The Valuing Diversity Project

Supported by the American Psychological Association and funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

About the Valuing Diversity Project

The APA Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI), with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation sponsored a three year initiative (June 1999 - October 2002) that sought to enhance the capacity of professional psychology to promote and support community efforts that value diversity. The Association for the Study and Development of Community was the project officer for this initiative.

The Valuing Diversity Project's objectives are:

• To assemble a database of relevant psychological literature and model programs that can assist communities in addressing issues related to diversity;
• To assist two communities (grantees) in the adoption and adaption of model efforts to improve intergroup relations and to increase how diversity is valued in the areas of race, gender, sexual orientation, and/or disability; and
• To disseminate the lessons learned and resources developed through this project to communities across the country as well as to intermediary organizations, foundations, and government agencies whose mission is to assist communities in improving intergroup relations and promoting diversity.

As a part of the initiative, the Project identified two communities that wished to improve the value of diversity in their communities. The Project awarded each community (grantee) seed funding and technical assistance to help them adopt and adapt promising strategies to strengthen the ways in which they value diversity in the areas of race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability.

The Project also identified communities with promising strategies for valuing diversity. Two of these communities received an award from APA and the Society for Community Research and Action (Divison 27) at the 2002 APA Convention. These communities were also provided assistance to the communities that indicated an interest in adopting their award winning strategies for valuing diversity.

What Is Valuing Diversity?

Valuing diversity is what institutions and members of a community do to acknowledge the benefits of their differences and similarities. They intentionally work to build sustainable relationships among people and institutions with diverse membership. A community that values diversity ensures that institutions provide equal treatment and access to resources and decisions for all community members regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and physical disability.

In order to value diversity, a community must strengthen its ability to:

• Continuously and effectively address racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression;
• Develop and implement strategies that publicly recognize the cultural traditions and practices of every major group;
• Support processes that allow each group to address their own priorities, while at the same time, help the different groups find common ground to address shared concerns;
• Understand the dynamics between a group's characteristics and issues related to power, privilege, and oppression and know how to integrate the knowledge into its valuing diversity strategies.

Grantee Information

The Project identified two organizations ("grantees") to receive grant funds to help their communities value diversity. The organizations are:

•  Slavic Village Development of Cleveland, Ohio

•  Towards a More Perfect Union (TAMPU) of West Palm Beach, Florida

The project worked closely with both grantees to ensure that their proposed projects incorporated the psychological principles that inform The Valuing Diversity Project.

Valuing Diversity Databases

One of the goals of the Valuing Diversity Project was to assemble a database of relevant psychological literature and model programs that can assist communities in addressing issues related to diversity.

Two important databases are now available to the public as a means of furthering this important goal. The databases should be utilized as a resource to individuals and communities seeking information about relevant psychological research, literature and model community programs that promote the value of diversity.

The Valuing Diversity Promising Strategies Database is a database of model programs that can assist communities in addressing issues related to diversity.

The Valuing Diversity Resource Database is a compilation of relevant psychological literature that support the value of diversity. The database includes references to empirical studies, theories, tools, and intermediaries that confirm the value of diversity.

Final Report of the Valuing Diversity Project