Culture Shock

Who controls the narratives of Pacific Islander people? In this workshop, we will delve and discuss the stories embedded in Disney's Moana and the power dynamics at play when it comes to creating a mainstream film rooted in the traditions of those indigenous to the Pacific Rim. 

Understanding Microaggressions and Their Negative Impact

If you want to understand what microaggressions are and how to counter them this is the workshop for you!  This workshop will include discussion, viewing videos and role plays. 

What does music mean to you? Is it ethical to listen to the music of celebrities who have been charged with sexual assault? How should society as a whole react to instances where celebrities that they know and respect are charged with sexual assault? In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore these questions and discuss controversial acts of sexual assaults committed by famous musicians. We will be looking at historical and current examples of artists who have been charged with or accused of sexual assault, and how this impacts their fame and the people who listen to their music. The workshop will be conducted through video clips, articles, excerpts from social media, and discussion.  

In this workshop, we will be discussing the typical stereotypes and generalizations of African culture.  We will celebrate and bring awareness to the Toupri Tribe of Africa and hopefully debunk any negative views that exist about this rich and very diverse place.

In this interactive workshop, we will look at how art expression has been used as a tool to protest oppression and injustice throughout history. 

In this hands-on and interactive workshop, we will highlight rural China in 1947, discuss the history of Chinese Land Revolution, and examine the present-day impact of Chinese people's mindset on owning houses and properties. 

We will explore the negative impact of gender roles and stereotypes through research, discussion, and art. Using ideas that will be generated in the discussion, each session will contribute to the making of a massive collage on canvas. Drawing, color, magazine cutouts, and writing will create an artistic interpretation of gender roles in the modern world. 

Dumplings are an iconic Chinese food and have been a beloved tradition in China for 1800 years. They represent Chinese culture and express people's yearning for a better life. They symbolize unity, family, and peace. In this workshop, we will be eating and tasting dumplings as well as making dumplings in a style specific to the country. 

How do you know if a space is inclusive and accessible for all, and is such a goal even possible? What do you do about the tension between people who have different needs to feel included? Join in this workshop to explore what it takes to make the shift from invitation to inclusion. 

Expand your concept of the LGBT community and consider the role that race plays. Often this community is viewed as a homogenous group of white, skinny people. 

Exploring Identity, Race, Culture, Class and Lived Experience

This workshop will develop a cultural awareness and self-reflective practice for living, loving and learning. It will include active engagement by participants, individual reflection, small group discussions, and activities. 

Why do Asians tend to not want to talk about politics, social issues, and activism? What histories and cultures shape this taboo and how must we break down this wall? What is the Model Minority Myth and how does it affect this culture of taboo?

Who or what comes to mind when you think about tattoo artists? What stereotypes exist in US society when it comes to people with tattoos? This workshop takes us back to the traditional origins of tattooing as an art form and how it arrived in the USA. What you’ll learn is a rich history of women dominating the craft and bringing it back to life in the modern age. 

In this workshop, we will discuss and examine negative views that exist in the United States about Mexico. With the current social and political climate, it is important to resist the discord and misrepresentation. Come and celebrate the beautiful and rich culture of Mexico and its people!

Join us for this photographic workshop where we will examine portraits as a way to consider the association and expectations around masculinity. We will look at pictures that help you consider physical attributes, cultural associations, mental and emotional states, pose, relationship, dress, and styling. We will make use of studio photography equipment and allow workshop participants to model their own interpretations of what it means.

You will have the opportunity to talk about the history of the N-word, its impact, and who can say it in this workshop.  Expect to participate in a fishbowl discussion as well as listen to a brief history of where the word came from and how it has been used.

How to Have Your Activist Efforts Make Real Change

In this workshop conducted by keynote speaker, Sally Kohn, examine the work that you have been doing as an activist.  Sally will discuss how to persuade others to join you in your work and how to make an authentic impact with your activism.

Body Positivity, Diet Culture, and Self-Acceptance

In this workshop, we will explore why our society believes that skinny means healthy and reframe the popular thinking while learning to recognize diet culture as it has disguised itself more recently as "wellness" focused. Participants can expect to walk away with a better understanding of what it means to be positive about their own bodies and others'.

A workshop in which we explore the way in which black people have been depicted in films throughout history and now in the 21st century. We will explore questions such as: What makes a character realistic as opposed to born out of stereotypes? What breakthroughs have been made in terms of accurate representation of black people in film, and why were these films breakthroughs? 

In this workshop, we will be discussing the use of gender-neutral language in English and looking at how feminist and LGBTQ language reform has occurred and is occurring around the world. 

In this workshop, we will examine substance use disorder and the perception of addiction in the media and in society as a whole. The focus will be on the stigma surrounding addiction, the language used to describe and talk about addiction, and the rise in concern about the opioid epidemic due to classism and racism. 

Join in a dialogue designed to understand privilege (often something we never asked for), and figure out what to do with it besides feel guilty or resentful. Come ready to listen and learn, as well as to share your own perspectives. 

