SPARC Education Workshops

What is SPARC?

Shaping Pathways for Advancing Respect and Change (SPARC) is a series of educational workshops intended to meet people where they are and foster sense of belonging, provide empowerment through knowledge, increase advocacy and relationship building, provide toolkits for inclusive classrooms and practices, and foster courageous conversations. SPARC uses a social justice lens. Social justice is the belief in and the pursuit of a society where all individuals and social groups receive fair treatment and have equal rights, resources, and opportunities. It requires analyzing systems and inequalities within those systems and advocating for universal human rights, social inclusion, equity of outcomes, and equality of opportunities.

SPARC is a professional development opportunity for UNH faculty, staff, graduate students, and citizens within the state of New Hampshire. SPARC furthers awareness, knowledge, and skillsets of participants, allowing for critical analysis of services, classroom environments, and relational dynamics. 

Through a series of workshops, SPARC participants explore concerns via personal and institutional lenses to analyze a variety of relevant topics through the multiple identities of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, class, nationality, ethnicity, ability (physical and intellectual), religion, etc. Participants build awareness of identities, histories, and lived experiences; practice inclusive pedagogies and behaviors; and strengthen empathy, trust, and collaboration across differences. This process includes facilitated learning, open and honest discussions, readings, and interactive/experiential activities in a respectful environment.

Here's what participants had to say about previous similar workshops: 

• A safe environment for people to start their exploration and reflection on issues.
• A conversation, not a lecture where my voice and experience were valued.
• Time well spent. Important work given where we are as a society.
• A workshop that offers tools that can (and should) be used to better work with others in any context.
• A workshop that provides great resources, eye opening perspectives and ideas to facilitate similar discussions.
• Much needed workshops for everyone on campus.
• Informative and eye opening.
• Great opportunity to become more aware of issues and walk away with tools to continue growing.
• Workshop provided an opportunity to step back from my day-to-day work to think about how to create a more equitable community.

Interested in a SPARC Education Workshop?

If you would like to schedule a workshop or a workshop series for your department or group, contact the Office of Community, Civil Rights and Compliance or call 603-862-1058 to begin the conversation. SPARC workshop themes follow:

Accessibility

Allyship in Action

Being an Anti-Racist

Cultural Humility and Cross-Cultural Communication

Fostering a Culture of Inclusion and Belonging

Inclusive Leadership

Inclusive Classrooms and Syllabi

Interrupting Microaggressions

Navigating Differences

Recognizing and Addressing Bias

Respectful Relationships and Power Dynamics

Systems of Socialization

In addition to providing workshops from the above list of menu topics, the Office of Community, Civil Rights and Compliance offers custom workshops to fit your department or business needs. If interested in a custom workshop, fill out a request using the link below. 

Custom Workshop Form   

SPARC workshops are offered at no cost to UNH departments if the workshop is from the advertised list of menu topics. Schools, businesses, municipalities and other non-affiliated spaces will be charged $1,000 for menu-list topics. UNH departments and external clients will be charged for customized or "special request" workshops. The Office of Community, Civil Rights and Compliance reserves the right to increase fees after consultation at our discretion should the uniqueness or requirements of a customized request warrant an increase.