Trainings

Training & Development

Our Core Teams continue to work diligently in their respective departments using the GARE national practice model of normalizing, organizing, and operationalizing racial equity. Currently, we have Equity Leads who are leading the way through scheduled gatherings with their Core Teams where race is explicitly identified as a focus of work in government. Our Core Teams have training on biases, inclusive language, book clubs, racial healing circles, and field trips to historical places in our County to help them on their journey of racial equity and social justice. Our Leads are responsible for advancing equity in their departments and community.
Some of these include:

  •  Office of Agriculture - Resource Guide for BIPOC Farmers
  •  Public Libraries – Diverse authors, no more late fees, multicultural events
  •  Department of Recreation – no more fees for recreation centers (if over 16)
 

Continuous professional development is key in our Equity Leads’ ability to facilitate difficult discussions around race. Nine Equity Leads and three Core Team members were able to participate in Leadership Montgomery’s REAL Inclusion Program. It is a cohort program that lasts about 9 months. Systemic beliefs, policies and practices that create racial inequities are examined within the context of organizational leadership. Additional Equity Lead trainings have included:

Director Trainings

In an effort to bring department directors together to learn, engage with one another, and connect on progress towards moving race equity forward as equity minded leaders of their respective departments, directors have also participated in the two-day Racial Equity Institute Phase I Workshop and follow-up debrief sessions, facilitated by Leadership Montgomery.

General Staff Trainings

We are continuously monitoring the racial equity pulse of our County. As such, hate crimes are on the rise. Our work, including our training, takes on a greater importance both in the County and in our communities. We are committed to creating classes and programs that guide staff to have a clearer understanding of systemic racism and action-based solutions. Ultimately our vision of a more just Montgomery County starts with education and continues as a journey as we help employees take action on all they have learned.

Training Offerings

Please check the ORESJ website and Access MCG ePortal/Oracle for current trainings.
Some of our trainings are available as self-guided modules and can be done at your own pace.
Examples of our trainings:

 ✔  Winter/Spring Training Dates
 ✔  Advancing Racial Equity: The Role of Government – MANDATORY – a 4-hour introductory training on how we can begin to understand racial inequity in government and in our County through biases, systemic racism, psychology, and history.
 ✔  Understanding Structural Racism in Montgomery County – MANDATORY – a 3-hour Zoom that takes a deeper look at the systems that perpetuate racial inequity within our communities.
 ✔ Self-Guided Trainings
 ✔  Racial Healing Circles: a 1.5 journey of healing through story-telling, intention, and mindful listening.
 ✔  Lunch & Learns: a 1-hour program, during lunch that delves into topics related to racial equity and social justice.
 ✔  Inclusive Language 101: a 2-hour training that covers how we can use language to bring people together and have meaningful conversations with one another by helping to create a safe space.

Training Updates for 2024

 ✔  8 Hours of RESJ training is required each fiscal year.
 ✔  Our two current mandatory classes are: 'Advancing Racial Equity: The Role of Government' & 'Understanding Structural Racism in Montgomery County'.
 ✔  'Advancing Racial Equity: The Role of Government' gives you 4 hours of training and is a pre-requisite for Understanding Structural Racism.
 ✔  'Understanding Structural Racism in Montgomery County' gives you credit for 3 hours of RESJ training.
 ✔  We are now offering 'Advancing Racial Equity: The Role of Government' via GARE's self-guided modules and this will give you credit for 4 hours of RESJ training and can be used as a pre-requisite for 'Understanding Structural Racism in Montgomery County'.
 ✔  You can now sign up for 'Understanding Structural Racism in Montgomery County' which will be available as a self-guided training in early 2024.
 ✔  We are no longer offering 'The Groundwater Approach' but if you took this class, you do not have to take 'Understanding Structural Racism in Montgomery County' in the fiscal year.
 ✔  We also have ORESJ self-guided training that will give you 1 hour training.
 ✔  Racial Healing Circles, Inclusive Language 101, ‘In Our Own Voices-Telling Our Stories’, ‘Biases, Empathy, Inclusion-Creating an Environment of Belonging’, ORESJ department approved trainings and ORESJ Lunch & Learn programs also provide credit for 1 hour of RESJ trainings.

Enrollment

If you are an employee and would like to participate in a current training being offered by our department, please enroll via Oracle. If you have any questions about any of our training offerings, please contact Jeanette Rojas at Jeanette.Rojas@montgomerycountymd.gov