By Emmariah Holcomb
SGA Representative
Bonaventure students attended the 22nd annual National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) Conference in Philadelphia, PA Nov. 28 to Dec. 1.
NAME is a non-profit organization that advances and advocates for equity and social justice through multicultural education. Founded in 1991, the organization sought to bring together individuals and groups with an interest in multicultural education from all levels of education, different academic disciplines and from diverse educational institutions and occupations. Today, the organization includes over 1,500 members from throughout the United States and several other countries. Members encompass the spectrum of professional educators and specialists, according to nameorg.org
Junior Angell Benjamin, senior Tiffany Nunez, and senior childhood studies major Jacob Witter, presented on Bonaventure’s behalf with Yvonne Makl, Damietta Center Coordinator and Anne-Claire Fisher, associate professor.
“It was great just being there and proudly watching our students conduct their workshop,” Makl said. “But for me the greater experience overall was the opportunity to have watched them find their voice and to witness a growing confidence and leadership.”
Students from the Damietta Center were first contacted in fall 2011 after the director of the Damietta Center, the director of field placement and a faculty member brainstormed ideas of how to make diversity workshops more credible in the eyes of student teachers, instead of simply resorting to talking ‘about’ diversity.
According to Makl, the students wrote several skits emphasizing student teachers needing to be more involved in situations they had little experience in concerning diversity. From there, student teachers learned how to be more effective in diverse classrooms. A new kind of diversity workshop developed with positive outcomes from that experience.
Those who attended felt the conference explored the role of multicultural education in movements toward equity and social justice at local, national and global levels. According to Makl, the conference provided a unique opportunity to share resource, build networks, confront challenges and renew the vision of possibilities.
“I returned to campus with renewed energy in the mission and goals of the Damietta Diversity Center. Our students lead the way,” Makl said. “A first priority now appears to be creating a NAME Student Chapter at SBU,” Makl said.
holcome10@bonaventure.edu
