e are excited to introduce our newest initiative at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) — Chats for Change. We've designed this four-part series to help colleagues and counterparts learn how to have thoughtful and intentional discussions about embracing our differences and creating a culture of belonging.
Sometimes these conversations can be tricky to navigate, and when people feel they can’t express themselves freely, they may feel that their psychological safety is compromised. At the Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Office of Programs to Enhance Diversity, we believe psychological safety is essential to a thriving organization. It fuels innovative research, boosts employee retention, and helps attract talented individuals from diverse backgrounds
Inspired by a program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chats for Change is a series that aims to foster open dialogue and build a stronger culture of empathy and belonging. The workshops provide a safe, judgment-free environment where people from all demographics can come together and spark meaningful conversations about what it means to belong.
The Goal of Chats for Change
Using both in-person and virtual meetings, Chats for Change gives people a platform to discuss their feelings, explore their identities and build a sense of belonging and community with each other.
Ultimately, we wanted to continue establishing a culture of belonging, safety, and respect where everyone—regardless of their background—feels valued, heard, and confident in sharing their experiences while learning from others.
Topic Selection
Often, when we meet people, we unconsciously make snap decisions about them based on superficial external factors. Our goal with Chats for Change is to give participants an opportunity to practice curiosity, empathy and civil conversations in a judgment-free environment.
We chose a carefully curated process designed to spark conversations that progress from micro (personal) to macro (community-wide) levels, focusing on understanding ourselves and others, building a sense of community, and making changes when needed.
Chats for Change was designed not as a lecture series but as a discussion-based workshop focused on smaller, more intimate conversations. As the leaders, we did very little talking. To help others feel more comfortable sharing, I (Leslie) shared my story of growing up as a first-generation, low-income student and talked about the challenges I faced when raised in a single-family home.
Then, we introduced the four topics for each session and broke the participants into smaller groups to talk amongst each other. We chose the small group setting to help participants feel more comfortable acknowledging their vulnerability and discussing deeper topics without the pressure of a larger audience.
The Office of Programs to Enhance Diversity is sponsored by the HCI National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant accreditation (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-21-321.html)
Sheila Sconiers
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