WIDE Guide Training
Al Stone-Gebhardt | October 25, 2023
On Oct. 19, in the Canon Lounge at Warren Wilson College (WWC), students shuffle from table to table mingling with peers. Each table then bursts into a discussion. This is a glimpse into the WIDE Guide Training event.
The Wilson Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Office (WIDE) at WWC is one of two pivotal work crews located in Ransom House. On Thursday, student leaders and staff hosted a training session to promote inclusivity, diversity, and equity to students.
At the event, WIDE crew members centered the discourse around the importance of diversity and intersectionality. Students in the crowd share their experiences and engage with prompts provided by crew members, such as “How do you show your identity in the communities you’re involved in?” And “How do we take initiative to engage with others?”
WWC alumni Brianna Elise Martin helped facilitate the event. Martin’s passion for diversity and inclusion and her commitment to change led her to become a program manager for WIDE.
“When I was a student leader,” Martin said. “I was very overworked, I felt very stressed out, I did not feel very supported… So part of the work that I am [doing] now is just trying to be a drop in the bucket; be one of those people who can help– along with Dr. Yehudah– who can support these students who are really fighting for our college and also trying to [...] bring voice to diverse issues and backgrounds.”
Martin reflects emotionally on the event; it is the second WIDE Guide the crew has hosted– this year bringing in more participants than the last.
“People had space to sit together,” Martin said. “Have conversations with each other in ways that I personally had not seen happen on such a scale in a long time. That just really exemplified what we wanted– which was for people to be interacting with people that had never met before, to build those bridges, to put a face to the name or a name to the face, and realize we are all living in one big community.”
Though it is only in its second iteration, the WIDE Guide has given voice to many underrepresented communities on campus.
“Not only did [students and I] do a training on the WIDE Guide, but we also lived out what the WIDE Guide is and created that space for people to be safe and speak.” Martin said.
Martin was pleased with the engagement from attendees. She shared that she felt moved by the participants and their contributions. In the future, Martin hopes the frequency and scale of the event will increase.
“I looked up [after the event] and saw two people who had been at the training,” Martin said. “They were looking directly at me and smiled and waved at me. That was such a sweet moment because, really, that's what we build into the training, like: ‘How can we be better community members to each other, acknowledge each other and really see each other?’ So, that [interaction] is something I want to see more of—those interactions.”
For Martin, she continues to have hope that WIDE can contribute to change on campus.
“I really wanted the students on the crew to, like, just be able to have a platform for what they wanted to see Warren Wilson become, or the qualities that they want to see Warren Wilson, like, enhance in our culture.” Martin said.
For others, it was their first WIDE Guide Training, including freshman Jae MacDonell. They are a freshman on the crew and aim to facilitate dialogue through events like the WIDE Guide Training.
“There's such big boundaries around what you can and cannot say,” MacDonell said. “I am like: This is all just a learning opportunity for everyone. We are trying to figure each other out because the more the world grows, the more diverse [humanity] becomes.”
Like Martin, MacDonell was also pleased with the outcome of the event. They hope this initiates a greater conversation centered around diversity, equity and inclusion.
“I heard a lot of great conversations at the tables that were closest to me,” MacDonell said. “And, every time I looked around the room, there was never one person sitting by themselves, or – you know – if they weren't talking it was because they were listening.”
According to MacDonell, inclusion begins with dialogue.
“It’s not an us versus them situation,” MacDonell said. “Yes, I am a person of color, and yes, I have gone through certain things in my life. It does not mean I know everything. I have so many questions; I do not know most things. So when people assume that I know everything about what it is like [to be a person of color], they do not ask me any questions. And it's like: no, we are figuring this out together.”
In all, the WIDE Guide was a vital and successful event. The training highlighted the importance of giving space for all voices – especially underrepresented voices – and fostering an environment of curiosity, community and inclusion.
For students excited for more events like these, they can catch wind of the latest happenings at Gladfelter, where WIDE tables weekly, or catch crew members like MacDonell and Martin in the Ransom House.