Online micro-credential course offers toolkit for diversity and inclusion
By David Escobar
The Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI) has rolled out an online course for North Country businesses and nonprofits looking to build more welcoming and inclusive environments.
The “Welcoming and Belonging Micro-credential” is the result of four years of community input and development. Offered through North Country Community College, the fully virtual course is divided into five self-paced modules that equip participants with practical skills for building trust with diverse employees and customers. The course guides participants through several problem-solving activities, including nonviolent communication to reduce conflict and diagram construction to identify the root causes of problems.
ADI director Tiffany Rea-Fisher said the training is a response to the growing interest from local businesses in learning how to become more welcoming.
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“People who are othered in any way are really discerning with their dollars,” Rea-Fisher said, adding that many local businesses have expressed a desire to implement diversity, equity and inclusion practices but don’t know where to start.
Navigating diversity in the Adirondack region: A conversation with Tiffany Rea-Fisher
Bringing diversity to the Adirondacks
The initiative seeks to tackle a broader issue in the Adirondacks, where over 90% of visitors to the region’s busiest areas are white. Rea-Fisher said ADI, which is part of the Adirondack North Country Association, wants the micro-credential to provide businesses with strategies to attract a more diverse clientele from urban areas across New York.
Beyond online lectures, the course incorporates discussion forums and hands-on activities to help participants integrate their learning into their daily business operations. Rea-Fisher said she intends for the course to be more than a checklist item for local businesses; ADI plans to maintain ongoing communication with participants to assess the program’s impact over time.
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“After a couple of cohorts have gone through, we want to check in and say, ‘What are sales looking like? Has revenue increased? Has the demographic coming in changed?’” Rea-Fisher said.
Inclusivity training brings economic benefits
If successful, Rea-Fisher believes the program could demonstrate the economic benefits of inclusive practices, encouraging hesitant business owners to take the plunge.
“I think that we can get some business owners who might be a little bit more hesitant to take this step.”
The cost of the course is $360, but ADI is willing to discount the price if cost is a barrier to the program. Members of the Saranac Lake Chamber of Commerce are also eligible for partial reimbursement if they complete the course by the end of 2025. Businesses and nonprofits interested in earning the micro-credential can register through the North Country Community College website.
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This is a feel good waste of money. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Be authentic and genuinely interested in your customers.
Dont know where you got your MBA but I learned that when 90% or more of your customers are of the same demographic it might be wise to try and capture the rest of the market that is not. Diversifying your offerings is a wise business practice.
Being nice to customers is only part of the equation. With more and more commerce starting online today’s small business owners need every interaction with potential customers they can get.
The failure rates for small businesses are astoundingly high, in part because of thinking just like this.
This is really what we are spending money on? I agree, just treat people with respect and move forward. There are people that struggle to put food on the table, let’s not waste it talking about things that don’t ultimately matter.