Diversity at AUC

Engagement Council monthly meetings

The Engagement Council is a central platform for organisations with goals related to outreach and community engagement. Both external and internal parties involved with AUC will be able to share information about what their organisations are doing and discuss opportunities for collaboration and support.  Any organisations that are not yet involved, but have relevant goals or plans (for example, are planning an event that involves inviting members of the local community) can look to the Engagement Council as a resource for meeting others now or throughout the year. There are monthly meetings and newsletters, and we also plan to host a networking event in the early new year. Please get in contact if are interested in participating

Diversity awareness workshops for first-year students

As part of the Global Identity Experience course, all first-year students will be given workshops on diversity and inclusivity awareness. The workshops are given by Siema Ramdas and Amrita Das and revolve around an exercise called “Stepping in the Circle.” The workshops aim to make students aware of different levels of diversity and the dimensions these take within the AUC context.

LGBTQ+ awareness month

Throughout February, the AUC Well-Being Team and several AUCSA committees are organising events in honour of LGBTQ+ Awareness Month. The month aims to raise awareness for issues around acceptance and intersectionality, as well as celebrate the LGBTQ+ community of AUC. 

Black History Month at AUC

In honour of Black History Month, AUC's Student Life Officer and the Well-Being Team, with the assistance of many AUCSA committees, are organising a number of events that will take place throughout October. There will be different cultural events that aim to celebrate racial diversity in AUC's student body including film screenings, a focus group, discussions, debates and art activities.

Current issues of diversity and inclusivity in higher education

This will be a tutor meeting dedicated to the topic of diversity. The newly instated discrimination and complaints procedure will also be addressed. Covering inclusivity and diversity, this meeting will cover what’s different now, what are the most relevant issues and what have we learned in terms of practical advice and best practices.

Faculty meeting breakout session

Dr. Anne de Graaf (Chief Diversity Officer, UvA) will host a breakout session during the AUC faculty meeting where participants will discuss classroom situations and individual interactions with students where they felt uncomfortable or not sure how to handle them. The outcome of this session is to get an impression of the kind of challenges faculty face and to raise awareness of implicit bias.

LGBTQ+ History month

Celebrating the lives of all within our diverse community, this February AUC will host LGBTQ+ History Month. With the recent controversy surrounding the Nashville statement throughout the Netherlands, we believe this is vital to building positive connections, experiences and memories for more equitable and harm-free LGBTQ+ history.

Panel discussion: How can institutions effectively respond to racism?

As universities and other institutions are trying to creating respectful, inclusive and diverse environments, they should have clear methods on how to acknowledge racism and effectively respond to racist behaviour. In this panel discussion, experts from various fields will provide theoretical and academic knowledge, tips on the development of awareness, and practical methods. The panel aims to answer the questions which institutions face when moving towards a more diverse and inclusive community. Guests are welcome to voice their opinions on the questions raised during the panel and contribute with their ideas.

Let's talk. A workshop on anti-polarisation skills

Fierce debates about the refugee crisis, racism and our identity have become an everyday reality. The ‘grey’ middle ground with countless personalities, different world-views, and actual room for nuance is being drowned out by the extreme voices of today. The learning goals of this workshop include anti-polarisation skills, unconscious bias, conversation skills (addressing racism), resilience, promoting productive and respectful discussions, and acknowledging different points of view. The goals also include being able to challenge and defend points of view in ways that lead to mutual learning and finding common ground. This workshop is "train-the-trainer" style, meaning that participants will be able to pass their skills on to others.

Diversity training for community representatives workshop

This workshop will begin with an interactive lecture on intersectionality, racism and privilege, to raise awareness. Topics that will be addressed include LGBT+, classism, racism and disability. Inclusion is discussed and the ways in which organisations fail to effectively implement inclusivity. The lecture will take around 1,5 hours. After the lecture, there will be a privilege walk and a roundtable discussion. The goal of the training is humanisation through dialogue and building bridges through realism. Furthermore, the workshop will work toward building (working) relationships on the basis of mutual empathy and promoting self-reflection and awareness. The maximum number of participants is limited to 30.

Diversity & inclusivity and the curriculum workshop

This is a training session for AUC's Heads of Studies. The workshop will be specifically tailored to questions and challenges that are relevant to managers in higher education. Topics will include ‘moeilijke gesprekken’, curriculum analysis, etc. This will take place after the discrimination and harassment complaints procedure and policy is crystallised. The maximum number of participants for this training is limited to 16.

We work together with:

• Diversity office of the University of Amsterdam

• Diversity office of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

• Department of diversity at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

We participate in:

• Aurora Universities Network