LDI students attended the annual Diversity Leadership Alliance (DLA) conference, located at the Sheraton in downtown Phoenix, to further their understanding of diversity practices in the work place and community. A variety of attendees joined them, such as human resource professionals, diversity officers, community and business leaders, students, teachers, and anyone interested in diversity and inclusion, managing and mentoring diverse workforces, and creating effective strategies.

During the conference, workshops were offered that encouraged people to recognize their role in society, boost awareness, and uncover practices for developing meaningful connections and exploring the significance of diversity. The student’s workshop was tailored for the youth and was facilitated by Courtney Lonergan, master facilitator, trainer, and community organizer. She engaged the students and teachers in perspectives using colors, images, words, and visual flip charts.

The purpose of the youth workshop was to create better understanding of cultural groups, the community in which we live, and realize change strategies. Courtney facilitated group discussions focused on “ORID” (objective, reflective, interpretive, and decisional), which is a method to analyze facts and feelings in a way that then enables the identification of options and leads to decision-making. In sum, this method encourages persons to ask what we know, state how we feel, determine what this all means, and identify what we are going to do. The students were able to connect with others to discuss and formulate answers to present. LDI students were fully engaged and often spoke in front of the entire group, which provided everyone with valuable insight. The resulting feelings of inclusion, empowerment, and community encourage growth and success.

Speaking of success, LDI would also like to highlight that Christine D. interviewed for a job at Macy’s, obtained employment, and will be working weekends. Way to go! Also, Lisa M would like us to share that she has a poetry book online at Lulu for sale as an e-book for $4.99. You can find the book by following by clicking here. Finally, the picture album included in this blog displays LDI’s trip to the annual Diversity Leadership Alliance conference.