The Nebraska Community of Learners — Understanding Diversity through Education is seeking small learning group “anchors” to establish groups for the spring semester.

The NCLUDE small learning groups offer a space to talk candidly over the course of a semester, addressing inclusive excellence as a part of everyday interactions. These small groups are intended to build relationships and to foster concentrated areas of introspection to help students, faculty, staff, alumni and the larger community understand and embrace the opportunities to create a greater sense of inclusion.

Anchoring an #NCLUDE group involves three steps:

• Create a learning group
• Prepare for a successful group
• Anchor your meetings

Any individual, or pair of individuals (students, faculty, staff and community members), can anchor a learning group as long as they: work with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to develop a set of learning materials for the six sessions or use previously developed materials and; attend the anchoring workshop. Individuals may anchor a group on their own or on behalf of a sponsoring unit. Small group anchors do not need to be an expert in the subject. Anchors are committed to creating a space where people can learn and grow by providing the logistical foundations for mutual learning. Everyone in a learning group will have knowledge, experiences, and awareness from which others learn.

Anchors can repeat a topic from past semesters, or propose a new topic and work with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to develop that topic in ways that:

• Elevate knowledge and awareness about the historical or social context of underrepresented groups or cultures,
• Enhance skills for pursuing inclusive excellence,
• Develop support or skills for navigating (and dismantling) institutionalized structures of oppression or marginalization.

If you are interested in anchoring, send an email to diversity@unl.edu by Nov. 3.

For more information about #NCLUDE, including how to anchor, click here.