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Diversity Awareness

Rhythm of Inclusion by T Rex and the Upbeats

Disability affects more than 61 million people in the United States. Disability inclusion challenges all of us to understand fully the relationship between the way people function and how they participate in society. The goal is to make sure that everyone has the same opportunities to participate in all aspects of life including social, health, and recreational activities.

#LikeAGirl

For the past 20 years, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce has hosted dozens of high school students annually for Business Week, which seeks to prepare young adults for their future by “introducing them to the principles of leadership, teamwork and the American free enterprise system while promoting self-reliance, individual responsibility and entrepreneurship”. Diversity and inclusion are crucial components of these principles. #LikeAGirl will be providing modules to the Business Week students this July on the concepts of diversity, inclusion, and bias.

Food for Thought

Food for Thought was inspired by the notion that we, as a society, have forgotten the importance of civility. Civility begins when people can discuss their differences in a way that unifies and strengthens their bond as opposed to creating a division. The team recognizes the importance of civility in society and the responsibility to instill that same belief in young people. Their goal was to create a space for young people to experience diversity and inclusion in a welcoming environment and to recognize their differences as strengths.

One Fairfield

Purpose:

The goal of One Fairfield is to create an opportunity for the student bodies of Fairfield Central High School and Richard Winn Academy to foster communication and ultimately establish relationships with each other. As a result of the racial composition of each school, student exposure to diversity in the education setting is limited. Richard Winn has a predominantly Caucasian student body, and Fairfield Central High School has a predominantly African American student body. While the schools are separated by only 5 miles in Winnsboro, SC, their current interactions are limited and educational opportunities vary. One Fairfield poses a plan for a purposeful interaction between the two student bodies.

Fight4Her

Fight4Her focuses on assisting female veterans in the Upstate with connections and resources that they might engage to more successfully transition from their military service to the private sector, especially in their search for meaningful employment. We learned of the need from our team member, Rachel Putman, through her work at Goodwill Industries of the Upstate.

Greenville Greeters

Mission

The purpose of the Greenville Greeters program is to challenge the misperceptions and false assumptions that people without disabilities have and to engage and connect with each other in a workplace setting, to shift the perception that allows people without disabilities to see the talents, skills, and abilities of people with disabilities.

Party of Eight


Project:  Won’t You Be My Neighbor – Neighborhood “Front Porch” Block Party

Igniting Imaginations

Igniting Imaginations seeks to enlighten and motivate students by providing insight into future career opportunities to underserved seventh graders within the Charleston and Berkeley County School Districts. This project will initially engage students from two underserved area  middle schools with local industry professionals to learn about possible careers in three key fields - healthcare, manufacturing and logistics & aviation. Overviews from each of the three sectors will include information such as descriptions of various jobs at different levels within their organizations, work environments (hours, attire/uniforms, field v. desk), expectations (timeliness, professionalism, focus on safety), educational attainment and other criteria needed for hiring and tips as to the biggest challenges/barriers facing potential employees (including soft skills, certificate attainment, drug testing, etc.).

A S.E.A.T. at the Table

Greenville’s downtown is flourishing through its beautiful scenery, waterfalls, award-winning restaurants, art galleries, local shopping, farmer’s market, entertainment, sports, and warm-hearted neighbors. This DLI team was inspired to enhance our loving community adding a combination of the infectious and positive aspects of pay-it-forward with the spirit of unity.  We have created A S.E.A.T.

Freshmen to Finish

The Freshman to Finish capstone project seeks to assist in finding transportation solutions to the problem of transient students in Greenville County. Transients are students who move in the middle of the year and must attend a new school, and although South Carolina Law allows transient students to continue attending their old school until the end of the year, many families and even schools lack the transportation resources to take advantage of this law. This gap in resources can have devastating academic consequences for students.