The DEIJ Circle
Facilitated by Doline Ndorimana
Timings for each day: 08:30-10:30 (London) 15:30 – 17:30 (China)
02, 16, 30 March
20 & 27 April
11 May
The work of DEIJ is gratifying and essential if we want to educate future inclusive global citizens.
As educators, we are met with the golden opportunity to shape the minds of those who will make tomorrow’s society. We have the opportunity to educate and train compassionate, inclusive anti-racist future leaders who are capable of thinking critically about social and global issues.
Yet, DEIJ work is not always easy as it comes with its challenges and hurdles. It is often emotionally charged as it requires us to look at ourselves, examine our beliefs and positionality and lean into discomfort, a discomfort that can be daunting and unsettling at times.
This work often leads us to face some parts of ourselves that we never thought of before, unconsciously harming some people under our care, which ultimately makes DEIJ work difficult and uncomfortable.
But we cannot make systemic change unless we make personal change.
DEIJ pushes us to examine our own racial biases, look at our own privilege and how power is distributed within our school, teams and classrooms.
This work calls us to relearn and unlearn what we thought was the truth, whether it’s conscious or unconscious.
This work challenges our own identities and beliefs as we battle between our implicit biases that can be harmful as they show up in our behaviour and our rational conscious thoughts that refute and contradict these implicit biases. We have subconsciously absorbed racial preferences throughout our lives and together, we will look at how we can lessen our roles in perpetuating this pattern in schools and classrooms
What is it about?
DEIJ work comes with its challenges and hurdles. It is often emotionally charged as it requires us to look at ourselves, examine our beliefs and positionality and lean into a discomfort that can be daunting and unsettling at times.
This work often leads us to face some parts of ourselves that we never thought of before, unconsciously harming some people under our care, which ultimately makes DEIJ work difficult and uncomfortable.
But we cannot make systemic change as leaders unless we make personal change. This 6-part series, designed especially with leaders in mind, is intentionally limited to a group of 12 senior leadership team members who want to start doing the work of understanding and taking new, lasting actions in diversity, equity inclusion and justice in a safe, confidential, no-shame environment.
We will ask:
- How to normalize conversations about DEIJ, and with time, how to make them part of our school fabric.
- How do we center the voices of those who need to be heard, especially in moments when these voices are attempted to be silenced. How do we maintain our attention where it needs to be when we are hijacked by strong emotions?
- How do we as leaders invite our colleagues to give us constructive feedback on sensitive topics and how can we as leaders welcome these with courage and bravery?
- How do we foster this culture of bravery in the classroom and throughout the school?
The Circle is also a place to:
- admit you don’t know where to begin
- know that it’s ok (and normal) to have bias, and learn how to understand and notice yours
- share and learn with other senior school leaders in a caring and gracious environment
- commit to real actions to monitor and improve DEIJ activities in your community
Your facilitator and host will be Doline Ndorimana, DEIJ workshop Leader, MYP Language Consultant, CIS Accreditation Evaluator and TIE Editorial Board Member.
Born and raised in Burundi, Doline Ndorimana is an international educator, DEIJ workshop leader and a university lecturer with1 more than 15years of experience in International schools. She is also a language Acquisition MYP consultant, and is part of TIE Editorial committee as well as being a member of AIELOC and ISS Diversity Collaborative. Doline is trained in international accreditation as a team evaluator and has been involved in accreditation visits. She is a great advocate of students’ voices and works at amplifying them by helping to create a culture of inclusion and vulnerability in schools. She now lives in Melbourne with her family.
How can I be part of it?
Working with DEIJ can be heavy and overwhelming, that is why humour and good mood will be part of this important work. Register today to hold your space in the circle, only 12 places are available for the inaugural group. Tickets are 750 GBP with a discount available for ECIS members.
