Features
The Diversity of Diversity
by Polly Schnaper, Utah Judicial Institute

On a recent internet surf I discovered an abundance of sites devoted to diversity issues and was once again reminded of the “diversity of diversity.” A variety of topics exist under the diversity umbrella: cultural roots, the limitations of personal perspective, group membership, first impressions, exploring your own “inner cosmos,” as well as the issues of race, gender, religion, age, and ethnicity. Some or all of these topics underlie many of the judicial educational opportunities that I create or attend. I spent some time exploring these sites and afterwards gave myself a mental tweak to remember the myriad of diversity issues that can arise in a group, to remember techniques to gently ease people through them, and to remind myself of all the divergent people, lifestyles, and perspectives that swirl around me every day. If you would like to review, reflect, or just remind yourself of the same, the following three websites can start you on the journey. If you know of other websites you would like to share, email them to me at pollyfs@email.utcourts.gov and I will pass them along in future articles.

http://www.epilogsys.com/ScoutingWeb/SubPages/DiversAct.htm
Designed for boy scouts, yet applicable for any group, this site contains activities that help explore diversity issues in non-threatening ways. The Herman Grid is also available on this site.

http://www.studentlife.villanova.edu/diversityinitiatives/diversityeducation/quiz.htm
This is a site that contains an interactive diversity quiz with True and False answers. Information pops up after the user checks the answer. Many diversity links are available at the end of the page.

http://www.diversityinc.com
Click on this site to sign up for a free on-line subscription to Diversity, Inc. This e-zine has many thought provoking articles that cover many different sides of diversity issues.