The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Fond du Lac campus will host the Fond du Lac County Higher Education Diversity and Inclusion Team conference next month.
The conference, set for 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Oct. 26, has the theme of Cultivating Empathy Through Leadership. It’s the annual gathering for the county’s Higher Education Diversity and Inclusion Team (HEDIT), which includes UW Oshkosh’s Fond du Lac campus, Marian University, Moraine Park Technical College and Ripon College.
Roberto Rivera
Launched in 2008, HEDIT was created to identify ways to celebrate human diversity and sponsor an annual collaborative project designed to promote a climate of appreciation for all aspects of human diversity through the county. The ongoing mission of HEDIT is to lead, inspire, educate and challenge the institutions and the greater Fond du Lac County community in promoting diversity and inclusiveness.
Roberto Rivera, chief executive officer at Alliance for the 7th Generation and a specialist in the relationship of youth voice to social and emotional learning, is the keynote speaker.
Through frequent speeches, hip-hop–influenced outreach and his own spoken-word artistry, the UW-Madison graduate says he seeks to inspire young adults who struggle with school and life challenges as he once did. In his talk, Rivera reclaims the history of hip-hop culture and breaks down how it embodies best practices in social emotional learning, post traumatic growth and social change. He provides scientific research and remixes it with stories of personal and community transformation.
As a student deemed “at-risk” and with learning disabilities, by the age of 15 Rivera had been kicked out of school, ran away from home and was in drug rehab. He now is a renowned educator, social entrepreneur and published scholar. He will illustrate his points further with case studies that illustrate these principles in school and community contexts.
The conference is free and open to the public. Registration is available at bit.ly/hedit2022.
Learn more: