DEI-J & JEDI Collab

DEI-J & JEDI Collab

On November 18, the Student DEI-J (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice) Committee held a conference at Riverwoods Retirement Community, in coordination with the Riverwoods JEDI (Inclusivity) Club. The presentation given was titled “Dialogue Across Differences: Strategies for Navigating Conversations on Challenging Topics”, and marks the beginning of a hopeful partnership between the two groups.

The event was organized by JEDI leader Betty Crepeau and Arlynn Polletta, Chief Equity Officer of the SAU16. Also in attendance were SAU16 Superintendent, Esther Asbell, and the Director Programs and People Cultivator of New Hampshire Racial Unity Team, Kelly Touhey-Childress. 

The event was well attended, with about a hundred Riverwoods residents present. The night began with dinner in the Riverwoods dining hall, with Exeter students sitting among JEDI members and having the chance to converse. Led by senior co-presidents Beatriz Mella and Hana Cass, the student DEI-J committee then led a conference that emphasized the importance of having productive “dialogue across differences”. Explaining the difference between dialogue, debate, and discussion, the students modeled each form of communication and highlighted when it was applicable. Afterward, the students dispersed among groups of Riverwoods residents to practice the aforementioned skills. Activities to determine one’s core values and beliefs were conducted, in a manner that encouraged finding similarities and positive relationships.

Feedback from the Riverwoods residents was overwhelmingly positive, and the so-called “cross-generational collaboration” was deemed a resounding success. The two groups hope to continue coordinating in the future, with hopes of quarterly, alternating meetings to create a lasting connection.

Interested in joining DEI J? Come to a meeting on Mondays from 2:30-3:30. 

For more information, email advisors Ms. Kaputa (bkaputa@sau16.org) and Mr. Tobey (mtobey@sau16.org), or co-presidents Hana Cass (5hcass25@sau16.org) and Beatriz Mella (5bmella25@sau16.org)