Anything that challenges the way we think and gets our students and staff excited about exploring the reality of our prospectives and venturing out into change is exciting and necessary! Elephants and Onions accomplished just that!
Kristin Bright, University of Indianapolis
This program was extremely helpful in starting a dialogue to discuss social equality, which is seriously overlooked. This was a phenomenal program!
Student, University of Rhode Island
I think this program provided a ‘brave space’ that allowed a lot of issues to be discussed that normally get pushed under the rug.
Student, Wittenberg University
All of these experiences have shown me how I react and feel in certain situations. Now that I have an understanding of how I react, I am able to view the entire situation more clearly and come to a more reasonable solution. By being able to take a step back and view the entire situation without bias, I am able to take in other people’s thoughts, ideas and opinions.
Student, University of Rhode Island
Campus training that goes beyond diversity!
For many campuses, diversity is the elephant in the room. Each year, we have new students coming to our campuses from every walk of life, and we struggle with how to best prepare our communities to respond in a progressive, respectful, constructive way.
As diversity morphs into something bigger—social justice—you might be struggling for a positive, proactive way to train students and staff who work on the front lines with your diverse student body. You may also be looking for something different than just diversity training – something that really facilitates a better understanding of how we, as individuals, “show up” and how we can take responsibility to being better change agents.
Elephants & Onions is a starting point for the difficult discussions that surround social justice and social change. As you peel back the layers of dominant identity privilege, marginalized life experiences, patterns of assumptions and behaviors, and the widely varying values sets that each individual holds dear, it can be uncomfortable. A few tears might be shed – kind of like peeling an onion.
Get it? Elephants in the room. Peeling the onion. Elephants & Onions.
The Elephants & Onions curriculum includes the most cutting-edge and thought provoking activities. Your students spend more time talking and interacting, and less time listening. A Being Better! Action Plan is provided in the workshop, along with other resources for staff development. Your team will get a highly interactive experience that will leave everyone feeling empowered to create a stronger, safer, more nurturing community for people of all walks of life.
Elephants & Onions Learning Details
- team building/bonding
- confrontation/difficult conversations skills
- communicating across difference (sexuality, race, class, religion, ability, nationality, veteran, age, first generation students, transfer, non-traditional students, mental health, etc.)
- intersectionality of identities
- being a social justice advocate
- making judgments/assumptions and writing back stories
- self care and dealing with unpopular emotional reactions to being uncomfortable
- ethical decisions aligned with integrity
- customer service and open dialog
- oppression/privilege
- dominant and subordinated identities
- responsibility and leadership
Workshop Details
- 3-hour workshop
- Weekday evening or weekend day
- Great addition to an existing training
Who Is This Ideal For?
- Orientation leaders
- Staff training in residence life
- Peer educator training
- Fraternity and sorority leaders
To learn more about Elephants & Onions, call 303-745-5545 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
