Schools, Student athletes, Faith-based community, Workplace
The Equity Trilogy
Cultural Competency and Do No Harm
Background
The Equity Leadership Network is a collaborative effort with Western Pennsylvania school districts and member partners to train educational, civic, and business leaders in equity leadership and the importance of building a better America by focusing on practices that unite rather than divide. These practices are deeply rooted in the Equity Trilogy of diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency. Cultural competency, the most overlooked part of the Equity Trilogy, is guided by the theme “Do No Harm by Actions, Words, or Thoughts”!
Project Idea
Dr. Donald E. Sheffield is an author, educator, consultant, and president of TAME, Inc. (Techniques Assisting Motivation and Excellence). He created the Equity Leadership Network to provide educational, civic, and business leaders with a proven, evidence-based resource tool to address social inequities. For over 40 years, Dr. Sheffield has trained parents, school officials, civic leaders, managers, and CEOs in equity leadership. A core element of equity leadership is cultural competency, which is the ability to interact positively with persons from different cultural backgrounds. It is a never-ending work in progress for all Americans, and all sectors of our nation need to recognize how cultural competency can foster unity in our diverse schools, civic organizations, and workplaces. See the attached article and Do No Harm pledge!
Equity Leadership Network Mission
The Equity Leadership Network seeks to address inequities in American society by developing leadership skills among educational, civic, and business leaders. Subsequently, these leaders can foster positive change in their schools, civic organizations, and workplace.
The Equity Trilogy, Cultural Competency, and Do No Harm!
The Equity Leadership Network trains leaders to achieve high-performance results in schools, civic organizations, and the workplace. We conceptualize equity – the equal opportunity for all to excel – as the “umbrella” from which the Equity Trilogy of diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency evolve, and we empower leaders with the knowledge and skills to produce transformative change by advancing the benefits of cultural competency. Central to this training is the theme of “Do No Harm by Actions, Words, or Thoughts”, to create positive interactions that foster excellence in schools, civic organizations, and the workplace, bringing byproducts of unity, peace, and respect. See Do No Harm pledge!
The Equity Leadership Network is:
Empowering: We empower our members with knowledge, skills, practices, resources, and support to connect across cultures and become impactful leaders for schools, civic organizations, and the workplace.
Transformative: We prepare diverse, engaged, and purposeful leaders to produce sustainable change across cultures in schools, civic organizations, and the workplace.
Impactful: We develop a broad sector of educational, civic, and business leaders who strive to ensure that equity becomes an integral component of their strategic vision, values, and actions. We believe that this is how empowerment and transformative change occurs in schools, civic organizations, and the workplace.
Equity Leadership Network Descriptors:
1. Visionary: Members have a clear and compelling long-term vision for their impact as leaders and as advocates for the Equity Trilogy and cultural competency. This vision requires courage and direct experience in leading change in environments where all members are valued, included, and respected, and where all members work together across cultures to produce positive outcomes.
2. Strategic Action: Members are committed to long-term, systemic progress and work collaboratively and synergistically. Leaders make intentional decisions and address challenges in a way that demonstrates a sustained commitment to Equity Leadership, especially cultural competency, and its relationship to high-performance outcomes.
3. Community-driven: Members value cultural competency and connecting across cultures in their schools, civic organizations, and workplaces. Leaders produce change through authentic relationships that engage and empower diverse groups. This inclusive approach fosters mutual trust and collaborations that produce transformative change. Members also strive to deeply understand the historical racial and economic conditions that create barriers and inequities in schools, civic organizations, and workplaces. To address these gaps, leaders intentionally focus on strategies that address the needs of historically underserved and marginalized groups.
4. Self-Awareness: Members listen, dialogue, and learn to treat interpersonal differences with the four A’s of cultural competency: acceptance, acknowledgement, appreciation, and attention. Members’ awareness of conditions that cause historical inequities in U.S. society becomes a resource for leading and implementing strategies that foster transformative change. When operationalized, members also reflect on their racial/ethnic identities to understand how privilege or inequities have influenced their values, beliefs, decisions, and relationships. The 4 A’s become essential to the theme of “Do No Harm”.
5. Values-driven: Members have a sense of belonging that promotes the Equity Trilogy and cultural competency as core beliefs and essential values in the mission to dismantle inequities and oppression.
6. Courageous Conversations: Members engage in public conversations with leaders and community members from various sectors on timely race and diversity issues that impact society. A specific focus prioritizes historical and current pressing issues, conditions, and problems that affect schools, civic organizations, and the workplace.
Equity Leadership Network (ELN) Professional Development Programs:
• Equity Leadership for all sectors, such as families, schools, civic organizations, faith-based organizations, social services, law enforcement, health care, and business
• High-Performing Schools and the Equity Trilogy Model
• Cultural Competency in the School Curriculum
• Implementing the Equity Trilogy and especially Cultural Competency in the Workplace
• Organizational Culture: Controlling Elements of Equity Leadership
• Leading through a Cultural Lens: How to Create High Performing Sectors with Equity in Mind.
