Last week I delivered diversity training to Dress for Success.  I have been a volunteer at DFS for 12 years (and that is longer than I have stayed at any paying job).  My interest in diversity training began when I was working on my thesis for my masters.  I realized I had a wealth of experiences that shaped my view of the world.  For example,  when I lived in St. Croix I quickly learned what it was like to be a minority.  At the time, out of 60,000 island residents, only 5,000 were Caucasian.  It was a great lesson for me.  This experience coupled with moving about every 11 months including Central America, the Middle East and throughout the U.S. gives me a broad frame of reference, as well as, lots of stories and experiences to share throughout my training session.

And the session really went great.  The group of new volunteers were engaged, interactive and really interested in the content, activities and stories.  They shared their experiences and overall realized how their lens “cloud” their views of how they perceive others.  The volunteers walked away with a new awareness and a new perspective.  It will go a long way to aid in their interactions with each other, as well as, the clients that DFS serves.