We’ve written here, here, here and here about our cultural competency workshops in different places of employment, and its importance in fostering a more culturally sensitive workplace environment.
Beginning on October 28, 2021 we started working with the courts, with judges in the juvenile court system.
Judges from the juvenile courts learning about cultural competency
We held a workshop for 40 judges, and JICC Cultural Competency Desk Director Orna Shani-Golan came away extremely enthused. Here is her account of the meeting, as she wrote on Facebook:
Honestly – I was really excited,
I’ve given lots (don’t know how many) lectures on cultural competence for a lot of organizations and in front of a lot of audiences. But this was the first time I’ve had a chance to lecture to judges. When it comes to delivering cultural competence workshops to different audiences, I make sure I know the organizational language that cultural competency needs to fit into and assimilate into – so I speak the organizational language of healthcare pretty well, I’m fluent in the organizational language of social workers; I have a working knowledge of police organizational language, inclusion and diveristy in business. But the organizational language of the judicial system, not yet. Add to that the pressure of being the opening lecture of a day-long seminar.
Cultural Competency Desk Director Orna Shani-Golan excited for the workshop
It was not simple bringing all the knowledge we accumulated at The Jerusalem Intercultural Center and precisely adapt the messaging so that it would be relevant to a courtroom in the Juvenile Court and the Family Court.
But one of the things I love so much about cultural competence – that it’s always true, and that one can learn from one organization’s experience and adapt them to other places – and that’s what I and about 40 judges did – a journey of an hour and a half between test cases and tailored tools, that stimulated thought and inspiration.
Thank you to the administration of the courts and the president of the juvenile courts, for the opportunity to introduce the knowledge, awareness and tools to the judges (who were amazing). As the saying goes, “There are judges in Jerusalem.”
And here’s Orna’s original Facebook post in Hebrew:
Exciting indeed!
