Equality means more than passing laws. The struggle is really won in the hearts and minds of the community, where it really counts.
—
Barbara Gittings
LGBTQ Activist
Educational outreach is a cornerstone of our team's mission to foster healthy workplace and social relationships and to prevent misconduct at Caltech. We engage with all campus groups—students, post docs, faculty and staff—to discuss a range of topics: declaring and respecting boundaries and the presence and lack of consent; delivering important and crucial messages / feedback and having important conversations in a constructive and effective manner; acting appropriately as a bystander in problematic workplace and social situations; and building confidence to improve workplace and social communication. These trainings include important information on knowing and engaging with reporting and support resources at Caltech.
A popular recent outreach effort is a workshop for lab groups. This workshop is interactive, using information, scenarios, and role-play to equip community members with tools to recognize problematic behavior, identify options to address such behavior, and practice effective communication techniques to resolve issues that are often seen in STEM lab environments. We deliver this training on zoom or in person with all lab members, including faculty, students, post-docs, lab manager, and staff in attendance. The feedback from faculty, student and staff group participants has been very positive, with people finding the workshop informative, fun, and thought-provoking. Sometimes, 2-3 groups will participate together. We have facilitated the workshop for groups of up to 35 people.
Please contact us to discuss your concerns and what outreach options might be right for your work team, lab group, House, or other community within Caltech.
