The Heron’s Key diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committee works to ensure the community is a welcoming place for all. One of the most recent efforts of the DEI committee was implementing Reflective Structured Dialogues.
This program dives into a variety of topics and host lectures, roundtables, trainings and facilitates respectful conversations between residents. The Resident Association and DEI committee started planning this program in May and launched the first session in June.
Each session focuses on a specific topic for three months. The first month in the initiative offers a video on the topic, the second month has a presentation by a guest speaker and the third month concludes the initiative with a structured dialogue.
The feedback was positive right from the start. The first session, June through August, covered politics, civic discourse and the election year. Nearly 50 residents participated.
“We started the program in order to facilitate tough conversations with one another but in a respectful manner,” says Oscar Roberto, president of the Resident Association and member of the DEI committee. “The goal is not to change our neighbor’s perspective, but to be open to other people’s opinions.”
In addition to the three-month initiatives, residents and staff can also be trained to become facilitators of the structured dialogues. The YMCA’s Bridge of Hope and Essential Partners offer training to help residents and staff members become certified facilitators. Currently four Heron’s Key staff members and eight residents have completed the training.
The long-term goal is to establish a Heron’s Key system with trained facilitators who can lead more programs within the community and volunteer at local events coordinated by Bridge of Hope.
“It is great to establish a program that ensures no one feels left out of our community because of a differing opinion,” Roberto adds. “We are very proud to have created a safe space to have these conversations and I look forward to seeing friends and neighbors continue to have these types of talks with one another.”
As the next topic, the group will be covering ageism. This initiative will include a presentation by Age-Friendly Seattle about internalized ageism and how to address negative self-talk. It will also include a presentation by Sarah McKiddy from the University of Washington and finish with a structured dialogue.
The DEI committee will continue to implement new initiatives all with the shared goal to strengthen the already strong resident connections, expand understanding and curiosity, broaden perspectives, and prioritize belonging on the Heron’s Key campus.
For those who want to explore the Reflective Structured Dialogues and learn more about ageism, now is a perfect time to get involved.
