Mission Statement
We aspire to create an environment on campus where open, honest, and direct conversation occurs often within and among various groups in a variety of settings. We believe that building capacity for this kind of engagement is essential to achieving inclusive excellence in our community and is a crucial catalyst for our cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal development. We acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of social identities and opinions that enrich our community. Bentley Brave experiences work to affirm that YOUR voice is valuable and OTHERS’ voices have value as well.
Bentley Brave experiences:
- Foster Dialog, Not Debate – To create dialog we need to actively listen to one another and seek to understand, not just to be understood, by working to make meaning across differences through engaged, respectful exchanges of ideas.
- Provide opportunity for self-reflection – To truly engage in open, honest, and direct conversation individuals must develop an awareness of their own identity and personal world view.
- Create an environment that allows for courageous engagement – To be brave means to move out of your comfort zone and stretch into experiences that might be uncomfortable. We believe the discomfort should come from ideas not people and encourage experiences that allow individuals to express curiosity without the threat of shame or contempt.
- Acknowledge and support diversity of opinion – To cultivate a climate that affirms the value of our voices, we encourage experiences that explore multiple viewpoints and allow for the expression of opposing ideas and concepts, rather than merely reinforcing accepted beliefs.
Why “Bentley Brave”?
We acknowledge that conversations about the things that make us different can be hard. It requires a willingness to ask honest questions of ourselves and others and a desire to engage even when we are afraid we might say the wrong thing. In short, it requires us to be brave. Bravery is knowing you might not have all of the information, but being curious and prepared to be a little uncomfortable on the journey towards understanding.
Mellody Hobson, President of Arial Investments and Chair of the Board at DreamWorks Animation, in her TED Talk - Color Blind or Color Brave, encourages us all, as citizens and as business leaders, to show courage and to be bold as we confront issues like race. We were encouraged by Mellody’s challenge and chose to take up her call to talk about race, and to expand that conversation to all topics of diversity that impact us as a campus community.
We understand that we all come to this conversation at different places in terms of our understanding and our comfort. That is why we have organized events that allow for introductions to basic concepts, opportunities for dialogue and training, and experiences that push us to dig deeper into our own beliefs and views. These experiences are targeted for students, faculty, and staff so that we can all find a way to be a part of this initiative. We also know that in your own ways you can also create these opportunities by including these topics in your classes, discussing them with you peers, or organizing a program of your own. We encourage you to seek these additional opportunities and to find ways to be Bentley Brave in your dorm, classroom or office
To learn more about the Bentley Brave, please contact Matt Banks (matthewbanks@bentley.edu)