Cultural Diversity and Inclusive Practice Toolkit
The Cultural Diversity and Inclusive Practice Toolkit (The Toolkit) provides practical guidance and resources to promote culturally inclusive, respectful relationships and interactions with other staff and students.
This core resource provides you with support and assistance in monitoring your own practice. It will help you identify further development needs you have in the area of cultural competence.
Material in the Toolkit is not a series of predetermined practices; rather it can be used by you, your team or other groups for a range of purposes. These include self-reflection, planning, feedback, review and evaluation.
Evaluation will occur in two ways, one of which is compulsory, the other desirable.
Compulsory
- a series of scenarios in the Cultural Diversity and Inclusive Practice Toolkit
- Evaluation for the Courageous Conversations will occur throughout the face to face session.
Desirable
- Through reflective commentary in: the Toolkit - personal reflection on material within it.
Participants are advised that involvement in this evaluation component will be tracked to ensure completion for reporting purposes. Each participant will receive a certificate of completion.
The Toolkit does not address Indigenous Cultural Competence. This is addressed separately with in the Indigenous Cultural Competency Program.
Culturally Inclusive Environment
A culturally inclusive environment requires mutal respect, effective relationships, clear communication, explicit understandings about expectations and critical self-reflection.
There are many complex features inherent in communication, the environment and people's expectations. These can be examined as major factors contributing to effective inclusive practice witin a culturally diverse community.
'Cultural competence' refers to the knowledge, skills and awareness of cultural differences and similarities within, among and between groups. It is important to translate this 'competence' into professional practice, so that all social groups are treated with respect and in recognition of their diversity.
Understanding & Supporting People Experiencing Culture Shock
Experiencing change from familiar locations, signs, customs, cues, norms and symbols of regular day-to-day life can cause anxiety for many people.
Staff and students from new and emerging communities in the University environment require particular consideration and respect to service provision in order to ensure positive outcomes for those individuals.
The Religious folios consist of: