Leadership, Diversity, and Inclusion Slides (PDF)

LEADERSHIP, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION  GAMEPLAN Leaders must be sensitive and aware of the diversity of the people they serve and have the skills and knowledge to facilitate inclusive leisure experiences.  Diversity defined: The collective mix of...

LEADERSHIP, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION  GAMEPLAN Leaders must be sensitive and aware of the diversity of the people they serve and have the skills and knowledge to facilitate inclusive leisure experiences.  Diversity defined: The collective mix of humans who interact positively and equitably in a social sphere, all of whom vary on a continuum across salient dimensions such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, sexual orientation, class, and spiritual beliefs. Diversity honours and embraces differences, but recognizes that those same differences have provided levels of privilege, dominance, access, and power that demands the active pursuit of social justice and equity.  Diversity defined: The collective mix of humans who interact positively and equitably in a social sphere, all of whom vary on a continuum across salient dimensions such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, sexual orientation, class, and spiritual beliefs. Diversity honours and embraces differences, but recognizes that those same differences have provided levels of privilege, dominance, access, and power that demands the active pursuit of social justice and equity.  Diversity defined: The collective mix of humans who interact positively and equitably in a social sphere, all of whom vary on a continuum across salient dimensions such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, sexual orientation, class, and spiritual beliefs. Diversity honours and embraces differences, but recognizes that those same differences have provided levels of privilege, dominance, access, and power that demands the active pursuit of social justice and equity.  Diversity defined: The collective mix of humans who interact positively and equitably in a social sphere, all of whom vary on a continuum across salient dimensions such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, sexual orientation, class, and spiritual beliefs. Diversity honours and embraces differences, but recognizes that those same differences have provided levels of privilege, dominance, access, and power that demands the active pursuit of social justice and equity.  Diversity defined: The collective mix of humans who interact positively and equitably in a social sphere, all of whom vary on a continuum across salient dimensions such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, sexual orientation, class, and spiritual beliefs. Diversity honours and embraces differences, but recognizes that those same differences have provided levels of privilege, dominance, access, and power that demands the active pursuit of social justice and equity.  Diversity defined: The collective mix of humans who interact positively and equitably in a social sphere, all of whom vary on a continuum across salient dimensions such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, sexual orientation, class, and spiritual beliefs. Diversity honours and embraces differences, but recognizes that those same differences have provided levels of privilege, dominance, access, and power that demands the active pursuit of social justice and equity.  SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY Creativity and innovation Problem-solving Broadening views  CORE VARIATIONS AS A BASIS FOR DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT Stereotypes are generalizations that we make about the characteristics of all members of a group based on an image, often wrong, about what people in that group are like. Prejudice is the act of prejudging, or making a judgment, usually negative, about a person based on that person’s group membership without real knowledge of the person and often based on stereotype. Discrimination is using power to act on prejudice, treating someone differently (and often negatively) because of their membership in a group.  CORE VARIATIONS AS A BASIS FOR DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT At a local running club, several members assume that A recreation center director is looking to hire a new older adults are slow and incapable of keeping up in multi-sport coach. The director assumes that men are group runs. They believe that seniors can’t run long generally naturally better at coaching sports than distances and assume they would struggle with women. endurance training. When Lisa, an experienced coach with extensive Because of this stereotype, when Susan, a 62-year-old certifications and years of experience in a variety of woman, joins the club, some runners immediately sports, applies for the coaching position, the director judge her abilities without seeing her run. They assume doubts her abilities just because she is a woman. The she will hold the group back and shouldn’t be included director thinks that Lisa may understand the game but in their advanced training sessions. makes the judgement that Lisa won’t be able to command the same respect as a man as a coach. The club leaders act on this prejudice by excluding Susan from the weekly long-distance runs, even though Despite Lisa's qualifications, the director hires a less she is an experienced marathoner. Despite her experienced man, believing players will respond better qualifications, they tell her she should stick to the to him. Lisa never gets a fair chance based on her beginner’s group without giving her a fair chance. actual skills.  CORE VARIATIONS AS A BASIS FOR DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT A summer camp director believes that people from A city council assumes that low-income communities urban areas are less skilled at outdoor activities like are not interested in or do not value recreational hiking, camping, and canoeing compared to those from spaces like parks and sports facilities when compared rural areas. He thinks “city kids aren’t as adept at to communities with higher incomes. When residents outdoorsy stuff”. When Mark, a teenager from a big city, from a lower-income neighborhood advocate for applies for a leadership role in a wilderness survival building a new community center, the city council program, the director assumes he won’t be as capable members dismiss their request, believing the new as applicants from rural backgrounds. He thinks that center won’t be used or maintained properly. They Mark probably hasn’t spent time outdoors. Even though think “even if we built a new center, it probably wouldn’t Marcus has experience with outdoor programs and has be taken care of, so there are better places for that earned certifications in survival skills, the director investment." Instead of approving funding for the rejects his application in favor of less-qualified community center, the city allocates resources to candidates who grew up in rural areas. He tells Mark wealthier neighborhoods. They say that ”we’ve decided that they are looking for leaders who have had more to fund a new facility in a different part of the city experience in the outdoors. where we believe it will be more appreciated." Where do you see stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination in these scenarios? VARIATIONS: A new way