Part of our practice as engagement practitioners is to realize who we are in
community, not as static beings, but as an ever growing and ever changing
being connected to many social, political, economic and environmental aspects
of society. In her cross-cultural planning, anti-racism and diversity training
courses, Norma-Jean McLaren invites community participants and graduate
planning students to reflect on their backgrounds.18 She asks us to reflect
across multiple categories and to consider how our personal life experiences
affect how we listen, to whom we listen and why and how we act (and react)
in certain situations. We are invited to explore the words, ideas and personalities
that trigger us, the things that cause us to ‘shut up’ or ‘shut down’ and
refuse to listen.