelance services. We explored whether the changes have increased the engagement of diverse freelancers. We have conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 40 freelance practitioners in varied occupations. Our findings suggest that the gig economy during the COVID-19 pandemic has provided freelance workers new employment opportunities which have not been available to them before the lockdowns. Counter practices, however, have emerged: Business organizations hire diverse freelancers to perform mainly relatively simple and semi-professional projects, that do not provide learning opportunities. Therefore, in comparison to non-diverse freelancers, diverse freelancers need to increasingly invest resources in skill development.
Reforming the Referral Process: Targeted Recruitment, Screening, and Interviews Strategies for Diversifying Technology Teams View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kelsey Kaul
In today's fast-changing and innovative world, companies must compete for the best talent to be successful, yet do so in ways that do not match the innovative landscape in which they function. While demanding diverse workforces, many industries, technology especially, continue to rely on referrals to fill headcount. In a tight job market like the technology sector, it can be challenging for even the most well-known companies to reach their goals for diversity hires and so often it is not what you know, but who you know that secures candidates’ jobs. This issue is even more complicated for startup organizations who lack networks, name recognition, and the funding to compete. This article discusses how technology startups can improve their pipeline and diversify their candidate pool through a variety of targeted steps, with a focus on referrals. Startups face unique challenges in recruitment and more pressing needs for diversity for the success of their products and services. With thoughtful and careful considerations, this paper shows how small structural changes can be made to ensure startups build teams of people that are happy at work and stay, while also meeting goals to diversify the technology workforce. Furthermore, this paper sheds light on why diversifying the workforce is especially important for the success of start-ups, 75% of whom fail in their first three years.
Palm Oil Plantation Expansion, Structural Corruption, and Destroying the Living Space of Mpur People: The Story of the Crisis and Struggle of Indigenous People in the Land of Papua, Indonesia View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ari Wibowo
First, this paper considers the modes of exclusion and marginalization of communities in the Mpur indigenous community on the island of Papua due to the expansion of the palm oil industry corporations. Multi parties need to rethink who actually benefits and loses the most from the existence of the oil palm industrial corporations in Indonesia. Second, the researchers show a portrait of the chaos of oil palm corruption (in its broadest sense) and its various impacts on the multi-level living spaces of indigenous peoples in Papua, by presenting stories of the living space crisis from the micro level, namely the Mpur tribe and its resistance. This research process is the result of research conducted by the author with Greenpeace Indonesia in 2019. Qualitative methods with Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), indept interviews, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were used in data collection. By using an ethnographic approach to corruption, the results of the study show that there are four modes of corruption, namely the practice of state capture corruption; manipulation and deception in the name of the indigenous peoples; voice agreement representation; pressure mode (force) which often leads to acts of violence (both symbolic and physical); and sale of false promises as a way to facilitate the forcible release of customary land. The next finding is that the biodiversity of the indigenous people of Mpur is threatened in terms of customary law governance; destruction of indigenous peoples; forests; and threats to the diversity of biota endemic.
