DEI Power Hour Lunch Series
The DEI Power Hour Lunch Series was created with the intention of providing Trial Court employees with valuable opportunities for extended professional development in the realm of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). These sessions are intended to delve into DEI topics that have the potential to positively influence both the court user and employee experience. This forum provides an informal setting that participants can use to learn more about specific topics or a focused series. Each session offers an informal forum to learn more about a specific topic based on DEI Power Hour’s five areas of focus for FY25:
Accessibility
Cultivating environments, services, and systems that are usable by everyone, ensuring people with disabilities can fully navigate and participate in the court system.
Equity & Inclusion
Equity ensures justice, access, and opportunity by providing support to all Trial Court employees regardless of race, income, language, disability, or background. Inclusion fosters environments where everyone feels respected, accepted, and valued, ensuring diverse perspectives shape decision-making, strengthen community trust, and improve public service.
Mental Health & Wellness
Promoting holistic well-being and reducing stigma around mental health to support a resilient, compassionate, and effective workforce.
Awareness
Building understanding of diverse experiences and identities to foster empathy, reduce bias, and inform equitable decision-making. Awareness fosters cross-cultural dialogue and increases our understanding around issues that impact court users today.
Social Justice
Advancing fairness and equal rights by challenging inequities and ensuring justice is delivered and perceived to all.
Monthly Awarenesses
Every month, we spotlight information and resources on a range of DEI topics, which will emphasize raising awareness, share helpful tools and perspectives, and offer optional learning opportunities that you may choose to engage with at your own pace. These communications are designed to offer information and resources on a range of topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion by emphasizing on raising awareness, sharing helpful tools and perspectives, and offering optional learning opportunities.
Training
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training is central to the mission of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) and plays a vital role in fostering respectful, inclusive, and welcoming environments across the Trial Court. ODEI is committed to providing Trial Court employees with relevant, accessible, and practical learning opportunities that promote professional growth, deepen understanding of diverse experiences, and advance the Court’s values of equity and inclusion. Continuous learning is essential to building a workplace where all employees feel valued and supported. ODEI’s training programs are designed to increase awareness, interrupt bias, and promote empathy, cultural humility, and professionalism. By investing in ongoing education and shared responsibility, we strengthen our workforce and move collectively toward a more equitable and inclusive Trial Court system.
Full Court P.R.E.S.S. Part I - Moving Our Vision into Reality (eLearning)
At the request of the former Chief Justice, Jeffrey Locke, and in collaboration with the Trial Court’s CourtEd department (formerly known as the Judicial Institute), ODEI developed and launched a two-part, court-wide training. Full Court P.R.E.S.S. Part I was administered as an eLearning program in FY23 to reinforce the Trial Court’s commitment to fair, impartial, and respectful treatment for all court users and court staff. The program is based on Harvard social psychologist Dr. Robert Livingston’s P.R.E.S.S. framework, which offers strategies to eliminate racism and bias within organizations.
Full Court P.R.E.S.S. Part II- (Local Conversations)
This second portion in the series was designed to complement and reinforce the skills acquired through the eLearning. Facilitated in-person conversations allowed employees to engage with their colleagues and actively apply their knowledge to two familiar court scenarios. These 90-minute sessions at local courthouses across the state were facilitated by trained employee volunteers.