The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Award-Winning Learning Journey
In 2021, as part of AIFS’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, the Au Pair in America division created a DEI group for employees to learn, explore, and discuss topics in equity, especially as they relate to the work of cultural exchange. This initiative kicked off with a DEI Learning Series. The goal of the series was to bring together members of our team from across the US and around the world for learning and discussion opportunities, centered around equity and inclusion. Since the 2021 spring kickoff, the APIA DEI group has hosted book clubs, movie discussions, and guest speakers. To this day, we continue this work, growing in our participation, and supporting the APIA DEI mission. We are committed to doing the best work we can including all types of diversity within our programs and to bringing the (WHOLE) world together!
APIA Wins New Diversity and Inclusion Award
Big news! Au Pair in America is proud to announce we’ve won the WYSE Global Youth Travel Award in the category of New Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives! WYSE describes the… (read more)
APIA DEI Learning Journey Series (15 days – 3 weeks – of resources)
We invite you to explore these resources for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at your own pace yourself. This 3-week journey outlined below was taken by APIA staff worldwide. We hope you enjoy it – it’s a journey for us all…
Week 1: Implicit Bias – Reflect – The Self
Greater Good – Why DEI Matters to Us All*
The Appetizer:
- Review the AIFS DEI Policy on the Intranet
- What it Takes to be Racially Literate (ted talk)
The Entree:
- Difficult Conversations: Talking about Race at Work (Linkedin)
- Racism has a Cost for Everyone (ted talk)
The To-Go Bag: TAKE ACTION!:
- Write your pledge and commitment to DEI
- Journal about your encounters with racial inequality growing up.
*Monday – Greater Good – Why DEI Matters to Us All
- Review the AIFS Diversity and Inclusion intranet site
- What it takes to be racially literate: https://www.ted.com/…/priya_vulchi_and_winona_guo_what…
- Linkedin Learning : https://www.linkedin.com/learning/difficult-conversations-talking-about-race-at-work?trk=share_ios_course_learning&shareId=kET5XcgaQMuzyU0o6v+ZYg==
- Racism has a Cost for Everyone https://www.ted.com/…/heather_c_mcghee_racism_has_a…
- Write Your Pledge and Commitment to DEI
- Journal about your encounters with racial inequality growing up.
Understanding Privilege*
The Appetizer:
The Entree:
- Talking About Race | National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Eye of the Storm-Documentary- 1970
To-go Bag, “take action:”
*Tuesday – Understanding Privilege
- Peggy McIntosh, Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack of White Privilege https://nationalseedproject.org/…/white-privilege…
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3AMhtHPKNk
- Talking About Race | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu) https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race
- Eye of the storm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSwZQ1AzjOg
- Update on eye of the storm – https://www.npr.org/…/we-are-repeating-discrimination…
- Take these Harvard U Implicit Bias tests: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
Blind Spots and Implicit Bias*
The Appetizer:
- Blind Spots: Challenge Assumptions (including in APIA AP Orientation)
The Entree:
To-go Bag, “take action:”
- Write down all the names of your friends and those in your network and notice their backgrounds.
*Wednesday – Blind Spots and Implicit Bias
- Blind Spots *included in APIA AP Orientation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFcjfqmVah8
- *Peanut Butter, Jelly, and Racism https://www.nytimes.com/…/peanut-butter-jelly-and…
- *Check Our Bias to Wreck Our Bias https://www.nytimes.com/…/check-our-bias-to-wreck-our…
- Write down all your friends and those in your network and notice the backgrounds.
Class and Race*
The Appetizer:
- The Forgotten Dimension of Diversity (HBR)
- Inside a Battle Over Race, Class and Power at Smith College (NY Times)
The Entree:
To-go Bag, “take action:”
*Thursday – Class and Race
- https://hbr.org/2021/01/the-forgotten-dimension-of-diversity
- https://www.nytimes.com/…/24/us/smith-college-race.html…
- If You See Racism, Say Racism – From This American Life “Birds and Bees” (18 Minutes) https://www.thisamericanlife.org/557/birds-bees/act-two-12
- How White Fragility Reinforces Racism-https://www.theguardian.com/…/how-white-fragility…
- This Equity Picture is Actually White Supremacy at Work. https://medium.com/…/this-equity-picture-is-actually…
- How to be an Antiracist | Aspen Ideas
Being Comfortable with Discomfort*
The Appetizer:
- Intergroup Anxiety: Can you Try too Hard to be Fair? (5 minutes)
- Color Blind or Color Brave (14 minutes)
The Entree:
- A Conversation on Race (several mini videos)
- How do you Handle a Racist Joke? (4 min)
To-go Bag, “take action:”
- What Can I Do? Try it Out? Speak up: Responding to Everyday Bigotry.
