ELSI Professional Learning Core - Bridges to Belonging Virtual Speaker Series

WHAT IS BRIDGES TO BELONGING? Bridges to Belonging is a FREE monthly virtual speaker series focused on building belonging through inclusive practices for ourselves, the adult learners we support, and children and families.

WHO IS IT FOR? DELC-funded TA professionals who directly support early educators in Oregon.

WHEN IS IT? We will have one 2-hour session on Zoom each month starting in August 2026 through May 2027. You can find session times/dates below.

WHO ARE THE SPEAKERS?

Fall Quarter: Dr. Rosemarie Allen (Center for Equity and Excellence)
Winter Quarter: Lori Cohen (Lori Cohen Consulting)
Spring Quarter: Ilsa Govan and Richard Kim (Cultures Connecting).

You can find session descriptions below.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM A SESSION? You can expect breakout sessions and other interactive and reflective activities during each session - please note that these are not passive webinars.

WILL I RECEIVE ORO CREDIT? Yes! Those who attend live sessions will receive an emailed certificate to upload to your ORO account within 2-4 weeks after the session.

DO I HAVE TO ATTEND EVERY SESSION? No, you do not need to attend every session. Please note that each quarter’s sessions—and the content within each individual session—build on one another, so attending consistently will give you the fullest experience and help you get the most out of the series. Some sessions may not be recorded to respect the confidentiality of folks' shared stories during the session.

HOW DO I SIGN UP? Registration is open! To register, complete this form: beav.es/YiS

QUESTIONS? Email Kiki at kiki.omoto@oregonstate.edu

Fall 2026 Sessions (August 2026-October 2026)

Building Belonging Starts with Ourselves with Dr. Rosemarie Allen

August 19, 2026 1-3pm PST

Session Title: Seeing Ourselves Clearly: Implicit Bias and Cultural Humility as Foundational Practice

CKC: DIV Set: 2

Session Description: This session invites deep, honest self‑reflection—seeing our own biases clearly so we can interrupt them with intention. Through guided tools, real coaching scenarios, and low‑stakes practice naming bias aloud, participants will explore cultural humility as a daily habit. A small‑group case study strengthens the work, and everyone leaves with a personal bias‑reflection protocol to support ongoing growth.

September 3, 2026 1-3pm PST

Session Title: The History We Carry: Understanding Systemic Roots to Avoid Individual Blame

CKC: DIV Set: 2

Session Description: This session helps us understand the history we carry—how policies, funding, and daily practices shaped the inequities we see now. Participants will explore systemic roots, the impact of microaggressions, and patterns that show up in today’s coaching work. Through a collaborative timeline activity, participants connect past to present and leave with a “History to Practice” guide for meaningful action.

October 12, 2026 1-3pm PST

Session Title: Healing-Centered Practice and Creating Anti-Racist Spaces

CKC: DIV Set: 2

Session Description: This session invites honest reflection and brave imagining—seeing our histories clearly so we can choose new ways forward. Participants will explore racial trauma, practice healing‑centered engagement, and strengthen culturally responsive coaching. Participants will develop an anti‑racist commitment and close with a self‑ and collective‑care promise supported by healing‑centered prompts and a sustainability plan.

Winter 2026-2027 Sessions (November 2026, January 2027, and February 2027)

Building Belonging for Adult Learners with Lori Cohen

November 19, 2026 2-4pm PST

Session Title: How to Create Conditions for Antiracist Work

CKC: DIV Set: 2

Session Description: Drawing on Knowles’ and Mezirow’s adult learning and transformative learning theories, Edmondson’s research on psychological safety and the Psychological Safety and Salience framework from Cohen’s The Science of Lesson Planning (2026), participants will examine and explore how to create the conditions under which antiracist practice learning becomes possible—and how to cultivate spaces that are brave and center human dignity.

December - NO SESSION

January 7, 2027 2-4pm PST

Session Title: Naming and Disrupting Bias and White Supremacy Culture

CKC: DIV Set: 2

Session Description: Bias results from socialization, organizational culture, and what gets normalized. Using Tema Okun’s characteristics of white supremacy culture and their antidotes, Bobbi Harro’s Cycle of Socialization, and Chris Argyris’s Ladder of Inference applied to racialized encounters, participants will learn to notice the cultural water their teams swim in—perfectionism, urgency, paternalism, individualism, power hoarding—and to name/interrupt these patterns in conversations.

February 11, 2027 2-4pm

Session Title: From Self to System: Designing for Belonging

CKC: DIV Set: 2

Session Description: Grounded in NAEYC’s Anti-Bias Education (Derman-Sparks & Edwards), Tonia Durden’s culturally relevant pedagogy for young children, Paul Gorski and Katy Swalwell’s Equity literacy framework, and john a powell’s Belonging and Othering work, participants will learn how to audit and design conditions that address bias, remove barriers, and promote racial equity and a sense of belonging in their communities.

Spring 2027 Sessions (March-May 2027)

Building Belonging for Children and Families with Ilsa Govan and Richard Kim

March 11, 2027 1-3pm PST

Session Title: Working with Immigrant Communities

CKC: DIV Set: 2

Session Description: Immigrant communities are an essential part of life in the United States, yet many face significant challenges as they navigate new cultural systems, policies, and social expectations. Participants will examine factors that shape human migration and the common barriers newcomers face as well as develop practical strategies for culturally responsive engagement, advocacy, and support at individual, community, and policy levels.

April 8, 2027 1-3pm PST

Session Title: Talking with Children about Race

CKC: DIV Set: 2

Session Description: Far from being color-blind, most children are aware of how their skin color is an advantage or

disadvantage. Because of this, it is important that children are empowered to counter what they are witnessing in the world so they can advocate for themselves and others. Participants will explore how children learn and practice racism/privilege and strategies for counteracting bias.

May 13, 2027 1-3pm PST

Session Title: Acting on Teachable Moments: Talking with Children in Polarizing Times

CKC: DIV Set: 2

Session Description: This workshop supports those who work with children in responding with intention, care, and

clarity in the midst of tensions. Participants explore how to create nonjudgmental spaces where young people can process feelings, ask questions, and build understanding without shame or blame. The session emphasizes that adults do not need to have all the answers—only the willingness to stay present.

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