Why Diversity Is Important
An article from Berkley (with links to studies) shows that “Diversity enhances creativity. It encourages the search for novel information and perspectives, leading to better decision-making and problem-solving. Diversity can improve the bottom line of companies and lead to unfettered discoveries and breakthrough innovations. Even simply being exposed to diversity can change the way you think.”
The community of youth that CHV serves is composed of youth from a variety of backgrounds, beliefs, and identities.
In the spirit of wanting to learn how we can better serve groups that have been historically marginalized and oppressed, staff decided to have a dinner for the BIPOC community of youth.
A Night of Sharing
The evening was a huge success. Food was brought in from local, BIPOC businesses, for the 22 youth in attendance. There were activities to participate in, including writing down thoughts as to how CHV can make its services more inclusive and diverse.
As youth workers visited the different tables, they made some heart-warming observations. Groups were sharing food and stories from their cultures, and although many cultures were represented, everyone found many commonalities through their storytelling.
At one point in the evening, as a youth worker walked past a table that consisted of youth from CSS, the Crisis Program, and the Rights of Passage program, she noticed that each of them was sharing their language with the others. “Many youth told us that this was such a special day for them, as they felt they could really share their culture, instead of adapting to one.”
It was a very special evening and we plan to work with young people to hold similar events in the future.
