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Workshop to focus on cultural competency, diversity for nonprofits

Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will offer a workshop focusing on “Building Cultural Competency and Diversity Within Nonprofits” from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, at WCU’s instructional site at Biltmore Park in Asheville.

Ricardo Nazario-Colón

“This one-day workshop will highlight the importance of developing cultural competency as part of the nonprofit professional practice in culturally diverse settings,” said Ricardo Nazario-Colón, workshop instructor and WCU’s chief diversity officer.

Participants will have an opportunity to increase their knowledge concerning the role of culture, alternative views and differences when advancing their mission and engaging in nonprofit management practice.

Topics and group discussion will focus on increasing knowledge about diversity and cultural competency as well as effective skills to gain the trust, respect and legitimacy of the nonprofit’s stakeholders. Participants will be encouraged to act in a supportive manner that recognizes the feelings of another cultural group, especially when managing and supervising others.

“This training helps leaders identify and address equity traps in their institutions,” said Darrius Stanley, guest speaker for the workshop and assistant professor of educational leadership at WCU. “We begin with a discussion of common organizational disparities related to achievement, upward mobility, representation, retention and microagressions.”

Darrius Stanley

The workshop is being offered as a stand-alone training or can be taken as part of the Certified Nonprofit Professional Program. The registration fee for the workshop is $89 and the program course fee is $300.

Those who complete the workshop are eligible for 5.5 credits from the Society for Human Resources Management and six credits from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.

For more information about this workshop or the Certified Nonprofit Professional Program, visit pdp.wcu.edu or contact Jill Thompson, WCU’s associate director of professional development, at jcthompson@wcu.edu or 828-227-3070.

WCU’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment, part of the Division of Educational Outreach, provides opportunities for individuals to further their careers through education and training.

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