During the 2019-20 school year, the Lycée Français de New York welcomes Dr. Derrick Gay, an international educator and expert on intercultural competency, diversity and inclusion. In multiple visits to the school since August, he has led workshops with our faculty, staff, Executive Leadership Team, and Board of Trustees. On Monday, January 13th, Dr. Gay will lead workshops with students in Secondary and parents. We sat down with Dr. Gay to talk about why it’s so important for school communities, and especially international ones, to be intentional about this work.
In your work, you often begin by asking communities to think carefully about what we mean by “diversity”. Tell us more.
I work with schools, businesses, as well as art, non-profit and other philanthropic organizations across the United States, France, and more recently in Colombia and Brazil. Irrespective of sector, most clients approach me because they want to better address some of the challenges of having communities of people from different backgrounds, or because they are looking to better prepare students and employees to navigate our globalized and multicultural world in a way that promotes empathy, deepens inclusion and fosters productivity. This usually takes the form of “we want to do diversity better.”
My initial response is usually “what do you mean by diversity”? In my TEDx talk, the Double-Edged Sword of Diversity, I address the challenge of the term diversity. Fostering and sustaining a community composed of people from different backgrounds is a noble idea, and in school communities, this work represents a non-negotiable, inasmuch as part of the charge of schools is to prepare students for the future. Diversity, however, is a term that is often used to describe people who are identified as “different” from an assumed and often unnamed group of people identified as “normal”. This framing creates a sense of “diverse” people being defined in opposition to a norm, and that is inherently othering.
But what if we shift our definition of diversity from a focus on “different” to “differences”? This semantic shift allows us to cultivate a community of people in which each person brings their unique experiences to the table. No one group represents “diversity”. Everyone becomes reflected in a community’s understanding of diversity. This reframing allows us to create a sense of belonging and connectedness (inclusion) among all community members, independent of their identity, background, country of origin, etc. This conception of diversity and inclusion is essential to building a strong, vibrant community where everyone thrives!
The mission of the Lycée Français de New York asks us to “build community” and to “embrace diversity.”
From my perspective in the context of the Lycée, with students from so many different backgrounds and experiences, the school community must be intentional about its work to “embrace diversity,” by questioning and examining the degree to which all members perceive a sense of belonging and connectedness. Do all constituents–from students, to parents-guardians, to employees–feel part of the Lycée community? If not, how can the community work together to create an inclusive environment where every child and adult thrives?
At a school like the Lycée, with so many different backgrounds, 60 nationalities this year, our students, and our entire community, are exposed to different cultures every day. Why do we need to do this work?
International schools often feel that because they are international, they are already culturally diverse, and this work is, therefore, unnecessary. Indeed, the great gift of being in an international school is the incredible diversity of experiences and perspectives present in the community. It’s a beautiful place from which to start the work.
However, the more differences represented in a community, the more intentional a community must be about inclusion. International communities have to work with focus and intentionality to foster an environment where there is caring and understanding about the feelings of others, and to be sure the points of view of everyone in the community are heard.
You have been talking a lot with us about “intercultural competency”. What do you mean by that, and why is it such an essential skill to foster in our students?
With the pace of technological innovation, demographic changes around the world, and the further globalization of business, today’s students must work effectively and collaboratively across teams with many different cultural norms and values. Exposure to intercultural competency at an early age is a first step. Our work together is to nurture this natural openness to difference and help students develop empathy and understanding about perspectives and points of view different from their own.
As an international community, I imagine that many parents in the Lycée community work in highly diverse international environments, whether financial institutions, nonprofits, consumer products companies, or consultancies. They will be very familiar with the complex nature, challenges, and rewards, of either international or domestic work environments comprised of individuals from many different backgrounds.
Research finds that organizations are more effective, innovative and have better financial outcomes when their work environments are both diverse (representing individuals from many different backgrounds) and foster inclusion (a sense of belonging and connectedness). Increasingly, businesses are recognizing the importance of having many different voices at all levels of the organization, including the C-Suite and the decision-making table.
If we imagine Lycée students as leaders of tomorrow, which is also highlighted in the school’s mission, a meaningful and rigorous education must include perspective-taking, active and authentic listening, and cultivation of empathy to realize personal goals for themselves, their future teams and the organizations where they will work.
What can our parents and students expect from your work with us in January?
When I visit the school on Monday, January 13th, I will be leading workshops with students in Y8 to Y12 on intercultural competency that focus on highlighting the knowledge, skills and competencies that they will require to navigate a globalized and multicultural world, while also intentionally fostering an inclusive school community where all students flourish. This work must be done in partnership with schools and families. With support from the Lycée’s parents association, I will hold two sessions for parents, one in the morning and one in the evening, both focused on similar topics around intercultural competency, but from a parent-guardian perspective.
I would say this work is the beginning of something, and most of all, I hope it gives the school community a sense of a shared goal for building an inclusive community that can be a model for what students will be shaping in their own lives long after they leave the Lycée.
How should we prepare our students and families to work with you? What resources do you recommend for parents, in particular?
There is no preparation required beyond leveraging wide-reaching life experiences and perspectives and coming with an open mind. I look forward to seeing everyone very soon!
Interested parents can sign-up for his APL-sponsored session here.
About Dr. Derrick Gay
Dr. Derrick Gay is an international consultant and expert in intercultural competency, diversity, inclusion and global citizenship, with 22 years of experience as an independent school teacher, musical director, and administrator. Dr. Gay’s draws from his work as a language and music teacher in independent schools, his work as a professional classical musician, and his love for languages and global travel. A sought-after speaker and facilitator, Dr. Gay has partnered with hundreds of schools and businesses, including in education, the arts, and nonprofits around the world. Most recently, he keynoted in French at the Mission Laique‘s annual conference in Deauville, France. He has also given keynotes at the Association for the Advancement of International Schools and the Association des Ecoles Françaises en Amérique du Nord. He has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, El Tiempo Latino, 60 Minutes, PBS, and NPR, in addition to serving as a content adviser to “Sesame Street”. Dr. Gay speaks English, French, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish. In addition to the Lycée Français de New York, Dr. Gay currently consults with the Lycée Français de Chicago, International School of the Peninsula, Lycée International de Los Angeles and the Lycée Français de San Francisco.
About the Author :
Elisabeth King joined the Lycée team in November 2011 as the school’s first director of communications. A francophile at heart, Elisabeth spent her junior year of college in Paris, and held her first job at the French Trade Office here in New York. She brings to the Lycée over 15 years of experience in media and communications in non-profits, government, news and business. She was previously executive vice president and director of strategy at ABI, Inc., a boutique public relations agency, and she worked as associate editor on two books co-authored by Todd Brewster and the late ABC News anchor Peter Jennings.