On every day basis, we interact with people that have different race, ethnicity, religion, and culture than ours. This often means different ways of looking at the world. It means different views and opinions about the same idea / object. And this often might lead to conflict if we don't have the necessary cultural competency skills.
At CMU, the Office for Institutional Diversity (OID) aims to increase opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to engage in dialogue that will enhance their cultural competence.
As part of this effort, the OID is now launching a new initiative - the Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) Program. Through this initiative, the office aims to achieve two underlying goals: 1) increase cultural competence among CMU students and 2) increase their ability to communicate cross-culturally and across diverse groups, e.g. race and gender.
The IGD program has three special topic courses in communications that will be developed and piloted over a three year period, starting with the first offering in Spring 2010, COM 555 - Introduction to Facilitation IGD. This course will be offered to undergraduate and graduate students who wish to be the facilitators for the next course that will be offered in Fall 2010, COM 255 - Intergroup Dialogue on Race and Ethnicity.
The OID is currently looking for students who are interested in becoming facilitators for the IGD program.
Are you a leader? Are you thinking of ways to improve your cultural competence? Do you want to learn how to facilitate dialogue on difficult topics?
Applying for this role will give you the competitive edge you need in your career as it demonstrates your facilitation and leadership capabilities at the same time improving you conflict-resolution skills.
Don't miss out on this experience of a lifetime!!