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Volunteer Appointment Resources and Training

  • By Lauren L Snowden
Attendees at a UC Master Gardener traiing looking at a plant
As spring is around the corner and programs start to prepare for new UC Master Gardener training classes. Don't forget to incorporate items from the UC Master Gardener Program's inclusive volunteer selection materials. Thank you to all who contributed to and reviewed the materials to help support volunteer selection with an eye toward equity. You can find the new volunteer application and interview materials on the UC Master Gardener Program Coordinator website's Volunteer Appointment page.

Inclusive Volunteer Selection Materials:

Implicit Bias Training

UCLA's Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion has made its Implicit Bias video series open to the public. According to Jerry Kang, UCLA Vice-Chancellor, implicit bias refers to the unconscious shortcuts (stereotypes or biases) our brains use when we are confronted with making real-world decisions. "We are all susceptible to automatic cognitive processes that throw our decision-making off course," says Kang.

While biases are normal, they can produce unfair results, particularly for those who are not members of dominant groups. All UC Master Gardener volunteers with recruitment and selection responsibilities will have access to these critical training resources. Assign one or all the Implicit Bias playlist to those helping with the recruitment process for new UC Master Gardeners.

Implicit Bias Playlist (30 mins total)

  • Preface: Biases and Heuristics (5:13)
    This video describes how biases and heuristics can influence our decision-making and behavior without us even knowing it.
  • Lesson 1: Schemas (3:12)
    This video discusses schemas, which are mental short-cuts that help us navigate the world around us.
  • Lesson 2: Attitudes and Stereotypes (4:12)
    This video explores the differences between two primary categories of automatic associations: attitudes and stereotypes.
  • Lesson 3: Real World Consequences (3:44)
    This video explores findings that implicit biases can influence our real world behavior.
  • Lesson 4: Explicit v. Implicit Bias (2:48)
    This video discusses the differences between explicit and implicit bias.
  • Lesson 5: The Implicit Association Test (IAT) (5:13)
    This videos discusses the Implicit Association Test ("IAT") and the wealth of data it has generated.
  • Lesson 6: Countermeasures (5:22)
    This video discusses three primary strategies for countering implicit bias: (1) mindset; (2) debiasing; (3) decoupling.

Full Playlist Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWG_vsmMJ2clEeGKVyrOIKlOYrjFnVKqa

Resources:
Coordinator Volunteer Appointment Page: https://mgcoord.ucanr.edu/Administration/VolunteerAppointment/ 

Blog- UC Implicit Bias Trainings-Now Available:
https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=39662