Wake Forest University
PAE-T2-2: Employee Training Opportunities

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion created and implements the Gatekeepers Workshop Series to enhance cultural competence and intercultural communication skills of the staff and faculty constituency. Gatekeepers 1 (GK1), Enhancing Our Community through Inclusion, introduces participants to the meaning and value of diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion; enhances participants’ knowledge and understanding of cultural differences, similarities, and perceptions; and provides tools that help participants effectively engage in building and maintaining a more diverse and inclusive community. GK2, Cross Cultural Conflict, addresses the impact different approaches to addressing intercultural conflict can have in the workplace. GK3, Contact Theory and Dialogue, enables participants to learn and practice dialogue skills and gain insight into the role of Contact Theory in advancing cultural competence and fostering inclusion. GK4, Making Excellence Inclusive, includes a variety of one-offering workshops on culture-specific topics as a means of making academic, social, and emotional learning open to all university constituents. In addition, the Intercultural Development Inventory, IDI, is offered to faculty and staff to assess their world view and provide strategies to increase cultural competence. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion also provides scholarships for faculty, staff, and students to attend the Institute for Dismantling Racism workshop. The Safe Zone Program is an in-depth, interactive presentation designed to educate Wake Forest faculty, staff, and students about the LGBTQ community. Participants learn what it means to be an ally—a person who supports and stands up for the rights of LGBTQ people—as well as how to create a Safe Zone. Allies who have completed the training program receive a Safe Zone sticker, identifiable to the entire campus, which may be displayed on their door to designate it as a safe place for all members of the community.