VOICES is designed as a pilot approach to a larger effort to increase participation within the Earth sciences. The multidimensional approach of developing a sustained and interconnected VOICES network of diversity leaders will engage with three core groups: Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Fellows, a Council of Future Voices (CFV), and participants from the workshops.
Three planned workshops will focus on cultural themes that highlight local cultural and historic connections with Place. Geographic and ecosystem functions form underlying themes that tie cultures to landscapes. Water, whether fresh water or coastal, is one such ecosystem feature of particular importance to many cultural groups in different regions of the U.S. Each workshop will target 20 participants from local communities, and institutions who will be invited to apply by project leads or nominate by local institutions.
The second workshop will be held at the University of Minnesota Cloquet Forestry Center on May 12-13, 2022 from 8:30am – 4:00pm CST. We will share techniques for connecting people through information-sharing about best practices for addressing challenges (e.g., student struggles during field training; career-thwarting biases in the workplace) and engage in focused dialogue on developing a community of practice to support and organize historically excluded students, scholars and professionals. The mixed format of the workshop will include a project overview, discussion, and strategy-building periods and visits to the culturally and ecological rich areas around Duluth. Please indicate your interest in the workshop by completing this form.
The first workshop was be held during the American Geophysical Union Meeting in New Orleans on Sunday, December 12, 2021 at the Morial Convention Center.
- The mixed format of the workshop included a project overview, discussion, strategy-building periods, and an introduction to the culturally and ecological rich areas of New Orleans.
- A map activity served as a virtual walkabout to the Mississippi River Delta region.
- VOICES participants explored teaching and learning Earth science through the lens of Indigenous cultures and gained an understanding how addressing identity, belonging, and the security of participant enriches the sense of place and equity in all learning environments.
The following resources were shared during the workshop:
Resources
New Orleans at 300: The Historic Collection
Cultural Humility: A Concept Analysis
Decolonization is not a metaphor
