Film Festival

Purpose of the DVD
This DVD has been created to enhance cultural awareness discussions among our employees and physicians and to promote these change efforts within our organization and beyond.  It is a tool that has been developed to help raise important questions focused on diversity, and to begin the conversation with one another on all aspects of creating a welcoming environment where we work and provide care to others who are different from ourselves.  This tool has been designed to be applicable in many different settings, including schools, places of worship and community organizations. 

Description of the DVD
This DVD has been created to use in diversity/ cultural awareness training programs within our health care organization, and later to be marketed outside of our organization to the regional community and beyond.  The DVD is designed to support initial or ongoing explorations of diversity, and is accompanied by a comprehensive discussion guide that may be used in numerous sessions following the film presentation.  Detailed lesson plans are included for a 1-hour session (or 2-30 minute sessions), 2-hour sessions and ongoing discussions.

Approximately 7 minutes in length, the DVD begins with photographic images showing "differences" of all types:  race, religion, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, language, economic status, gender, etc.  The film poses various thought provoking statements and questions to encourage the viewer to explore their own hidden biases regarding all aspects of diversity, and a "call to action" by challenging the viewer to celebrate those individuals and cultures that are different from our own.  We are specifically keeping the film short in length to allow for group discussion after the film. 

The background music is a song performed by a local folk artist, Rachel Kilgour.  The song, entitled "Sing Out Together," is about all of our differences and how we can come together as one.  A discussion guide will be enclosed with the DVD, so managers can easily facilitate discussions with their teams and proceed with the questions and group discussion at their own pace.  A non-subtitled and subtitled version of the DVD in included on each disc.

The creation and driving force for the DVD is an interesting story in itself, as it is being driven by the Physician Values and Culture Committee and Service Excellence Committee at SMDC.  These two committees have the common goal of creating a welcoming environment within our organization.  This has been an excellent way to engage the physicians in our organization and to assure our employees that physicians are not only involved in these diversity sessions, but they have been part of the driving force behind the energy and creation of the curriculum.  This DVD will be launched on a large scale in October 2008 in the Duluth region as part of a community partnership between SMDC, The Miller-Dwan Foundation and St. Louis County Health and Human Services.