Inclusive Opportunities Trainings
UMKC offers a variety of training opportunities designed to enhance inclusivity, cultural competency, and professional development. These programs include workshops on unconscious bias, respectful communication, crucial conversations, and understanding privilege. Additionally, there are specialized sessions on disability awareness, veteran support, suicide prevention, and healing from trauma and stress.
Questions? Contact Emily Strayhall, UMKC Staff Talent & Development Specialist.
Embrace Inclusivity
Participants will better understand UMKC inclusion efforts and be encouraged to commit to at least one action step to continue to explore inclusion and to increase cultural competencies for a more inclusive UMKC.
- Explore five cultural competency model
- Learn strategies, resources and opportunities related to each mode
- Become familiar with UMKC examples and initiatives
The Science of Unconscious Bias and Its Professional Implications
Participants will have an increased capacity to recognize biases and prevent or reduce unintended consequences in order to create a more inclusive campus and climate.
- Learn about unconscious bias
- Discuss implications on professional judgment and the professional environment
- Review strategies and resources to further identify unconscious biases and reduce their impacts
Communicating Respectfully
Participants will enhance communication skills for promoting inclusion and respect in the workplace.
- Understand the impact of stereotypes and bias statements, even when casually said
- Identify the most common reasons people sit silently in the face of bias and stereotypes
- Explore skills for speaking up against stereotypes and bias without blame or guilt
Crucial Conversations
Participants will gain dialogue skills to make better decisions, build relationships and strengthen our institution.
- Be able to identify dimensions and dynamics that impact individuals and workplace climate
- Be able to recognize signs that indicate dialogue is crucial
- Be better prepared to engage in crucial conversations having reviewed six skills
Understanding our Privilege and Its Impact
Participants will have an increased understanding of how privilege impacts our individual, institutional and structural systems and learn how to advocate and support those who do not hold power and privilege.
- Learn how to define privilege and power
- Learn how to identify their own privilege and the power and privileges that exist generally
- Explore how privilege and the power structures impact themselves, others and society
Additional Workshops at UMKC
Cultural simulations
The International Student Affairs Office offers two cultural simulation activities that raise intercultural awareness and are educational in nature.
- Barnga is a simulation activity developed for a variety of contexts of intercultural awareness, and enables participants to understand and reconcile cultural differences. This simulation activity requires at least 15 participants and the exercise runs for about one hour, including a de-briefing and group discussion.
- Ecotonos is a tool for engaging in problem-solving and decision-making in a multicultural context. This simulation activity requires at least 20 participants, and the group exercise runs for about three hours, including a de-briefing and group discussion.
Multicultural and leadership training
The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs hosts a series of workshops and activities to increase awareness and appreciation around inclusivity. Programming is available to academic classes, student organizations, student affairs offices and other campus departments.
Topics include but are not limited to creating cultural advocates, social justice, breaking down barriers, multicultural education and leadership training.
Safe Space
LGBTQIA+ Programs and Services offers Safe Space Training to provide a way for understanding and supportive persons within the university community to prominently identify themselves as allies how are supportive of LGBTQIA+ students. These students, faculty and staff proudly display a Safe Space sign on their doors and in their offices to signify their commitment as a resource and open ear.
Workplace training
Human Resources provides training and development for all UMKC employees. Topics include inclusion, sexual harrassment and supervisory and leadership training.
Disability awareness
UMKC Student Access Services offer a variety of disability-related training, among which is Disability Forward, an introductory training on common disability issues and concerns. Disability Forward offers insight into the common challenges and misperceptions faced by students with disabilities and proactive ways you can be an effective ally of people with disabilities.
Veteran support services
Student Veteran Support Services recognizes that, after gaining extraordinary experiences, returning to college is no easy feat. The goal of the program is to build a coalition of faculty, staff, students and advisors, to provide resources that will assist our transitioning service members and veterans during their re-integration into the UMKC community.
Suicide prevention
Recommended by Roo Wellness, this suicide prevention training is designed to help prevent suicide by teaching you to identify people at risk, recognize the risk factors, protective factors and warning signs of suicide and respond to and get help.
Violence Prevention and Response
Resources, Intervention, Support and Education (RISE) provides trainings for faculty, staff, students and departments on issues related to sexual assault, relationshipand domestic violence and stalking, along with the Not Anymore training required for students, which is an interactive online program designed to prevent sexual assault, dating and domestic violence and stalking.
Healing from trauma and stress
The UMKC Women’s Center offers A Window Between Worlds, workshops that use art as a healing tool for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and other forms of prolonged trauma and stress. A Window Between Worlds helps create a healthier campus environment by giving students opportunities to manage their emotional and psychological well-being through creativity and self-expression.
In addition, Women’s Center staff are available to provide presentations on a number of different gender-related topics.