Fulbright Prism, Noir Attend Inaugural Diversity Conference

BERLIN, GERMANY // September 21, 2018 - Representatives from Fulbright Prism and Fulbright Noir traveled to Berlin, Germany this weekend to participate in the first ever European Fulbright Diversity Initiative (EFDI) Conference. According the the German-American Fulbright Commission’s website, EFDI “was founded in May 2018: In partnership, 23 European Fulbright commissions – supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State – established this initiative to address the complex and international dimensions of diversity within the Fulbright realm. Grantees, alumni, staff, and executive directors alike have contributed to this collaborative effort. What started as a bottom-up initiative driven by the diverse experiences of Fulbright grantees has since evolved into a communal effort now moving even beyond the European to a global dimension.”

The conference hosted 180 Fulbrighters to gather opinions on issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity, and how these values can be promoted within the Fulbright Program. In addition to plenary sessions with keynote speakers, conference participants broke into six task forces to analyze different aspects of the Fulbright Program. Michaela Gill, Timothy Sensenig, and Lara Steinike represented Fulbright Prism on EFDI Task Force 1, which focused on pre-departure training and materials for grantees. Fulbright Noir representative, Desiree Daring served on EFDI Task Force 4, which focused on research facts and figures behind Fulbright’s diversity. The remaining task forces were “Defining ‘Diversity"‘ for Fulbright,” “Advertising and Selection Process and Media Empowerment,” “Grantee Advisory Board,” and “Orientation Meeting and Briefing and Training for Fulbright Staff, Host and Partner Institutions.” The aim of the task forces is to make non-binding recommendations to the European Fulbright directors so that they can adopt best practices in diversity and inclusion.

You can follow progress updates for the EFDI here.

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