Peer Inclusion Educators
About Peer Inclusion Educators (PIE)
The Peer Inclusion Educators (PIE) is a program started by students, for students, dedicated to fostering an inclusive learning environment by addressing issues surrounding personal awareness of social identities, power, privilege, oppression, and social justice with peers at Northwestern. PIE was implemented by students within the Campus Inclusion & Community's Inclusion Task Force, after demanding resources from the University to create spaces of dialogue, self-awareness, and action.
Students within the PIE Program develop their social justice facilitation skills and lead workshops on topics of identity and social justice. PIEs facilitate workshops with groups around campus including residential communities, Greek organizations, athletic teams, and many student organizations.
Goals
Throughout your time in PIE you will deepen your own self-awareness and gain key skills for facilitating dialogues on identity, difference, privilege, power. The PIE program aims to...- Prompt self-reflection around identities, biases and privileges
- Encourage dialogue around issues of difference and inclusion
- Facilitate spaces for students to develop or deepen their awareness of inclusion and equity
PIE Training Components
In addition to the PIE student community an Assistant Director of Social Justice Education, Graduate Assistant of Social Justice Education, and two undergraduate PIE Interns make up the PIE staff, nicknamed the "PIE Pod," support the program.
As a PIE, you join a community of student facilitators who are learning to create learning moments on campus through peer-to-peer facilitation, self-reflection and group dialogue. You will begin to learn more about the PIE program through our recruitment process and in particular during your informal interview where we will talk through the program components and ask how this fits with what you are seeking.The first point of contact you will have with the larger PIE community will be through the PIE retreat where PIEs spend time getting to know each other and begin to learn the foundations of dialogue. Following the retreat, PIEs are expected to engage in the following:
- Attend bi-weekly PIE meetings (group development)
- Meet with your assigned Social Justice Education coach (individual support and development)
- Facilitate two workshops per quarter that you are enrolled for the campus community
Types of Workshops
Within PIE, most of our workshops are request-based, meaning that a group of students will invite us into their space to provide facilitation on a specific topic. While the topics vary, common workshops we are asked to facilitate include:
- Reflecting on social identity and how this impacts us on individual and collective levels
- Considering what makes a community inclusive and how to develop inclusive practices
- Introducing terms on social justice and understanding how these show up in our spaces
- Identifying privilege and building comfort in engaging in dialogue around inequity
Become a Peer Inclusion Educator (PIE)
We will be recruiting PIEs to join our team in Spring 2023 and Fall 2024 as needed. Email go.nu.pie@gmail.com expressing interest if you would like to be notified when our recruitment cycle begins.
Newer to dialogue? Check out Sustained Dialogue!
Email the PIE Pod Team at go.nu.pie@gmail.edu or contact the SJE Office at socialjustice@u.northwestern.edu