Student and Parent Ambassadors Take Part in Unconscious Bias Workshops

What biases do you hold?

It can be an important and difficult self-reflection question, and it’s precisely the question that was posed to Student and Parent Ambassadors recently at two recent Unconscious Bias Training workshops.

Unconscious biases are ideas or stereotypes we hold about other individuals based on our beliefs about a group. 

The workshops, hosted by Rachael Brownell-Swain, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Outreach, looked at the various types of bias and provided a safe space for informed discussion about how these biases can impact us.

“How might our own biases impact our roles as student ambassadors?” Ms. Brownell-Swain asked students at the November session. “And, what can we do to reduce that impact?”

The following discussions, facilitated by members of the Admissions Team, were thoughtful and honest.

“On a tour, if I hear that a student loves hockey and I love hockey, I may spend more of the tour talking to them,” one student said. “Then I get to know them better than I do the other people on the tour.”

Connecting with someone over a shared interest is understandable and okay, said Tiara Hillis, Executive Director, Admissions. It’s when we treat people differently due to our preconceived notions and stereotypes that can be harmful.

Anti-bias education training, Ms. Hillis said, requires critical thinking and problem-solving by both children and adults.

“The Admissions Team has worked closely with Ms. Brownell-Swain over the past several years with the intention of ensuring an inclusive and equitable admissions process,” she said. “Part of that work is identifying and removing barriers, as well as identifying and interrupting bias.”

As a community, we are fortunate that many are interested in expanding their knowledge and understanding of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Ms. Hillis added.

“Student and parent/guardian ambassadors are a critical part of the admissions process so this is important work for them to engage in,” she said. “It helps to build a common language and an awareness to identify and interrupt bias.

“I was really impressed and proud of the openness and strong engagement by students and parents/guardians to participate in this work. Their commitment to self-reflection and learning – and modelling that commitment to the whole Greenwood community – is so valuable.”