DEI Co-constructing: Disrupting Prescriptive Approaches for Global Equity

Thursday, March 20, 2025

3:45 PM – 4:45 PM US EST

Location: Birchwood Ballroom, Mezzanine level

Session Leader(s)

Neal McKinney (he/him/his)

Director of Study Abroad and Internship Operations
AIFS Abroad
Columbus, Ohio, United States

Presenter(s)

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Ebony Ellis

Founder & Managing Director
Aventurine Global
Decatur, Georgia, United States
Christina 'Chris' Thompson

Managing Director
Compear Global Education Network, North Carolina, United States
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Sara Dart

Senior Vice President
Education in Ireland, Massachusetts, United States

Attendees will learn and engage in hands-on co-construction activities to re-imagine diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. Knowledge co-construction allows mutual participant collaboration/learning to further expand their knowledge of DEI practices. Attendees will develop awareness and skills to identify DEI challenges and opportunities, explore effective global initiatives, and collaboratively design inclusive strategies tailored to diverse educational contexts.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will identify and critically analyze the limitations and challenges of traditional DEI practices in global education settings, fostering a deeper understanding of why innovative, non-prescriptive methods are needed for true inclusivity.
Attendees will learn and practice co-construction techniques through interactive exercises, enabling them to develop collaborative strategies tailored to enhancing DEI efforts in their respective educational abroad programs.
Attendees will gain the skills and insights necessary to implement effective, innovative DEI strategies that disrupt conventional approaches and promote global equity and inclusion in educational environments abroad.