SafeZone Series
The SafeZone Series is a comprehensive training program for Stonehill community members to develop critical knowledge, awareness, and skills to effectively support LGBTQ+ individuals at Stonehill College.
The SafeZone Series workshops are designed to educate the Stonehill community about the history, differences within, and challenges faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community, both on campus and within a national context.
Program Objectives
- Deliver a series-based training for faculty, staff, administrators, and students to engage in dialogue about diverse sexual orientations and gender identities
- Provide insight into the lived experiences of those people within the LGBTQ+ community at Stonehill College and within the United States
- Foster a safe and comfortable environment for the exploration of varying ideas and perspectives
- Encourage community members to think more critically about the role they play as allies and advocates for LGBTQ+ people on Stonehill's campus
Learning Outcomes
- Participants will understand various terminology associated with the LGBTQ+ community and sub-communities
- Participants will be able to identify systematic barriers within society and the college campus that marginalize this population
- Participants will gain resources and tools to support, advocate, and empower LGBTQ+ students at Stonehill College
- Participants will be empowered to actively engage in dialogue about the community
Workshop Sequence
Participants that engage with the SafeZone series are encouraged to attend the series in the following order to ensure a quality learning experience.
Overview workshop that will provide a foundational understanding of basic concepts such as sexuality vs. gender identity, terminology, privilege, oppression, and an overview of the workshop series.
For people to actively engage in a conversation and effect change on our campus and within society, we must start with a common language. This session places emphasis on the LGBTQ+ language most frequently used within the community. Concepts such as power, privilege, and oppression will also be explored and how they affect members of the queer community individually and collectively. This common language will be utilized throughout the remainder of the SafeZone workshops and allow for participants to actively contribute to the dialogue to best support, empower, and advocate for LGBTQ+ students.
Workshop length: 1 hour
Greater focus on the lived experiences of trans* people in multiple contexts including, but not limited to global issues, national trends, and higher education issues.
While gender has been traditionally thought of as “man” and “woman,” gender is now known to be a spectrum that encompasses so much more than the standard gender binary. Trans* 101 will provide participants with a deeper understanding of gender identity and expression as well as the various forms gender can take among people. Participants will explore areas in which gender influences daily life, higher education, and become equipped with resources for how to best support students. Nuances of gender will be explored through group activities that focus on continuously developing a vocabulary that is gender diverse and inclusive.
Workshop length: 1 hour
Similar to Trans 101*, greater emphasis on people with diverse sexualities and the issues faced by those with non-heterosexual identities.
Sexuality is a complex an ever-changing identity within people. This session will provide participants with the opportunity to engage in conversations about how people come to understand their sexual identity and the variations of those identities among people. Vocabulary regarding sexual diversity will be added to expand participants understanding of the community as well as different symbols, like the Pride Flag, that are commonplace within the queer community.
Workshop length: 1 hour
Session on identifying best practices and key strategies for ensuring inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in higher education specifically, along with resources that will serve to benefit LGBTQ+ folks.
Professionals within higher education provide support to students in multiple capacities, whether that is in residence life and housing, athletics, academic advising, or financial aid. This session is designed to provide you with examples of best practices throughout the field of higher education and ways in which participants can create something better. This session will also address intersectionality and intersectional identities and the role they play when supporting individuals with multiple marginalized identities.
Workshop length: 1 hour
Discussion of essential characteristics of allyship and advocacy, and a deeper commitment to taking action in support of LGBTQ+ individuals; further review of materials to effectively serve as SafeZone workshop facilitators.
Although attending workshops and other professional development opportunities is an excellent step in self-education, it is imperative that we use the knowledge gained to improve the experience of LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff. The Allyship & Advocacy workshop will allow participants to discuss the differences between allyship and advocacy and how to apply the knowledge they have gained through the series. This session concludes the SafeZone series and empowers participants to facilitate sessions in conjunction with the Office of Intercultural Affairs, and outwardly express their advocate identity for LGBTQ+ individuals at Stonehill College.
Workshop length: 1 hour
Requesting a Session
In an effort to provide faculty, staff, students, and administrators with a rich and robust learning experience the Office of Intercultural Affairs will present sessions upon request via a department/division or student organization/club. Departments/divisions and student organizations/clubs should request the SafeZone workshop first which will cover terminology and provide participants with a common language.
Departments/divisions that wish to continue with training series may request the subsequent session and must provide a list of anticipated attendees. All participants must have completed the previous training session in order to participate. This will ensure that all learners have a similar familiarity with terminology and concepts.
Additionally, the Office of Intercultural Affairs in conjunction with Human Resources will host open sessions to the campus community. Potential participants must register and indicate which sessions they have previously attended. An Intercultural Affairs staff member and/or graduate intern will cross-reference their records before confirming a participant’s eligibility.
Completing the Series
SafeZone Placard
Previously, placards were given to individuals who completed the 2.5-hour training from the previous Safe Zone model. Upon implementation of this restructured model participants must complete the first three workshops in order to have a thorough understanding of how to best support LGBTQ+ students. Once these three sessions have been completed placards and/or buttons will be provided to participants to hang on their office doors or wear on their person.
SafeZone Certification
The creation of a campus climate that fosters inclusion and equity as well as respect for the inherent dignity of all people is a joint effort from many campus partners. Upon completion of all five workshops in the SafeZone series, participants will receive a certificate of completion. These completed participants will now have the opportunity to present a SafeZone series workshop in conjunction with the Office of Intercultural Affairs. Trainers may choose to deliver content alone or co-facilitate with another certified trainer and/or staff member from Intercultural Affairs.
The work of an ally is never complete, and self-education must continue. After two (2) years of completing the series, participants will need to go through specified modules again to remain up-to-date on contemporary issues. Suggested modules to retake are ‘Best Practices and Beyond’ and ‘Allyship & Advocacy.’ For completed participants who choose to present workshops such as SafeZone, Sexuality 101, and Trans* 101, there will be updated presentations and seminars hosted by the Office of Intercultural Affairs to keep everyone up to date.
SafeZone Personnel and Locations
To provide students with access to support systems, participants who complete the first three workshops and receive a placard will have the opportunity to add their names to a public list on the LGBTQ+ resource page through Intercultural Affairs. Those who wish to add their names will be asked to provide their name, pronouns, department/office, and location. Participants will also have the opportunity to self-identify themselves within the community and will be denoted with an asterisk on the list.
Contact Information
The Office of Intercultural Affairs provides academic, cultural and personal support to students of color and other underrepresented students on campus while helping them develop intellectual, social and leadership skills.
The Human Resources Department is committed to providing quality services to all members of the Stonehill College community in the areas of recruitment, wage and salary administration, employee and labor relations, benefits, training and professional development, as well as interpretation of policies and procedures.