Building Cultural Competence 2022

Overview

This seminar focused on how judges can continue to develop their cultural competence and deepen their understanding of social context issues in court proceedings.

Objective

The objectives of the seminar were for judges to learn about, and then practise, the skills associated with effective judicial cultural competence and to gain an understanding of how cultural competence is relevant to the justice system and the role of judges.

Summary

This three-day seminar focused on key principles which underlie cultural competence for judges. Together with experienced judges and expert faculty, participants examined implicit bias, privilege and marginalization, systemic racism and discrimination, and how to continually develop cultural competence. Participants discussed key communication skills and identified best practices they can adopt and adapt to their role as judges. The program included a combination of lectures, panel presentations, videos, skills-based exercises such as role-playing and small group work in virtual breakout rooms.