Diversity Shala

Diversity Training for Community Organization and the Workplace

Diversity Shala is a professional development programme for educators, counsellors, teachers, principals and other stakeholders engaged in children’s wellbeing and education.

The programme helps build the participants’ capacity for diversity and inclusion within educational spaces. Based on the philosophy and framework provided by National SEED Project situated at Wellesley College, Wellesley, USA, Diversity Shala facilitates training for participants to create multiculturally equitable, socio-economically aware, and globally informed workspace. 

Thank you to all those who registered Diversity Shala 2020. Applications are now closed. Watch this space for future announcements of our new batches.

Who CAN participate and how?​
Diversity Shala 2020 will engage participants in a 5-day workshop series comprising 2.5 hour sessions.

Participants explore  the multiple identities and socio-cultural aspects of themselves and others.  They also explore  how these factors currently impact their organization and their work and learn how to create an inclusive workplace for all.   Participants are requested to volunteer themselves for this work. A cross-divisional and cross-functional team works best for engagement with diverse views. 

This programme is a good fit for India-based teachers, educators, counselors, social workers, parents/caregivers, principals, and education officers who are committed to creating inclusive spaces for young people with diverse identities.
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The workshops are facilitated through a variety of experiences and modalities. Some of these are: theatre, art, expressive writing, small and large group discussions, pair-share protocols, poetry and audio-visual resources.

Language of Facilitation: English and Hindi
SCHedule
Dates: Tuesday 7th July 2020 to Saturday 11th July, 2020
Timing:  10:00 am to 12:30 pm
Location:  Zoom
No. of open seats:    40
PROGRAMME EXPECTATIONS
From the Diversity Shala participants
  • Attend all the workshops as planned with the organisation
  • Play an active role in the workshops and further in action-reflection practice in their workspaces which would involve continuous critical evaluation and revision of work practices and organizational practices
  • Ensure you have Zoom app installed on an internet-enabled device

From their respective Organisation, if nominated via them
  • Support members in their diversity work
  • Provide opportunities for application of learning
  • Access to internet and tech support for participation in the workshops​
participation fee
Total cost per participant is INR 3,500. This includes participation in workshops, training materials, resources on diversity and inclusion, and active coaching for participants to take action in their respective contexts.

For participants who are deeply passionate but may not be able to afford the full fees, a limited scholarship is provided based on their candidature. The decision for the same rests with Apni Shala. Please write to   [email protected]  to discuss the scholarship. 
Application process
Application open: 23rd June, 2020
Application close: 4th July, 2020
  •  ​Upon receiving your nomination, you will receive further details through an email. 
  • The applications will be processed on a first-come first-serve basis.
Facilitator
Amrita Nair   with a Bachelors’ degree in Psychology from Mumbai University, and a Masters’ degree in Social Entrepreneurship from TISS, is a part of the founding team of Apni Shala. Before founding Apni Shala, Amrita worked with the Akanksha Foundation and Aasara Home for boys. She has also been trained in personal counseling and Rational emotive behaviour therapy. Since 2013, she has been an active facilitator of Theatre of the oppressed. She was part of the DBS-TISS Social Entrepreneurship Programme from 2013 to 2016 and a WIPRO seeding fellow (2017). In 2016, she attended the New Leader’s Week with the National SEED project and has been facilitating Mumbai based SEED groups. Currently, she is working as the Director of R&D and Advocacy.

Rohit Kumar, through his work and education, has come to believe that schools are places for an enriching socio-cultural dialogue that can empower or subvert its pupils, depending upon how the school is imagined, designed, and brought into action. Rohit holds an M.A. in Education from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and Masters in Software Systems from the Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai, India. However, he thinks his most important learning comes having worked with students and educators at The Akanksha Foundation, American School of Bombay, and Apni Shala Foundation.

Currently, Rohit is working as the CEO at Apni Shala and works as a consulting staff at Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) project by Wellesley Center for Women, Wellesley College, USA where he co-facilitates diversity workshops for educators.

Why Diversity Training?

In an increasingly globalised world and a country as diverse as India, our workforce is becoming multicultural and diverse.  Diversity training capacitates employees to engage with multiple perspectives, work better with colleagues as diverse teams and develop creative and authentic solutions for engagement with a wider audience and hence enhancing organisational growth. ​​​