• “Do No Harm”: A Pledge for Parents and School, Civic, Community, and Workplace Leaders, developed as a resource for athletic directors, sports officials, and educational leaders
• DARE2XL After-school Program: Developing Motivational Engagement and Student Achievement in the Home, School, Classroom, and Community
Eradicating Hate
Background
The Do No Harm Network is a collaborative effort with Western Pennsylvania school districts and member partners to infuse cultural competency into the educational, civic, and business sectors. Equity Leadership Training trains members to build a better America by focusing on unifying practices that bring peace, kindness, and love, rather than hate. Those practices are deeply rooted in the Equity Trilogy of diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency. Cultural competency, the most overlooked part of the Equity Trilogy, is guided by the theme “Do No Harm by Actions, Words, or Thoughts”!
The Vision
Dr. Donald E. Sheffield is an author, educator, consultant, and president of TAME, Inc. (Techniques Assisting Motivation and Excellence). He created the Equity Leadership Network and Do No Harm Network to provide educational, civic, and business leaders with a proven, evidence-based resource to address the lack of cultural competency in U.S. society. For over 40 years, Dr. Sheffield has trained parents, superintendents, school board members, civic leaders, managers, and CEOs. Cultural competency is a never-ending work in progress for all Americans and is fundamental to eradicating hate and “doing no harm” by our actions, words, and thoughts. All sectors of our diverse nation must recognize the importance of cultural competency to foster unity and peace in schools, civic organizations, and the workplace.
Cultural Competency and the Do No Harm Network
Often missing from the framework of DEI, cultural competency is necessary for every American, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, income, disability, or handicap. The Do No Harm Network seeks to address inequities in American society, by developing leadership skills that focus on positive interpersonal relationships amongst our diverse citizens. Beyond diversity and inclusion is cultural competency, which is the ability to interact with our diversity in a positive way. Cultural competency focuses on interpersonal skills that foster unified, relational, and high performing interactions among folks from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is a skill that must be learned and practiced if we are to eradicate hate and do no harm.
The Equity Trilogy – Reframing the DEI Debate!
Equity Leadership Training trains leaders to conceptualize equity as an equal opportunity for all to excel, to be treated fairly, to be included, to feel welcome, and to not be harmed. Equity is the “umbrella” from which diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency evolve. It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure that those under their purview possess skills that maintain high performance. In the Do No Harm Network, these are essential competencies for improving relationships and connecting across cultures, and they are fundamental skills to bring unity, peace, respect, and excellence and to eradicate hate in schools, civic organizations, and the workplace. It is this skill set that allows us to “Live—Work—Play—Learn” together and to do no harm to others.
The Deliverables (1-2 hour minimum) with PowerPoint slides
Could be potential speaker, table, or work session. Cultural Competency Training to Eradicate Hate!
Key Concepts and Big Ideas in Do No Harm
1. Equity Leadership and Cultural Competency
2. Practice Makes Permanent!
3. The Equity Trilogy: Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Competency
4. Living, Working, Playing, and Learning Together
5. The Four A’s of Basic Cultural Competency
6. Salad Bowl Skills vs the Melting Pot
7. Cultural Competency, Do No Harm, and High Performance
8. The Iceberg: Diversity, Character, and Cultural Competency
9. Organizational Culture and Majority Rules
10. Cultural Competency in all Sectors
11. Do No Harm Pledge
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Do No Harm—By Thoughts, Words or Actions!
By Donald E. Sheffield, Ed.D
(For Equity, Mental Health, Bullying and Cross-Cultural Competency)
Verse 1
I’ll do no harm by words that I say.
And pledge to make my school, the best in every way.
It starts with me to keep my thoughts, respectful, kind and fair.
So, all my fellow students will return to me my share.
Chorus
Do No harm, by actions, words, or thoughts,
Remember when you come in here, everyone is taught
Respect, honor, and excellence, together we can achieve
Just do no harm and strive to show, the best of you and me.
Verse 2
Our diversity can be our strength, with skills learned to explore,
Not a melting pot but salad bowl, of lettuce, olives and more.
Let’s all prepare and learn the skills, yes lightly tossed we’ll be.
And do no harm will lead the way, to a world of unity.
Verse 3
Acknowledge, show attention, accept, and appreciate
Are basic to relating, to better communicate,
With the richness of our diversity, united, full, and free
America can be beautiful, God shed His grace on thee.
Verse 4
Our future can be one of peace if we just do our part,
To do no harm and guide the world, our youth can make a start.
We’ll show adults a better way, for teamwork rules our hearts,
And unify a divided state, and stop being torn apart.
—
Elementary Reading: Cross Cultural
Middle School: Pen Pal
Youth Ambassador Core: Mental Health
High School: Experiential and Sports (SAAC)