Lee Wind, M.Ed. Speaker Visits

Lee creates a safe space for the adult population of a school to share, explore, analyze and problem-solve.  These sessions start with highlights of the SAFE SPACE and SMASHING STEREOTYPES presentations and also cover:

• The mechanics and latest research on Bullying

• The culture of your school

• Community-specific challenges

• Guided group brainstorming of solutions

• Drawing up of both individual and collective PLANS OF ACTION

• Q & A

• "It Gets Better" because we can all MAKE it better!

HANDS-ON & INTERACTIVE

Through group and individual exercises, participants articulate the invisible stereotypes that surround us and our students and hold us all back.  They literally post them on the walls of the room on giant sticky notes.

After the fourth individual writing exercise where they get to use their new smashing stereotypes skills, they tear down those papers and stomp and smash them - physicalizing their new empowerment!

THOUGHT-PROVOKING

The word “homoSEXual” makes gay love all about sex. 

No one wants to think about other people having sex.

(e.g., You don’t want to think about your parents having sex, do you?  But you don’t have a problem thinking about your parents loving each other, right?) 

So what if we called it “HomoLOVEual?”

It would change the whole discussion about gay rights, wouldn’t it?

A PLAN OF ACTION

The message to kids and teens can’t be ‘hold on, things will get better once you’re in college, or once you move away from your home town, or once you're older.' 

In the second half of these Empowering Diversity Training Sessions, Lee will review the latest research on bullying, explore what’s going on in your school, and lead the group in guided brainstorming for solutions. 

The program concludes with each attendee creating their individual action plan and then collectively, we’ll create a group action plan to make things better now!

 

How do I get Lee to come speak to my school or group?

EMPOWERING DIVERSITY TRAININGS REFERENCES

Dr. Marc Linder, Ph.D., Middle School Principal, The Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, California

Inez Tiger, LMFT, Middle School Counselor, The Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, California

Dr. Mary Fauvre, Ph.D., Director, Brentwood School Lower Division, Brentwood, California

Laura Stahoski, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., Lower Division Counselor, Brentwood School, Brentwood, California

Denise Mahdesian, LMFT, High School Counselor, Psychology Teacher, Peer Leadership Advisor, Brentwood Upper School, Brentwood, California

“I really enjoyed the speaker at Encompass last night!  He was interesting and engaging and I loved how he helped us come up with strategies."                                                                                              - Amy, a teacher in the Orange County, CA BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) program, where I presented Empowering Diversity in April 2012 in conjunction with Encompass.

“Your presentation to faculty the other day was fantastic!  I love how you spoke to the kids as well but this presentation was so powerful for an adult population."                                                                              - Laura Stahoski, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., Lower Division Counselor, Brentwood school, Brentwood, California  

“We are three dimensional beings with multiple stories and identities.  The problem of stereotyping is placing someone in a one-dimensional box.  Lee Wind took us on an identity journey within and as well as into our students lives through the complexity and nuances of a multifaceted story.  He is an intelligent, engaging, funny, and direct speaker who helped us look at our school’s identity while simultaneously empowering and inspiring us to be even better."                                                         - Inez Tiger, LMFT  Middle School Counselor, The Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am , Los Angeles, California

“I am in awe that you were able to get so much info out in the small time you had available.  ...Your story is a fabulous reminder that we all grow and become more human because of our differences."                     - Tamyra Fuller, Admissions Counselor, Brentwood Lower Division, Brentwood, California