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Cultural and Spiritual Life Freedom Fund

Injustice is more than simply mistreating the poor or oppressing the helpless. Injustice involves a refusal to appropriately equip and empower those who would like to take control of their situation but cannot. CSL seeks to help marginalized communities and their allies find the power necessary to address the needs of their community.

NU Cultural and Spiritual Life will assist student organizations in funding of programming that is:

  • Collaborative in nature
  • Experiential
  • Entered into the SAIL Platform
  • Address at least one of the following topics:
    • Educating Across Difference
    • Building Relationships
    • Empowering Communities of Color
    • Promoting Justice
    • Advancing Educational/Social Activities that lead to a more Inclusive Environment

Request for funding should be sent to Dean Bob Jose [email protected] with the title of the event, amount requested (maximum request:$1000.00), student groups involved and a description of no more than 1000 words that describes the event/project/program.

Cultural and Spiritual Life Education Training Team

The Need

“To build community requires vigilant awareness of the work we must continually do to undermine all the socialization that leads us to behave in ways that perpetuate domination.” (Hooks)

The CSL Education Training Team is called upon to meet the need for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion education across the Northeastern network including but not limited to:

  • Student organizations seeking to be more inclusive and hold a social-justice mindset.
  • Academic departments and student support centers supporting students at various intersections of identity.
  • Faculty interested in adapting intercultural pedagogical practices in the classroom.
  • Cohorts interested in building leadership skills rooted in intercultural communication and creating authentic relationships across different.

While there is a need for education, there is also interest among staff at Northeastern to develop as skilled DEI educators. Some have the goal of internally meeting the needs of the departments they work for while others are interested in professional and personal development.

The Vision

We work to develop a community of practice for educators on campus to learn how to facilitate and hold space as trained DEI professionals. As this team grows, we will help meet the demand for DEI education across the Northeastern network. Due to increasing demand for DEI related trainings, the Cultural Life Education Team was formulated in 2019 by the former Director of the Center for Intercultural Engagement, Karin Firoza. This team has developed a cohort of strong intercultural and critically conscious educators on campus. These educators operate as trainers, presenters, facilitators, consultants, active listeners, connectors, and resources for Northeastern learners. This team facilitates the LIBRE (Leading Inclusion and Belonging with Resources and Education) Series and other ad hoc training requests.

Our Practice

Cultural and Spiritual Life will provide a series of opportunities that are designed to expand the skill level of students and staff with regards to topics surrounding diversity and inclusion.