MINDtheGEPs Open forum on leveraging privilege
One very common experience among those working to promote gender equality is that the work is predominately driven by women. Sustainable change requires having everyone on board. On 14 December, MINDtheGEPs is organising an Open Forum on leveraging privilege, advocates, allies and gender equality in universities. Allison S. Danell, Stephanie M. George, Andrew T. Morehead Jr. and Kristen Myers from the THRIVE project at East Carolina University will share findings from their approach to engaging privileged faculty and campus leaders.
There are many persistent challenges to changing structure, practices, and culture on campus. Once inequities are made visible, people with more privilege and authority may feel attacked or excluded, withdrawing from important conversations and strategic planning addressing inequities. This is counterproductive, as their privileges and gatekeeping powers can be harnessed to generate transformative change.
In the Open Forum, we will learn more about how to “call in” instead of calling out privileged faculty and campus leaders, and how the THRIVE project has worked to create engagement among people who don’t normally drive the gender equality work.
As part of their grant from the National Science Foundation ADVANCE program, the THRIVE project has implemented a plan to create a cohort of influential white male faculty who serve as gender equity “Advocates and Allies.” The presentation will reflect on the effectiveness of this approach to meet the key goals of THRIVE, focusing specifically on resources, inclusion and value. We will also learn about the successes and challenges of the programme. Is an optional voluntary program of male leaders enough to affect change? What infrastructure is necessary to make this program as effective as it could be? Join us on 14 December at 15-16:30 CET to find out!
Did you miss our last Open Forum on gender & inclusion in quantum technologies? The recording is available to watch!
By Marika Ljungberg