*Friday – Being Comfortable with Discomfort
- Confronting ‘intergroup anxiety’: Can you try to hard to be fair? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsBpGmUeAsI
- Color Blind or Color Brave https://www.ted.com/…/mellody_hobson_color_blind_or…
- Conversations on Race – https://www.nytimes.com/…/your…/conversations-on-race
- How Do You Handle a Racist Joke? | Decoded | MTV News – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg1aTLsS69Y
- What Can I Do? Try it Out. https://www.splcenter.org/…/speak-responding-everyday…
**Zoom conversation – Friday 1pm eastern/10am PST Zoom**
Where CCs shared:
- What did I learn?
- What was surprising/ eye-opening?
- What questions/wonderings do I have?
- What actions might I take?
Week two: Systemic Racism and the Great Unlearn – Reveal – The US
Our US systems
The Appetizer:
- Heartbreaking Moment When Kids Learn About White Privilege | The School That Tried to End Racism (4 min)
- Systemic Racism Explained (4 min) Au Pairs see this video as part of their online virtual orientation training.
The Entree:
- 13th- Netflix Film (1hr 40min)
- Read Stamped- from the Beginning or People’s History of the US to see another perspective of the historical narrative. (BOOK)
- Racial Justic Resources from Seasame Street
To-go Bag, “take action:”
- Continue to learn about the history of redlining and find out what your city is doing to reverse these practices.
*Monday – Our US Systems
-Systemic Racism Explained:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrHIQIO_bdQ…
-Heartbreaking Moment When Kids Learn About White Privilege | The School That Tried to End Racism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I3wJ7pJUjg
-13th: Netflix Documentary by Ava DuVernay about the connection between US Slavery and the present day mass incarceration system. (1 hour 40 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8
-Read Stamped from the Beginning or People’s History of the US to see another perspective of the historical narrative. https://www.ibramxkendi.com/stamped-from-the-beginning
-Racial Justice Resources from Sesame Street https://www.sesameworkshop.org/what-we-do/racial-justice
-Continue to learn about the history of redlining and find out what your city is doing to reverse these practices.
Reckoning with the Past to Change the Future
The Appetizer:
- Racism is Real (2 min)
- A Conversation about Growing up Black
- Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man-Youtube (10 min)
The Entree:
- Racism is a Threat to Public Health (article)
- 1619 Podcasts (multiple) (30 min)
- Mass Incarceration (48 min)
To-go Bag, “take action:”
- Interview someone with a different background than you and find out when and how they had a talk with their parents about (in)equality in the US.
*Tuesday – Reckoning with the Past to Change the Future
– Racism is Real https://www.vox.com/2015/4/30/8520305/systemic-racism-video
-A conversation about growing up black – https://www.nytimes.com/…/a-conversation-about-growing…
-Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man-Youtube series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8jUA7JBkF4
-Racism is a Threat to Public Health https://www.ama-assn.org/…/ama-racism-threat-public-health
-Listen to 1619 podcasts https://1619.simplecast.com/
-Mass Incarceration https://www.npr.org/2019/08/14/751126384/mass-incarceration
– Interview someone with a different background than you and find out when and how they had a talk with their parents about (in)equality in the US.
Understanding the Hurt Behind the Anger
The Appetizer:
- George Floyd, Minneapolis Protests, Ahmaud Arbery, and Amy Cooper (18 min)
- Kimberly Jones Explain Systemic Racism (3 min)
The Entree:
- To Rewrite Our Social Contract, We Must First Address Racism (article)
- Greenwood and the Tulsa Race Riots (3 min)
- 18 Poems Written by Black Writers on Race, Resistance, and Identity (read)
To-go Bag, “take action:”
- Audit your social media accounts and start following leaders in the DEI spaces or those who come from a background different from your own.
*Wednesday – Understanding the Hurt Behind the Anger
-Trevor Noah and the social Contract https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c
-Kimberly Jones Explains Systemic Racism – Bing video
–https://centerforhealthprogress.org/…/to-rewrite-our…/
-Greenwood and the Tulsa Race Riots | Video | Boss: The Black Experience in Business | PBS
-18 poems written by black writers on race, resistance and identity | by Poppy Dillon | Medium
-Audit your social media accounts and start following leaders in the DEI spaces or those who come from a background different from your own.
Asian Americans – the “model” minority
The Appetizer:
- America’s long history of scapegoating its Asian citizens (article)
- ‘Model Minority Myth Again Used a Racial Wedge Between Asians and Black (article)
The Entree:
- Asian, Asian American students say rise in anti-Asian violence underscores deeper issues – The Chronicle (article)
To-go Bag, “take action:”
*Thursday – Asian Americans – the “model” minority
– America’s long history of scapegoating its Asian citizens (nationalgeographic.com) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/…/asian-american…
https://www.npr.org/…/model-minority-myth-again-used-as…
-Asian, Asian American students say rise in anti-Asian violence underscores deeper issues – The Chronicle (dukechronicle.com) https://www.dukechronicle.com/…/duke-university-asian…
-Read to digest: 9 Phrases Allies Can Say When Called Out Instead of Getting Defensive (everydayfeminism.com)
The Muslim Experience in the US
This section is very timely as today is one of the largest Muslim Holidays; Eid El Fitr. It is the holiday celebrated after the final day of fasting in the Month of Ramadan. If you have any Muslim friends, HFs, APs, or you are Muslim yourself wish them “Eid Mubarak.”
