Community Connections: Diversity and Inclusion

Community Connections, a longstanding tradition at Fay, convened on Thursday for an insightful discussion on diversity and inclusion. The discussion groups, led by Community Connections leaders who planned activities and topics for conversation, deliberated about various issues pertaining to the differences between diversity and inclusion. They discussed how the two elements supported the individual growth of identity.

The group began with the trademark Community Connections introductory greeting. Words of welcome and norms were shared by the leaders; these form the basis of discussion within the group.

Next, the entire assemblage dispersed into smaller groups whereupon they defined the two terms: diversity and inclusion. Afterwards, the groups discussed among themselves as to what they meant, and how much they played roles in both the Fay community and society in general, focusing particularly on their roles in the Fay community.

The discussion then moved to thoughts on this quote of Vernā Myers: “Diversity is when everyone is invited to the dance. Inclusion is when everyone is invited to dance.”

Next, the small groups provided personal insight on the Social Identity Wheel, a wheel of characteristics consisting of characteristics such as race, sexual orientation, religious orientation, physical ability. The group pondered questions such as: which identities have the strongest effect on who you are as a person?, and which identities do you think about the most often? The diverse mix of day students and boarders deliberated these questions and shared meaningful conversations about the topics at hand.

Before the conclusion of the meeting, the group participated in a physical activity. Taking turns with different topics, various leaders of the group proposed prompts to which participants stepped into the circle if they found it to be true. The prompts ranged from from relatively simple prompts such as “Step into the circle if you had a good laugh today,” to prompts which required more thought, such as “Step into the circle if you ever felt excluded from an activity based on how you identify.” Participants were challenged to think outside their comfort zones, and bonded with the greater community over vital discussions about constructing identity within society.

Derek '17