Promoting Respect Workshops
Promoting Respect Workshops (PRW) is GMDC's flagship program which started in March 2005 with sessions in each classroom in grades 7-9 in Mankato area schools. We now serve K-12 classrooms in Mankato and various outlying communities.
These researched and evaluated workshops were adopted from the successful Rochester (Minnesota) Diversity Council Prejudice Reduction Workshop curriculum. We utilized that curriculum for our first ten years (2004-2014). We then embarked on an effort in 2014 to write our own curriculum that better reflects our regional character and uniqueness. This new Greater Mankato Diversity Council Promoting Respect Workshop curriculum officially debuted in the 2015-2016 school year. This new curriculum is age-appropriate, incremental, and research-driven. Each year, we evaluate our curriculum's impact upon the students of Greater Mankato and update the curriculum as the data dictates.
Our 30-50 minute workshops are delivered by trained facilitators who are recruited from all areas of the community.
Each grade program focuses on a specific diversity-related topic as illustrated below:
These researched and evaluated workshops were adopted from the successful Rochester (Minnesota) Diversity Council Prejudice Reduction Workshop curriculum. We utilized that curriculum for our first ten years (2004-2014). We then embarked on an effort in 2014 to write our own curriculum that better reflects our regional character and uniqueness. This new Greater Mankato Diversity Council Promoting Respect Workshop curriculum officially debuted in the 2015-2016 school year. This new curriculum is age-appropriate, incremental, and research-driven. Each year, we evaluate our curriculum's impact upon the students of Greater Mankato and update the curriculum as the data dictates.
Our 30-50 minute workshops are delivered by trained facilitators who are recruited from all areas of the community.
Each grade program focuses on a specific diversity-related topic as illustrated below:
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Currently, the Greater Mankato Diversity Council’s Promoting Respect Workshops reach approximately 8,680 studentsin the public and private school students in the Greater Mankato area. In 2018-19, our workshops have received a 96% approval rating from participating students and a 98% approval rating from teachers.
This past academic year, GMDC’s PRW had its second class of students that experienced all 13 of our grade level curricula. We took a “senior survey” to gauge the effectiveness of the PRW in several key areas. We asked seniors to agree or disagree to five statements indicating the PRW impact on their school experience. I will share two important responses from the senior survey:
Both of the above statements are important because it speaks to the awareness-building accomplished by the PRW and an action-oriented inclusion fostered by the PRW amongst students. These students will go on to be the leaders of our organizations and institutions in the greater Mankato area. They will carry with them the “seeds” of inclusion that were planted and watered over the 13-year PRW curriculum and be more equipped to lead in our diverse community.
This past academic year, GMDC’s PRW had its second class of students that experienced all 13 of our grade level curricula. We took a “senior survey” to gauge the effectiveness of the PRW in several key areas. We asked seniors to agree or disagree to five statements indicating the PRW impact on their school experience. I will share two important responses from the senior survey:
- 86% of HS seniors responded “yes” when asked if “the PRW helped me see how diverse my community is and that we can respect each other despite our differences”.
- 83% of HS seniors responded “yes” when asked “I intervened at least once when I saw a discrimination or bullying incident happening”.
Both of the above statements are important because it speaks to the awareness-building accomplished by the PRW and an action-oriented inclusion fostered by the PRW amongst students. These students will go on to be the leaders of our organizations and institutions in the greater Mankato area. They will carry with them the “seeds” of inclusion that were planted and watered over the 13-year PRW curriculum and be more equipped to lead in our diverse community.