| Dear AFS-USA Volunteers,
I’ve spoken regularly about AFS-USA moving forward, and more quickly, toward becoming a more diverse, inclusive, and accessible organization. In fact, doing so is one of our organizational imperatives.
To move us forward, AFS-USA has contracted the services of Hines-Gaither Consulting, LLC (HGC). HGC is a diversity, equity, and inclusion firm with over 15 years of experience. They’ve worked with nationally recognizable corporations and organizations throughout the United States, and they’re staffed with content experts who are highly qualified in their fields of expertise. Through their assessment and guidance, we hope to foster a culture of belonging, equity, and inclusion more effectively throughout our organization.
One of the most important steps in the assessment process will involve meeting with AFS-USA volunteers to conduct focus group interviews. In their reporting, HGC will not share any identifiable information, but rather they will analyze the data for common themes and trends. From the interview data, HGC will share their findings with AFS-USA to provide actionable recommendations.
To fulfill the goals of this assessment, we will need the cooperation and support of AFS-USA volunteers. The focus group interviews will take place over the next several weeks and each interview will last for 1.5 hours. Sign-up is simple although there is space only for 300 volunteers – so make sure you register today!
To sign up, simply follow this link. Space is limited, so complete your request as quickly as possible. After you’ve registered, you’ll receive a confirmation along with the necessary details for joining your focus group. Please register as soon as possible.
In the meantime, there is no prep work required other than to become familiar with the following key terms:
Terminology:
- Diversity: The state of having or being composed of different populations that represent multiple identities.
- Equity: Fairness and impartiality towards all concerned.
- Inclusion: Involvement, empowerment, and voice, where the inherent worth and dignity of all people are recognized and valued, promoting full participation and shared power.
- Belonging: Sentiment, feeling, or sense of fitting into an organization and being accepted and valued; an individual’s sense of acceptance and the ability to be one’s authentic self.
You can also take a moment to learn about some of the session facilitators. While not a complete list, most sessions will have at least one of the following HGC staff as co-facilitators.
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Dr. Krishauna Hines-Gaither is the owner of Hines-Gaither Consulting, LLC., a firm that is dedicated to supporting and promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Krishauna holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from UNC-Greensboro. She also serves as the Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. For almost 20 years, Krishauna was a college professor of Spanish, Race & Ethnicity Studies, Women’s Studies, African American/African Diaspora Studies and Latin-American Studies. She has spearheaded diversity & inclusion initiatives for the past 15 years with schools and top-rated companies across the country. Se habla español. Spanish spoken. On parle français. French Spoken.
Dr. Cécile Accilien is originally from Haiti. She is professor of African and African Diaspora Studies and Chair in the Interdisciplinary Studies Department at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Her area of studies are Francophone African and Caribbean Literatures and Cultures, and Film & Media Studies. Her primary research areas are Caribbean Popular Cultures, Film and Media Studies, and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies. She is currently under contract with Routledge Press to co-author the book, The Antiracist World Language Classroom with Dr. Krishauna Hines-Gaither. Dr. Accilien is an impressive scholar with many noted publications.
Christen Campbell is a French teacher at Chapel Hill High School in North Carolina. She holds a M.A. in French from Middlebury College, and is a National Board Certified Teacher. She was a finalist for her district Teacher of the Year, and was the 2015 American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) North Carolina Teacher of the Year. She has consulted for College Board, Vista Higher Learning, Barron’s and presents annually at national professional conferences. She is a contributing author in How We Take Action: Social Justice in K-16 Language Classrooms, to be published in 2021 by Multilingual Matters. She actively seeks out opportunities to improve equity at her school.