Building Awareness & Capacity_
Work
Woke_
NBJC understands that people don’t always have the language, skills, resources, or support required to increase competence and compassion around meeting the needs of Black LGBTQ+/SGL communities. We are uniquely equipped to fill those gaps with coaching, thought partnership, and workshops for educators, institutions (with a focus on HBCUs), corporations, and community groups.
The HBCU LGBTQ-Equality Initiative_
The HBCU LGBTQ+-Equality Initiative improves institutional capacity to enact policy and programs that are supportive of diverse campus communities. The Initiative’s goals are to:
- Demonstrate that LGBTQ people should be considered an “underserved population” for the purposes of outreach and service delivery at HBCUs;
- Advocate for the integration of LGBTQ-inclusive cultural competence training, technical assistance, and professional development programs and materials;
- Prioritize the implementation of inclusion training and culturally competent curriculum development;
- Provide technical assistance to support the establishment of LGBTQ resource centers and related programming for LGBTQ/SGL students;
- Support HBCUs in the adoption of policies and practices that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression; and
- Support LGBTQ/SGL student groups supported by HBCUs.
To learn about the history of this initiative look here and learn about cultural competence in our workbook here.
NBJC’s PreK-12 Cultural Competence Work_
NBJC’s PreK-12 cultural competence work focuses on improving the capacity of educators, administrators, policy makers, and other caring and concerned adults to supportBlack LGBTQ+/SGL students, staff, and families through enhanced policy, curriculum, professional development, and related programs. The goals include to:
- Bring a celebration of Black LGBTQ+/SGL histories, innovations, narratives, and possible futures into the school setting;
- Reimagine schools as sites of thriving through a holistic, developmentally grounded, and intersectional lens;
- Organize culture shifts so they center those with the least institutional power in ways that balance and distribute that power;
- Imagine, co-construct, and enact a praxis (where ideas are translated into action) in which all members of the school community can be healthy, happy, and whole.
NBJC offers several opportunities for cultural competency development, including:
Thrive Summits – A one, two, or three day intensive event in which students are led through a reflection about their thriving that results in guidance they deliver to caring and concerned adults in their school, district, and community. Participants are invited to engage in sustained follow-up as their thriving efforts unfold.
Workshops – Training events in which practitioners, students, and community members can learn about Black LGBTQ+/SGL communities and cultures, growth and human development, particular needs, advocacy, rights, and how to facilitate inclusive, safe, and affirming environments.
Project Love – This year-long cohort experience engages pairs or triads of educators from up to ten schools in co-constructing community-grounded, identity-affirming, developmentally appropriate (identity-affirming, socially mediated, interest-driven, etc.) healing and thriving practices in order to increase racial and LGBTQ+/SGL literacy. Over the year, they undertake cycles of inquiry that touch on relationship building, instructional design, policy, and culture in their schools.
NBJC’s Corporate Cultural Competence Work_
NBJC’s corporate cultural competence work supports teams, companies, and industry leaders in increasing effectiveness, decreasing bias,, developing and implementing inclusive policy, and adopting affirming practices to support racial and LGBTQ+/SGL equity. Contact us to learn more.
