Spreading social justice through words
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. A common nursery rhyme that many students have—more than likely—heard time and time again. Whether it’s an insult, derogatory saying, or a lie about someone—those words may cause more damage than the nursery rhyme leads people to believe.
Each year, new students swarm campuses from every walk of life to come together into one diverse community. It’s an honest struggle for campuses to build a community that responds to all these individuals in a progressive, respectful and constructive way.
The Interactive Workshop Elephants & Onions tackles the issue of social justice amongst your diverse campus communities. To create a place where harmful words and abusive comments aren’t just another piece of the puzzle is one focus of Elephants & Onions.
What’s In a Word?
One of the most powerful activities in this workshop is, What’s in Word? A person will say thousands of words per day, but how often will they stop to think about the effect that those words have on another person? Whether it is a harsh comment to a stranger that cut you off driving, or hearing someone mutter a racist remark to someone else—how often are the repercussions of those words assessed?
Everyday, people make assumptions and judgments about others. It’s about finding the courage to stand up against it.
In this three-hour workshop, Elephants & Onions will opens student’s eyes to the injustices around them. Confrontation, communication, ethical decision-making and building an action plan are a few topics that students will cover.
By providing students with a voice during their journey through social justice and diversity, students can begin to create a stronger, safer and more nurturing community for all walks of life.
Visit campuspeak.com/eao to learn more about Elephants & Onions.