Nampa/Northern Sunrise County Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) is bringing two workshops to the region to help attendees discover and address their unconscious biases.
Unconscious Bias Training for Youth: Supporting Understanding and Belonging will be held on May 19 from 1-4 p.m. at the Nampa Complex upstairs for youth ages 12 years and over.
“The training came to our attention when we attended an FCSSAA conference and they had Imagine Institute present a condensed version of the Unconscious Bias,” says director Amber Houle.
“It was really impactful because you don’t realize we all have an unconscious bias. It could be really simple things like putting a gender to a specific job, or when walking down the street how you react to other people.”
Houle says the workshop brings awareness to people that everyone carries an unconscious bias and how to acknowledge and deal with them as they surface.
The youth program is a three-hour engaging and interactive training designed to help youth explore the concept of unconscious bias and its impact on creating inclusive and welcoming environments.
Houle says key topics include identifying personal biases and learning strategies for promoting fairness and inclusion in schools, communities, and social settings.
Understanding Unconscious Bias – Discovering How Your Bias Shows Up at Work is the adult version that will be held May 20 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the St. Isidore Cultural Centre. The workshop is solely for ages 18 and over.
“Once we’re aware of our biases, we’re able to interact with the world with a little more grace,” says Houle.
“The workshops are a mix of PowerPoint presentations and discussion.”
The adult full-day session will allow participants the opportunity to learn more about how unconscious bias works and how it shows up in the places they are the most comfortable.
“What if we took the opportunity to really reflect on why we hire someone or why we like to work within smaller groups at work,” Houle says.
“Using research and activities, this session will uncover how difficult conversations help uncover bias and how tough conversations are not confrontational but validating. No preparation is necessary, as you will all come with your biases, as we all have them.”
To register or for more information about the youth program, please call (780) 322-3954 or the adult program at (780) 625-3287.
“Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own experiences, practice open-mindedness, and learn how to support their peers in creating a sense of belonging for everyone,” concludes Houle.
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
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