| LEARNING OBJECTIVES In
detailing these goals in more specific terms, Dr. D’Andrea
points out that the discussions and training workshops offered
in the tour are aimed at assisting interested persons to:
• Acquire a broad array of new professional competencies
that will enable them to work more effectively, respectfully,
and ethically in promoting the educational and psychological
well-being of large numbers of persons from cultural-racial
groups that historically have been marginalized in the past;
and
• Develop new teaching and helping roles as social justice
advocates.
Dr. D’Andrea stresses that “the fields of education,
counseling and psychology are presently confronted with a number
of unprecedented challenges that need to be addressed if our nation’s
educational and mental health care systems are to remain viable
and relevant in the coming years.
Recognizing that these challenges demand revolutionary changes
in the way educators, counselors and psychologists are trained
and conduct their work, universities have slowly begun to provide
the kinds of professional development services that are necessary
to assist administrators, educators, counselors and psychologists
in becoming culturally competent. While this progress is encouraging,
multicultural and social justice counseling advocates agree that
much more needs to be done to help educational and mental health
professionals become better prepared to meet the unprecedented
challenges they face in our contemporary society. The NIMC’s
national tour is specifically designed to serve these ends.”
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