Acknowledging & tackling unconscious biases

<aside> ℹ️ Our top priority is to create a safe, inclusive and supportive learning environment.

This short resource is intended to encourage everyone involved in the bootcamp – students and teaching team alike – to identify and understand the unconscious (or implicit) biases we might bring to any of these situations.

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<aside> 🤔 Diverse perspectives are invaluable for learning… …and essential for effectively tackling complex societal challenges

Throughout this bootcamp you will be:

exploring a complex sustainability challenge and problem within a local context that is very likely new to you; and
engaging with a highly diverse array of other students, teaching team members, experts and community representatives.

As you are guided and supported through these processes, you will be exposed to many different ideas and perspectives that are based on both professional knowledge and lived experiences that will be quite different from your own.

There are two reasons that this exposure to diverse ideas and perspectives is a foundational aspect of the unique experiential learning pedagogy of this bootcamp:

Exposure to new ideas and perspectives creates unique opportunities for learning and growth – not just intellectually, but also socially and emotionally.
- A part of this social and emotional learning comes in the form of understanding our own responses to the new people, new cultures, new perspectives and new ideas that we encounter.
- The resources below have been curated here to help you begin to consider and understand your own reactions in these situations.
Effectively understanding any complex societal challenge requires looking at the challenge from a wide range of perspectives… …and since nobody can do that on their own, developing the capability to constructively engage with and understand diverse perspectives is essential!
- This is a theme that will come up throughout the bootcamp.
- Developing your ability to constructively engage with and understand new perspectives will put you in a very strong position for your future career! </aside>

<aside> 🗺️ Understanding and tackling unconscious (or implicit) biases

Please start by watching this TedX talk by Valerie Alexander on “How to outsmart your own unconscious bias”:

https://www.ted.com/talks/valerie_alexander_how_to_outsmart_your_own_unconscious_bias

Second, we encourage you to read and reflect on these articles:

Are You Aware of Your Biases?

Is It Possible to Overcome Implicit Bias?

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<aside> ℹ️ Implicit Bias Test (IBT)

You might be interested in completing the Harvard Implicit Bias as a way of exploring this topic further.

Project Implicit

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