The Appetizer:
The Entree:
- The Danger of a Single Story (18 min)
- How to Support Women of Color, with Minda Harts (39 min)
To-go Bag, “take action:”
- Read your au pair’s full application and ask your au pair if she needs any help locating her community of faith.
- Consider ways in which we can see au pairs as “one story” – how can we avoid this?
*Friday – The Muslim Experience in the US
-What Does My Head Scarf Mean to You? https://www.ted.com/…/yassmin_abdel_magied_what_does_my…
-Middle Eastern and Muslim Stereotypes in Media : Eefa Shehzad at TEDxYouth@ISBangkok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRZQiwxB8lE
-The danger of a single story. https://www.ted.com/…/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the…
-How to Support Women of Color, with Minda Harts https://content.blubrry.com/coaching_for_leaders/CFL506.mp3
-Read the full file and ask your au pair if she needs any help locating her community of faith.
-Consider ways in which we can see au pairs as “one story” – how can we avoid this?
Week 3: DEI in Cultural Exchange
Supporting the One who Supports the Child with Special Needs
The Appetizer:
- I am not your inspiration, thank you very much (9 minutes)
The Entree:
- Claire The Documentary (40 min)
- How to Support Belonging with Julia Taylor Kennedy (37 min)
To-go Bag, “take action:”
- Talk with your host families who have special needs children and ask them what the au pair experience is like in their home and how we can best support families like theirs.
*Monday- Supporting the One who Supports the Child with Special Needs
-I am not your inspiration thank you very much. https://www.ted.com/…/stella_young_i_m_not_your…
-Claire the documentary – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfqtOTwUcKE
-How to Support Belonging, with Julia Taylor Kennedy https://content.blubrry.com/coaching_for_leaders/CFL504.mp3
-Talk with your host families who have special needs children and ask them what the au pair experience is like in their home and how we can best support families like theirs.
LGBTQ and Study Abroad
The Appetizer:
- Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth (pamphlet)
- LGBTQ+ au pairs in the US Share their Stories (article)
- Rainbow SIG Newsletter (article)
The Entree:
- Meaning Travel Tips and Tales, LGBTQ Traveller’s Perspective (article)
- I’ve Lived as a Man and a Women- here’s what I learned (15 min)
To-go Bag, “take action:”
- Revisit your language to be sensitive to the LGBTQ+ population of au pairs and talk with your same-sex HFs about their interviewing experiences.
*Tuesday – LGBTQ and Study Abroad
–https://www.thetrevorproject.org/…/Guide-to-Being-an…
–https://blog.culturalcare.com/…/lgbtq-au-pairs-in-the…
-Rainbow Newsletter of Nafsa SIG group. https://issuu.com/nafsar…/docs/rainbow_sig_newsletter_sp19
-Transgender passengers. https://www.tsa.gov/transgender-passengers
-MEANINGFUL TRAVELTIPS and tales – An Initiative to Make Travel More Inclusive LGBTQ traveler’s perspectives https://case.edu/…/2018-04/lgbt-study-abroad-guide.pdf
-“I’ve lived as a man and a woman – here’s what I learned. I’ve lived as a man & a woman — here’s what I learned | Paula Stone Williams | TEDxMileHigh – YouTube”
-Revisit your language to be sensitive for the LGBTQ+ population of au pairs and talk with your same sex HFs about their interviewing experiences.
Accents and Stereotypes
The Appetizer:
- Why I keep speaking up, even when people mock my accent (11 min) TED talk
The Entree:
- Mocking Accents Spreads Unjust, offensive stereotypes (article, the Harbinger)
- The Problem with Apu (docu-series) Amazon Prime
To-go Bag, “take action:”
- Think about how you talk with au pairs who have emerging English. How can you help them gain confidence/be proud of the skills they have?
Host Families and Au Pairs
The Appetizer:
- I’m Mexican, Does that Change your assumption about me? (12min) Left off of Yesterdays Material
- Black Families, Find Difficult Choices in Nanny Care (NPR 12 min)
- Nanny Hunt Can be a “Slap in the Face’ for Blacks- (New York Times article)
The Entree:
To-go Bag, “take action:”
- Have things changed since 2006/7?
What’s Next? Call to Action
The Appetizer:
- You and Diversity: How Small Acts can Create Big Change:
The Entree:
To-go Bag, “take action:”
- Brainstorm on how APIA can increase the diversity of our families and team, and help ensure APIA is a program that continues to strive to be true to the DEI mission statement.