of thinking CORE VARIATIONS Core variations are the more permanent and immutable aspects of an individual. Core variations or dimensions are important in forming a person’s values, self-image, identity, opportunities, and perspectives of others. Ability Age Class or socioeconomic status Ethnicity Gender Race Sexual orientation  ABILITY Ability refers to how one is able to function in the world. People use and perform different types of abilities and functions in their everyday lives, and these daily functions are categorized into different domains: Physical (e.g., being able to walk, lift things, move around, balance, grab) Intellectual (e.g., being able to remember, to learn, pay attention, read, write, follow directions) Sensory (e.g., being able to see, hear, smell, feel, and integrate sensations) Communication (e.g., expressive, receptive, verbal, nonverbal) Social and emotional (e.g., experience enjoyment, cope with stress, understand social norms)  ABILITY Ability refers to how one is able to function in the world. People vary in their ability in these domains and this can be caused by a variety of factors. The cause does not truly matter, what matters is how variations affect function and how the level of function affects the person’s interactions with the environment. Ability is understood as a result of the interactions with the physical and social environment, and the choices that society makes about our environment. Ability is therefore not understood as an inherent attribute of a person. Ableism is a form of discrimination against people with disabilities or other functional differences.  ABILITY Ability refers to how one is able to function in the world. How could the physical and social environment impact one’s ability in one of the following contexts? A swimming class. A gym. A local market. A movie night.  AGE Age is the length of time that someone has existed. Age can be defined biologically, psychologically, and/or socially. Biological age is related to the growth and development across the life span and is typically thought of chronologically (i.e., in years). From a social and/or psychological standpoint, age can be thought of as encompassing meanings, experiences, and the physical and social environments in which people live. Ageism is a form of discrimination based on chronological age, in which age alone is used to determine people’s roles and capabilities. CLASS OR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS Constitutes income, wealth, and education level and shared social and cultural practices. Despite potential for change, research has shown that class or socioeconomic status is relatively stable. Those who are born into poverty and remain at that level of income over their lifetimes will not have the same opportunities for well-paying jobs or higher education when compared to those with higher socioeconomic status. Classism is the systematic oppression of subordinated groups (i.e., people without endowed or acquired economic power, social influence, and privilege) who work for wages for the dominant group (i.e., those who have access to control of the necessary resources by which other people make their living). CLASS OR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS Constitutes income, wealth, and education level and shared social and cultural practices. A person from a low-income background An individual from a wealthier background may not have access to expensive private might have the financial means to afford gyms, or leisure activities like golf, which luxury fitness clubs with state-of-the-art are often reserved for individuals with equipment, exclusive leisure activities like higher socioeconomic status. They may private golf courses or spas, and access to have rely on public parks, which may lack personal trainers and other high-end proper maintenance and have limited recreation experiences. resources for recreational activities. The person from a low-income background faces barriers due to cost and lack of facilities, while the individual from a wealthier background enjoys privileges and greater variety of leisure options.  ETHNICITY Shared cultural practices, perspectives, and distinctions that set one group of people apart from another. It is a shared cultural heritage that is learned. The shared cultural heritage may include language, religion, holiday celebrations or rituals, and family life. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s culture is superior to other cultures or ethnicities. Ethnocentrism can lead to false assumptions about other groups, unhealthy and distorted comparisons and judgments, and inaccurate communication. How has your ethnicity impacted your recreation and leisure experiences?  RACE Groups of people who have similarities in biological traits deemed by society to be socially significant, meaning that they are treated differently because of them. Race is often construed as a difference that is biological, but the concept of race remains controversial within academic circles. Racism is the systematic practice of denying people access to rights, representation, or resources based on racial differences. White privilege is the idea that people who are of European descent have access to privilege and power just because of their race, rather than because of anything they have or haven’t done.  GENDER Gender is the culturally specific set of characteristics that identifies the social behaviour of women and men and the relationships between them. Includes not just biological differences (sex) but also the ways those differences, whether real or perceived, have been understood, used, and relied on to classify women and men and to assign roles, values, and expectations to them (i.e., gender is socially constructed). Gender identity is the internal personal sense. Gender discrimination (also called sexism) is prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination directed against people on the basis of their sex or gender and includes the belief that one sex is superior to the other.  SEXUAL ORIENTATION Who one who is emotionally or physically attracted to (or both). Sexual orientation is the direction of one’s enduring attraction. Heterosexism is the belief that heterosexuality is the only nature sexuality and that it is inherently healthier than, or superior to, other types of sexuality. Heterosexual privilege means that power and dominance belong to those who are heterosexual. CORE VARIATIONS Reflect individually: How may these core variations have impacted you and/or your recreation and leisure experiences? Ability Age Class or socioeconomic status Ethnicity Gender Race Sexual orientation SECONDARY VARIATIONS Secondary variations affect and interact with core variations, but are more changeable over time. People have a higher degree of choice and control surrounding secondary variations. What would be some examples of secondary variations?  INTERSECTIONALITY A theory that seeks to examine the ways socially and culturally constructed categories interact on multiple levels to manifest themselves as inequality in society. Most people identify with multiple dimensions of diversity. Intersectionality can help leaders to avoid viewing social problems as separate challenges facing specific groups in mutually exclusive ways. Rather, intersectionality can help to support inclusion in natural variations among multiple continuums.  EDI REFLECTION ASSIGNMENT