ADL’s Philadelphia Office brought together a diverse group of educators, human service professionals, and community leaders to learn how to become ADL A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute facilitators. From June 22 – 26, individuals from Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Washington, DC participated in the “Train-the-Trainer” at LaSalle University in Philadelphia.
ADL’s A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute is a leading provider of anti-bias education and diversity training programs and resources. Using the latest research from the education field, the Institute seeks to help participants recognize bias and the harm it inflicts on individuals and society, explore the value of diversity, improve intergroup relations and combat racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of prejudice and bigotry. The Institute’s customizable, interactive programs are used by schools, universities, law enforcement agencies and community organizations throughout the United States and abroad.
Train-the-Trainer began with exercises in which trainees examined their own biases, the role personal bias may play in everyday interactions, and the impact bias may have on a trainee’s ability to facilitate programming. Many of these exercises are included in A World of Difference Institute® programs, allowing the trainees to experience the program from the participant’s point of view. The remainder of the week focused on developing and honing facilitator skills and role playing.
Participants found Train-the-Trainer to be a time of personal growth. One participant remarked, “You have set the bar high for me and modeled the type of facilitator… that I aspire to be. And I hope to be as good as each of you, in my own unique way, someday…”
A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Institute began in 1985, when ADL and WCVB-TV in Boston initiated the A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE campaign, a series of education and media-driven programs designed to combat prejudice and create effective tools to address these issues in the classroom and community. The campaign’s immense success led to ongoing programs across the country and several national awards, including a Peabody, Gabriel and Scripps-Howard.