S.C. Says a.k.a. Andre Bradford is a nationally known slam poet. Join him for this hands-on workshop to create your own slam poetry.

Participate in an interactive fishbowl activity to discuss various communal, national, and international social justice issues. 

What is socioeconomic diversity? How does money influence our schooling experiences? Join us in this workshop to participate in a privilege walk and discussion around the role of money in our daily lives and how it impacts people differently. 

In this session, we will present an overview of Theatre of the Oppressed and The Illumination Project, an innovative student leadership and campus climate program at Portland Community College. Workshop attendees will engage in student-written interactive theater performances addressing issues of racism and LGBTQ+ oppression.

In this small group session, participants will engage in a process to develop short interactive Theater of the Oppressed performances based on personal experiences.

In this workshop, you will learn about what student activists do and how to get started yourself. Join us for debates and find organizations you might want to get involved with.

Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Power dynamics influence who benefits from certain cultural experience, and—given the global nature of our world—parts of our individual and cultural identities are shaped by cultures other than our own. How do we make sense of this and what effect does it have on us as individuals and as Oregonians? This workshop will center around conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.

Hip hop is everywhere, then where and how does it arise in Oregon? Explore questions such as, where is hip hop embraced in Oregon? Where is it rejected? How is it received and perceived throughout the rural, urban, suburban communities in which we live? What effect has hip hop had on Oregon, and what impact has Oregon made on hip hop? This conversation may include some hands-on activities.

If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.

From dime-sized squids that migrate the length of 6 football fields twice a day to feed, to fish with built-in red flashlights to find food, the deep sea holds some of the greatest diversity and novelty seen on our planet. Join us for a session hosted by deep-sea biologist and PSU professor Dr. Annie Lindgren, where she will highlight her current research on deep-sea cephalopods and discuss how universities such as PSU are working toward creating and supporting a more inclusive and diverse STEM workforce.

What is the most powerful story you've heard? Do-it-yourself zines have offered artists, activists, and other creators the means to share narratives from the mundane and comical to the radical and revolutionary. An art form with roots in counterculture and resistance, zines have served as vehicles for change in all areas of social justice. In this workshop, we will explore the world of stories, their impact, and how they gain momentum through self-published zines as we create our own works. 

Culture Shock is a student diversity and social justice conference designed by students at OES with the goals of celebrating and learning about cultures and lived experiences while increasing students’ cultural competence via workshops, affinity groups and other experiences.

All US students attend Culture Shock. This year the student planning committee, the Intercultural Student Association, has invited students from The Arts and Communications Academy, Beaverton High School, Catlin Gabel, Central Catholic, The International School of Beaverton, Jesuit High School, Mountainside High School, Northwest Academy, Southridge High School, and St. Mary's Academy.

Sally Kohn

Before joining the media, Sally was Senior Campaign Strategist with the Center for Community Change, a 45-year-old hub of grassroots organizations nationwide. Sally served as co-director of ideas and innovation for the Center, helping lead the pioneering Campaign for Community Values, producing a nationally televised Presidential candidate forum in 2008, developing a new media organizing project on health care reform in rural communities and spearheading several other initiatives.

Before that, Sally held a program fellowship at the Ford Foundation, helping to manage more than $15 million in annual grants to social justice organizations nationwide. She was also strategic advisor to the Social Justice Infrastructure Funders, a private network of 25 top program staff from some of the nation’s most prominent foundations, working to identify a shared strategy and coordinate grantmaking.  Before that, Sally served as Executive Director of the Third Wave Foundation, the leading young women’s organization in the country.  She was also a distinguished Vaid Fellow at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute, where she published a groundbreaking guidebook for organizing campaigns to win domestic partnership benefits.  Sally also worked as a consultant with the Urban Justice Center, publishing a report on the experiences of gay youth in the New York juvenile justice system.

Sally received a joint degree in law and public administration from New York University and was a Root Tilden public service scholar at the New York University School of Law.  She received her undergraduate degree from George Washington University in D.C.  Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Sally now resides in Brooklyn, New York, with her partner Sarah Hansen and their daughter Willa.

Andre Bradford a.k.a. S.C. Says

Andre Bradford, a.k.a. S.C. Says, is an Austin based slam poet who has been performing slam poetry since 2013. He's toured and featured at venues and universities across the country, and his work has been featured in the Huffington Post, The Edge radio, The Culture Trip, and Blavity. He is a two time Austin Poetry Slam Champion, a three time Texas Grand Slam Finalist, and was a member of the 2015 National Championship Team. He also once popped a bag of popcorn without burning a single kernel, which is arguably one of his greatest achievements.

His poetry covers a gamut of topics ranging from being mixed race, to gun control, to mental health awareness, to never settling in relationships. Slam poetry is an art form he loves due to its raw vulnerability and its ability to cultivate transparency and dialogues into many different walks of life.