The UNITE Cohort program gives undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to begin or continue conversations in relation to inclusion across a broad range of identities.
Students complete the UNITE Program by registering for the cohort and then attending educational trainings throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. Students who complete a certain number of workshops by the end of the academic year are invited to an end of year celebration and call to action.
Offered Workshops for Spring 2025
Students must first attend the Equity and Inclusion Foundations workshop before signing up for other trainings. If you are unable to attend this workshop, please contact UNITE@unco.edu
Exploring Equity and Inclusion Foundations
Participants obtain an overview of equity and inclusion by exploring social identities and understanding current social issues through this interactive workshop that assists students in how to exercise their agency and power as an individual and in collective actions.
Sexism & Gender Justice
Explore key ideas and issues associated with gender, gender justice and feminism. Participants are introduced to sexism and learn to identify when sexism is happening while engaging in discussions about ones own experiences with sexism at UNC and beyond.
Embrace & Engage Communications
This workshop is a dynamic and empowering learning experience designed to foster inclusive practices in the realm of marketing and communication. Participants will explore practical strategies for creating inclusive marketing content, campaigns and communication materials. We will delve into understanding different cultural perspectives, social identities, and communication preferences, enabling to develop impactful strategies that resonate with diverse audience
Examining Socio-economic Status
Participants will examine socioeconomic status and the wide range of definitions from a class cultural lens. Knowing class is an intersectional experience, participants will not only acknowledge their SES experience but also how they can apply their knowledge to the UNC classroom and the greater community. Participants will engage in conversations about social class and explore ways to begin the disruption of social stratification in a national context.
International Experiences
Through this workshop participants will learn about the unique challenges international students, immigrants, and refugees face navigating transitions to the United States. We will also discuss ways participants can address bias toward immigrant populations and improve cross cultural communication.
Queer Policy Update
Discuss the challenges queer and transgender folks face in the current policy context and what students can do to be better advocates for students across the gender and sexuality spectrums.
Understanding and Welcoming Spaces for Neurodivergence
Grounded in best practices from neurodiverse communities and mental health professional standards of practice, participants will learn more about the range of identities under the neurodiverse umbrella as well as how to support neurodiverse needs on and around campus.
UNITE Workshops Offered in Future Semesters
What is religion? Spirituality? Faith? How can you increase your religious literacy? Join us for an interactive workshop exploring concepts related to meaning-making and how we, as a campus community, can be more inclusive in our interfaith engagement.
This session focuses on the socio-political, historical, and modern iterations of Anti-Semitism in the US and globally. Participants will engage interactively to understand the relevance of Anti-Semitism in the past and present to their work, students, and our campus communities. Through this session participants will reflect on their socialization related to Jewish culture or faith, develop interfaith skills, and develop personalized action plans contextualized by the socio-political, historical, and modern contexts of Anti-Semitism.
Disability & Accessibility
This session focuses on the historical contexts and the current realities of disability. Participants will engage with one another and the presenters to understand the evolution of disability identity and the current implications this may have in their lives. Throughout the session, participants will reflect on their language usage and potential implicit bias toward folks with disabilities. This work will aid in the action plan that participants will develop at the end of the session.
Exploring Military Culture and Veteran Experiences addresses the biases, stigmas,
and stereotypes about the military and veterans that pervade academic spaces. Academic
institutions often lack a sufficient understanding of military culture and the unique
experiences of student veterans. This leads to assumptions that veterans are aggressive
or suffer from mental health issues. Veterans face challenges transitioning to campus
life after their military service. Examining these stereotypes and bringing cultural
awareness to campus, we aim to create more inclusive educational environments for
veterans to share their perspectives and succeed academically.
DREAMer Zone
Dreamer Zone builds awareness around the lived experiences of DREAMers (student who identify as undocumented) on the UNC campus. Training participants will engage in activities to increase knowledge on terminology and policy affecting national identity, privilege and advocacy.
Race & Racism 101
This interactive workshop provides an opportunity to talk about race relations and racism. Participants gain a brief overview of history, share perspectives on contemporary issues and discuss strategies to eradicate racism and improve race relations.
Race & Racism 201
This interactive workshop will provide participants with an overview of modern oppressive systems, with critical examination of positionality and identity within those systems. Participants will also examine their own praxis of race by dissecting and engaging developmental and sociological theory.
Learning Outcomes
Our goal is to make presentations and related materials accessible to everyone. Information Disability Resource Center five (5) days in advance of accessibility barriers you may encounter.
- Demonstrate awareness of issues and concerns of UNC's diverse community
- Demonstrate knowledge of policies, laws and practices affecting UNC's diverse community
- Recognize and articulate identities you hold
- Identify and articulate privilege identities
- Recognize where to direct individuals for more resources regarding identities
- Identify personal actions to support yourself as well as marginalized communities
