news article
UNY Cabinet and other leaders gain tools to aid in diversity
October 25, 2016 / By Stephen J. Hustedt
On Wednesday, Oct. 19, the Conference Committee on Religion and Race invited members of the Upper New York Conference Cabinet, the Executive Staff Team, and adult leaders of youth ministry to take part in a full-day diversity training provided by the Kaleidoscope Institute. The training was in response to the Northeastern Jurisdiction’s Call to Action about racism. The goal of the training was to give leaders in Upper New York tools to understand and communicate in diverse setting.
A unique aspect of the day of training was that adult leaders of youth ministry were being trained alongside Cabinet members. This was because the adult leaders of youth ministry asked to be a part of the training time. The Conference Council of Youth Ministry has been proactive about increasing diversity of youth leadership; the Call to Action reinforces the priority of that goal.
The day was spent learning about and practicing with tools from the Kaleidoscope Institute including:
Respectful Communication Guidelines
Kaleidoscope Bible Study Process
Cultural Makeup
Iceberg Analogy of Culture
Stages of Intercultural Sensitivity
More information about these tools and how they can be used is available on the Kaleidoscope Institute website.
This time of training was an early step in the journey that the Call to Action from the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference has started, and the Conference Commission on Religion and Race is ready to lead the process. In the near future, an entire issue of the Advocate will be dedicated to this important work, but for now those who would like to get involved can contact Blenda Smith at bsmith@binghamton.edu.
While this was just the beginning of a lot of work that is to come, the feeling in the room seemed to be one of excitement about the future. The better equipped leaders become to reach new people and raise up more diverse leaders, the better the Conference as a whole will become at making new disciples for the transformation of the world.