Fostering Belonging and Respect at Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt, The American School of Lima

It was a pleasure to return to Lima to continue our efforts to nurture a culture of belonging and respect at Colegio FDR.

Over the span of two days, I facilitated discussions among parents, faculty, and staff examining Belonging trends within LATAM international schools; reframed our approach to foster belonging; and shared data regarding the positive impact of the emotional feeling of meaningful connections and the adverse effects of belonging uncertainty.

Leveraging my DEIB Action Plan Protocol™, participants delved into real-life scenarios, designing strategies for effective belonging interventions to address belonging infractions.

In student assemblies spanning K-12, I facilitated reflection regarding the nature of kindness and empathy, while candidly acknowledging instances of identity-related harm at school. How can we mitigate and address these behaviors? What practical steps can all students take? Additionally, I engaged in smaller group sessions with student leaders, employing case studies to empower them as change agents to foster a sense of belonging.

Finally, I administered the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to school leaders, counselors and other designers of Belonging strategy, analyzing the results to help refine the FDR's Belonging framework. By recognizing our personal intercultural strengths and growth areas, we aim to operationalize these insights to enhance FDR's belonging strategies.

Many thanks to the entire community for their thoughtful engagement in this critical work. I look forward to returning next year!