Where to Begin When Working with Diverse Communities

By Lisa LaRocque

Many organizations say that they want to work with diverse communities, but don’t know where to begin. Here are few practical steps and things to consider.

Find out what other people are doing.

• Do a search on the Internet by combining your area AND search words of specific races and ethnicities AND words like community, family, health, environmental or social justice, youth, and poverty issues.
• Do another search by going into the archives of your area newspaper and use the same key words.

Show a genuine interest in learning more about others.

• Visit the organization, virtually, or better yet, to one of their events;
• Sit next to someone new at a conference, meeting, or meal;

• Increase your understanding of the organization to see what they are trying to accomplish. Use it as an opportunity to learn and develop a relationship;
• Show your interest, not your agenda, learn more about different organizations’ missions, programs, strategies, resources and reports;

• Just listen, ask questions of clarification; don’t explain your side.
  

Respect the wisdom someone new brings to the table.

• Invite someone from the other organization to one of your programs;
• Ask for their feedback or advice on how to advance your goals;