Parenting  Diversity  Series  –  “Raising  Culturally  Competent  Children”  

The  “Raising  Culturally  Competent  Children”  Parenting  Diversity  Series  is  designed  to  help  parents  (and  educators  and  other  adults  alike)  learn  how  to  comfortably  talk  to  children  about  a  topic  that  can  be  

usually  difficult  to  discuss.  Adults  may  be  uncomfortable  themselves  or  assume  that  by  not  talking  about  cultural  differences  they  are  protecting  children  from  developing  prejudice.  However,  research  suggests  that  not  talking  to  children  about  cultural  differences  may  actually  fuel  the  development  of  prejudice  

and  stereotypes.    

What  is  cultural  competence?  Cultural  competence  can  be  defined  as  having  knowledge  of  and  comfort  with  people  of  different  racial,  cultural  and  ethnic  backgrounds.  Perhaps  one  of  the  easiest  ways  to  help  build  cultural  competence  is  our  willingness  to  talk  openly  and  honestly  about  differences.  In  their  book,  

NurtureShock:  New  Thinking  About  Children,  authors  Po  Bronson  and  Ashley  Merryman  present  research  findings  indicating  that  children  begin  to  recognize  differences  in  skin  color  as  early  as  six  months  old.  In  addition,  between  the  ages  of  2  and  5,  children  also  begin  to  recognize  which  differences  

are  valued  and  which  are  not.    

Join  us  for  a  series  of  interactive  discussions  and  workshops  exploring  cultural  competence  and  young  children.  You  are  welcome  to  join  us  for  one,  two  or  all  three  of  these  workshops:  

Wednesday,  February  29  –  6:00–8:00PM  “Raising  Culturally  Competent  Children”  

Much  of  what  children  learn  about  respecting  differences  comes  from  their  parents.  

This  workshop  will  include  both  conventional  wisdom  and  scholarship  on  raising  culturally  competent  (and  confident)  children.  Led  by  Dr.  Pamela  D.  Reed  of  Virginia  State  University,  the  presentation  will  include  practical  tips  for  both  parents  and  

educators  with  a  question  and  answer  period  to  follow.  Dr.  Pamela  D.  Reed  is  a  tenured  associate  professor  of  English  and  Africana  Literature  at  Virginia  State  

University.    She  has  presented  widely  on  diversity  and  cultural  studies,  including  at  the  Oxford  Round  

Table  in  the  United  Kingdom.    Dr.  Reed,  a  widely  published  cultural  critic,  accomplished  editor  and  public  intellectual,  maintains  a  featured  blog,  “Cultural  Currents,”  in  Diverse:  Issues  in  Higher  Education.  *Open  to  families.  

Wednesday,  March  21  –  6:00–8:00PM  

“Embracing  Difference”:  an  interactive  theater  presentation  by  The  Leadership  Program*  

The  Leadership  Program’s  (TLP)  Embracing  Difference  workshop  is  an  interactive  theater  presentation  designed  to  help  parents  and  educators  identify  effective  ways  to  communicate  with  children  about  differences.  Using  experiential  

techniques,  the  “actors”  will  lead  the  audience  through  an  exploration  of  their  own  belief  systems  and  how  those  systems  may  come  into  play  in  their  parenting,  teaching,  and  other  aspects  of  life.  The  TLP  workshop  

aims  to  create  a  safe  environment  where  adults  can  see  scenarios  played  out  depicting  real-­‐life  

situations  and  participate  in  the  process  of  assessing  the  choices  presented  and  discovering  more  positive  relevant  choices.  *Adult-­‐only  workshop.  Workshop  might  not  be  suitable  for  young  children.  

Tuesday,  April  10  –  6:00–8:00PM  

An  evening  with  Ashley  Merryman,  co-­‐author  of  NurtureShock:  New  Thinking  About  Children  

A  New  York  Times  Bestseller,  NurtureShock:  New  Thinking  About  Children  has  been  featured  on  Good  Morning  America,  Nightline,  All  Things  Considered,  Fresh  Air,  and  in  Newsweek.  The  central  premise  of  the  book  is  that  many  of  modern  

society’s  strategies  for  nurturing  children  are  in  fact  backfiring  because  key  twists  in  the  science  have  been  overlooked  –  including  a  growing  body  of  science  which  argues  that  parents  need  to  talk  openly  and  explicitly  about  race  

with  their  children.  During  the  fall  of  2009,  Merryman  and  co-­‐author  Po  Bronson  wrote  over  90  columns  for  Newsweek.com,  pushing  further  into  the  surprising  science  of  child  development,  including,  “Is  Discussing  Race  With  a  3-­‐Year-­‐Old  Too  Young?,”  “See  Baby  Discriminate,”  

and  “Is  Your  Baby  Racist?”  *Open  to  families.  

 

All  workshops  will  be  held  in  the  Helen  A.  Dolan  Center  Choir  Room  and  include  a  light  dinner.  

To  RSVP  for  the  workshops,  please  call  the  Friends  Academy  Office  of  Diversity  and  Multicultural  Affairs  at  (516)  393-­‐4284  or  email  shanelle_robinson@fa.org.