In this course, participants will be able to learn what is needed to successfully complete the certificate program. In addition, participants will learn why Cultural Competence awareness is important and explore the reason they are attending. Participants will develop an action to help them implement the skills and tools they have learned throughout the program.

In this course students will learn about the social construction of race and racism in the United States, including how race provides systems of advantage and disadvantage. Students will analyze the social, political and economic contributions to knowledge and society that have been made by BIPOC in the United States and across the world. Students will engage in conversations about race and ethnicity by sharing their own experiences and listening to the experiences of others, integrating evidence-based research, and questioning stereotypes about BIPOC. They will have the opportunity to apply new strategies learned in the course in simulations and hypothetical encounters to prepare them for future interactions with BIPOC. This unit on Race will engage with research and provide learning opportunities to understand cultural competency and vulnerable populations from an intersectional approach. Intersectionality in these modules underscores how various aspects of identity (race, class, gender, education, geographic location, ability, etc) shape the resources an individual has access to and their experience with the institutions, such as the criminal justice system.

This course is designed to provide a better understanding of the challenges facing immigrants to the United States. Students will examine the process of immigration and its impact on individuals, their families and their communities. Participants will examine key hurdles facing immigrants such as cultural differences, language barriers, lack of employment opportunities, housing insecurity, difficulty accessing local services, transportation issues, prejudice, and isolation. Students will engage in simulations and training exercises designed to equip law enforcement for improved interactions with immigrants through deeper understanding of their unique experiences. This unit on immigration will engage with research and provide learning opportunities to understand cultural competency and vulnerable populations from an intersectional approach. Intersectionality in these modules underscores how various aspects of identity (race, class, gender, education, geographic location, ability, etc) shape the resources an individual has access to and their experience with the institutions, such as the criminal justice system.

In this course students will learn about the experiences, causes and consequences of poverty and homelessness. This will include an opportunity to analyze how poverty in the US, and California specifically, is stratified along racial lines and how such stratification has contributed to a range of intersectional social problems such as homelessness, substance abuse, untreated mental health conditions, unemployment, lack of quality schooling, and high crime rates in neighborhoods of color. Students will evaluate research-based policies and practices aimed at improving the criminal legal system’s response to those who are homeless/experiencing housing insecurity. The class will discuss potential scenarios and learn about regional housing/poverty resources. This unit on homelessness will engage with research and provide learning opportunities to understand cultural competency and vulnerable populations from an intersectional approach. Intersectionality in these modules underscores how various aspects of identity (race, class, gender, education, geographic location, ability, etc) shape the resources an individual has access to and their experience with the institutions, such as the criminal justice system.

Participants will gain a better understanding of mental illnesses and their impact on individuals, families and their communities. This course provides participants with an overview of the barriers to accessing treatment and services, the stigma associated with mental illness, and how to improve interactions between individuals with mental illnesses and law enforcement. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of mental illness and the experience of responding to and interacting with a person living with a serious mental illness who is in crisis. This unit on mental illness will engage with research and provide learning opportunities to understand cultural competency and vulnerable populations from an intersectional approach. Intersectionality in these modules underscores how various aspects of identity (race, class, gender, education, geographic location, ability, etc) shape the resources an individual has access to and their experience with the institutions, such as the criminal justice system.

Participants will gain a better understanding of how to effectively serve individuals in the community that have experienced sexual violence through a trauma-informed lens. Participants will also learn about the prevalence of sexual violence among different demographic groups and the impact of sexual violence. Participants will learn how this information can be used to better serve sexual violence survivors immediately post-assault, during the investigative process and beyond. The class will also explore how to support sexual violence survivors that choose not to go through the criminal legal process, including the community resources that are available. This unit on sexual violence will engage with research and provide learning opportunities to understand cultural competency and vulnerable populations from an intersectional approach. Intersectionality in these modules underscores how various aspects of identity (race, class, gender, education, geographic location, ability, etc) shape the resources an individual has access to and their experience with the institutions, such as the criminal justice system.

In this course, participants will review key topics that are impactful to being culturally competent. In addition, participants will present their action plans and group projects to the class.