ABSTRACT

This chapter describes a curricular framework that incorporates elements of self-authorship and critical praxis into a Learning Partnerships Model used with undergraduate student staff members at a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual Plus center. A Learning Partnerships-centric, critically minded staff model similar to that used by the Pride Center could be applied to other cross-cultural centers, leadership and civic engagement offices, and other spaces that serve as campus hubs for inclusion-focused programming. Intentionally building a staff team that encompasses a broad spectrum of identities and experiences sets the stage for an environment where challenge and support can occur. A critical lesson learned in developing the student staff model was that focusing on tasks alone is detrimental to building a developmental experience. The chapter utilizes intersectionality as a guiding framework to consider the implications of power, privilege, and oppression on the lived realities of our students who are pushed to the margins because of their various social identities.