Services

Presentations
Designed to give the audience an introduction to the concepts of cultural competency and is generally an hour to 1 ½ hours long. Content may be customized to fit with specific issues. 

Workshops
Workshops are generally between 2 to 4 hours in length. Workshops give a more expanded introduction into the concepts of cultural competency and usually utilize a couple of exercises to illustrate the concepts. Typically, there is more interactive learning by participants.

Trainings
A more expanded introduction into the concepts of cultural competency and generally are 1-2 day formats. Workshops introducing concept of Racism and Cultural Competency and includes exercises. Action planning is usually a key part of a training which allows participants to create a plan to apply what they have learned. 

Open Enrollment Trainings
MEDC provides open Enrollment Trainings through out the year. Open enrollment trainings are available to individuals from the non-profit, private sector and the general public. The training is designed to provide a general frame work of cultural competency to apply to a specific field of work. 

There are two types of open enrollment trainings: 

  • One day Skills Building for Cultural Competency
  • Two day Planning for Cultural Competency

Consulting 

MEDC provides a range of other services that are determined by the customer organization. 

Cultural Competency Assessments – provides organizations a snap shot and a point of reference where the organization is on the continuum of Cultural Competency. This process helps identify what are the strengths and areas for growth an organization is on the continuum of Cultural Competency. This process helps identify what the strengths and areas for growth are for an organization to begin to plan for short and long term change. This typically involves the input from multiple levels of an organization from Board level to Frontline staff, volunteers, community partners and clients. 

Client & Participant Feedback – Feedback and input from Communities receiving services is critical in the development of culturally relevant programs and services. MEDC provides multiple approaches in soliciting participant feedback input to help organizations illicit self-determined needs and outcomes from your participants. MEDC works with organizations to design and implement feedback approaches that are relevant to the communities being served and help identify next steps.  

Training Assessments – can be developed to assist organizations determine what type of training will meet the needs of the participants. An analysis of the findings is used to tailor the training to meet the specific needs of the organization. 

Facilitation – provides various types of facilitated discussions to help support productive dialogue about issues related to Diversity, Cultural Competency and Anti-Racism. MEDC works with organizations to create workshops that speak to the specific needs of each individual organization. 

Skills Building for Cultural Competency

Philosophy and Approach to Cultural Competency
MEDC’s approach links the intersections of anti-racism work with cultural competency.  This link is essential for participants to begin to understand how cultural competency is inextricably a tool for social justice work. Our philosophy and approach is embedded in our belief that cultural competency is a part of a continuum that can lead to an anti-racist/ anti-oppression movement for social change.
Our emphasis on race is derived from MEDC’s two decades of advocacy related to social justice and equity in the interest of people of color. Race is one of the primary factors that contribute to the gross disparity of equal access to human and health resources. The tools and skills used in the training to examine racism and privilege can be applied to other forms of oppression that affect other types of cultures (ethnic, religious or social).

Workshop Description 
The two days Skills Building for Cultural Competency training provides a foundation for understanding cultural competency through a social justice lens. Participants will discuss individual skills development, and internal and external organizational strategies to begin to work towards cultural competency. 

Workshop Goals:

  • Present the concept of cultural competency and its guiding principles for implementation.
  • Establish the importance for continuously building our skills towards cultural competence and recognize the value-added outcomes for the organization.
  • Present a framework in which to understand the impacts of institutional power and privilege.
  • Engage participants in self-examination, both personally and organizationally, towards the goal of institutionalizing culturally competent policies, procedures, practices, programs and services.
  • Reinforce organizational and individual commitment by beginning to develop individual and organizational action plans for increasing cultural competence.

Training Topics:

Fundamentals of cultural competence:

  • definition of cultural competency
  • benefits of cultural competency
  • guiding principles of cultural competency

Framework of analysis for understanding institutional power and privilege:

  • a common language for social change
  • privilege and distancing behaviors
  • strategies to build social justice

Implementation of cultural competency:

  • personal assessment and skills-building
  • agency assessment and skills-building
  • action planning