culture of belonging conference
Creating a Culture of Belonging: San Francisco Friends School DEIB Conference
This fall, San Francisco Friends School is hosting Creating a Culture of Belonging, a conference that examines the importance centering belonging in school culture for Bay Area schools. Join us Saturday, October 28, 2023 at our San Francisco campus for a day of exploration, learning, and community connection.
Conference Overview & Objectives
Creating a Culture of Belonging will bring together groups of people from Bay Area schools to explore concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. The conference will provide an opportunity for participants to hear from industry experts, engage with colleagues and peers, and importantly, take action. The goal of this dynamic, interactive program is to provide guidance, training, inspiration and time to help participants become change agents in their own communities.
We look forward to a day of authentic dialogue and the opportunity to share ideas, experiences and knowledge as we work to become more inclusive leaders and foster a deep sense of belonging for all community members.
Conference Structure
Each school will be represented by a School POD, a group of approximately 15 individuals who play a role in advancing diversity and inclusion goals at their school. Each POD consists of the Head of School and two participants from the following seven constituencies:
- Administrators
- Alumni
- Diversity Practitioners
- Parents
- Students
- Teachers
- Trustees
The unique structure of this conference follows the format of the Dalton School Diversity Conference (NYC), designed by Pollyanna Inc., a nonprofit devoted to increasing racial understanding. This format ensures that a cross-section of voices and experiences are heard, enabling powerful learning and growth.
Schedule
The day will begin with a light breakfast followed by welcome remarks, a keynote from Jamil Zaki, author of The War for Kindness and a morning discussion. After lunch, there will be additional presentations and discussions followed by a reception. We'll share a more detailed schedule as we get closer to the conference date. We hope you can join us!
Registration Fees
Your registration fee includes all participants from your school. Registration deadline is September 20, 2023. We have a few spots left!
- Early bird registration fee (by August 15, 2023): $1,200
- Registration fee (beginning August 16, 2023): $1,500
Important note regarding the registration form: you will fill out one point of contact on the registration form. We will follow up to register the remaining participants in your POD (all participants are included in the initial registration fee). All participant names will be due by September 29, 2023.
Questions about the conference? Does the registration fee present a financial hardship? If so, please contact us: communications@sffriendsschool.org.
Keynote Speaker - Jamil Zaki, author of The War for Kindness
We’re thrilled to welcome author, professor and parent Jamil Zaki as our keynote speaker. Jamil is a professor of psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab. Using tools from psychology and neuroscience, he and his colleagues examine how empathy works and how people can learn to empathize more effectively. His writing on these topics has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, and the Atlantic. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and their two daughters.
Join us Saturday, October 28, 2023
Creating a Culture of Belonging
8:30am - 4:30pm
250 Valencia Street
San Francisco
*Register by July 31, 2023 for early bird pricing