From Conflict to Connection: Skills for Difficult Conversations About LGBTQIA+ Identities

for Montgomery County Community College

Lex will be facilitating two programs for Montgomery County Community College on October 28th!

(1) Faculty and Staff session and (2) Student session

 

Event Description

This program provides participants with foundational skills and practice opportunities for how to move through conflict and navigate difficult or challenging conversations from a care based approach, centering empathy, curiosity, and compassion. We will look at individual and collective practices which exploring how we cultivate inclusive and affirming spaces and communities through our everyday language and actions. Participants leave with tangible tools and takeaways for how to best engage proactively and reactively when challenges occur.

The tools and language covered are built for supporting students and colleagues alike, and apply just as readily to community and relationships outside of school.

Program Mission:

Attendees will learn tools to help them navigate difficult conversations and move through conflict. Participants will leave with practical tools for navigating conflict, feeling empowered and confident to have difficult conversations.

Content Areas Include

  1. How to move through conflict

  2. How to navigate difficult or challenging conversations

  3. Cultivating inclusive and affirming spaces and communities through our language and practices

    1. Spectrum of belonging

    2. Allyship to accomplices and coconspirators 

  4. Recognizing and addressing bias, microaggressions, and stereotypes

  5. Dismantling “‘us’ versus ‘them’” mentality: building bridges

  6. Empathy, compassion, and curiosity based approach to learning and growing together

  7. Individual and collective practices

Objectives / Goals

  1. Identify why conflict happens

  2. Benefits of working through conflict for community building

  3. Build practical tools to support having difficult conversations

Takeaways

  1. Critically think about areas of improvement to better support queer, non-binary and trans people using an inclusive and affirming understanding of gender and sexuality in our proactive allyship

  2. Leave with tangible tools, best practices, and next steps to utilize as an effective ally in action to queer, non-binary and trans people and/or for self-advocacy

  3. Gain more confidence in how to utilize advocacy tools (proactive and/or reactive)

Themes: Community Building; Inclusion Practices; Allyship; Resiliency

 

Follow my journey.