Workshops
Decentralization and Belonging: How a Decentralized Company Structure Can Support Ethical Decision-making and Feelings of Belonging at Work View Digital Media
Workshop Presentation Emily Witko
This workshop will include 2-3 group activities that emphasize the power that decentralization has for DEIB in organizations of all sizes. We will briefly discuss examples of decentralization, then move into change management techniques to help your company become more decentralized. And finally, we will work together to understand why diversity and belonging efforts can be more successful in this environment. Additionally, my company is a leader in open-source ethical AI, so we will discuss appropriate and ethical tools we can use to develop decentralized DEIB plans to track our important work.
Healing Systems: Moving DEI beyond the Walls of the Organization View Digital Media
Workshop Presentation Uma Parameswaran Dorn, Marissa Coleman
Much of the focus of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) in organizations centers around increasing representation and creating policies and programs to create an inclusive workplace. Organizations generally focus on the people and culture aspects of DEI work but neglect the social responsibility this work entails. ISP International offers a holistic approach to DEI that encompasses trauma-informed and restorative justice practices that focus on creating resilient organizations and communities that heal not harm. In doing so, individuals not only feel welcome as part of the organization, but they feel like they belong to something larger than themselves. We hope to help organizations create a culture of healing from individual, organization, and historical harm through the use of liberatory practices that aim for collective healing beyond the walls of an organization. In this presentation we offer an overview of the similarities and differences of trauma-informed care, restorative justice, and DEI practices to provide a more holistic, integrative approach to equity work. We focus on specific values around relationships, safety, belonging, and responsibility that anchor this holistic approach. Organizations can integrate these principles and contribute significantly to fostering healing and resilience within both individuals and communities. Our framework prioritizes meaningful action informed by data to address historical and ongoing trauma, while simultaneously focusing on healing through relationships that promote belonging, safety, and responsibility through collective dialogue. Strategies to implement this approach are the focus of the workshop.
