Our Local History Professional Learning Offerings
Learn more by emailing:swiegand@ccsi.org and sbell@ccsi.org
LOCAL HISTORY INQUIRIES
Our revised updated local history civil rights inquiries promote deep understanding of our shared past, fostering critical thinking and civic responsibility. Our inquiry-based professional learning approach helps educators adopt practices that are student-centered, integrate SEL best practices like the CASEL-3 signature practices, and apply asset-based, inclusive strategies. Building Safe, Kind, and Fair Communities (Grade 2), Hispanic Civil Rights in Rochester (Grade 5), Enslavement and Resistance in NYS (Grades 4 & 7), Haudenosaunee Resistance and Resilience (Grades 4 & 7), Redlining and Resistance in Rochester - New Deal (Grades 4 & 8), LGBTQ Civil Rights (Grade 11), and New Deal and Civic Action (Grades 11 & 12). Our professional learning model follows a tiered approach that meets educators where they are. We start by building awareness and foundational skills, then support the implementation and evaluation of student centered practices. It is our hope that, together, we can help build the internal capacity within your district to carry this work forward and help it grow for years to come.
INTERRUPTING HARMFUL COMMENTS (ALL GRADE LEVELS)
This multi-part professional learning workshops, available in single sessions or a three-part series, is designed to equip all members of the school community with the tools and confidence to foster inclusive, affirming, and respectful learning environments through a collective lift.
- Speaking Up with Confidence, an interactive session where educators learn and practice our adapted Speak Up Protocol to respond to harm in ways that support learning and preserve relationships.
- Preventing and Repairing Harm, participants explore proactive ways to prevent harm and meaningful, restorative strategies to repair relationships when harm occurs, moving from punitive mindsets toward a culture of care.
- Educating for Understanding and Empathy focuses on the “Educate” component of the protocol, equipping participants to provide age-appropriate education in the moment so students understand the impact of their language.
- Sustaining the Work centers on long-term application through faculty meeting follow-ups, student-facing implementation, and coaching to ensure these practices are collectively lifted and sustained across the district.
GET TO KNOW ME PROJECT (GET TO KNOW ME TO GET TO KNOW WE)
The Get to Know Me Project invites students and educators to explore the essential questions: Who am I? Who are we? Who do we aspire to be? Using both artistic and structured experiences such as community circles, object-of-importance sharing, and identity portraits, participants build meaningful connections, deepen understanding across diverse identities, and take action steps that foster a stronger sense of belonging within their group or organization.
These guiding questions and creative experiences can be adapted to meet the unique needs of different groups, providing intentional ways for participants to connect, reflect, and take action. Whether through student leadership teams, administrative bodies, faculty groups, or corporate, non-profit, religious, and community organizations, the Get to Know Me Project offers structured pathways to foster belonging, understanding, and meaningful collaboration.
SAFE ZONE TRAINING FOR K-12 EDUCATORS
This comprehensive, full-day training session empowers K-12 educators with the knowledge and tools to foster safe, welcoming, and affirming learning environments for all students, with a specific focus on LGBTQ+ inclusion. This training is especially valuable now, when LGBTQ+ students across the state report feeling physically and psychologically unsafe at school. According to the Trevor project, in 2024 60% of LGBTQ+ youth reported that they have felt discriminated against in the past year due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Through the session, educators develop critical allyship skills, learn to use respectful and inclusive language, create physically inclusive spaces, and explore practical resources for integrating inclusive content into their curriculum and lesson planning, ultimately building confidence in their ability to create an environment where all students feel respected, valued, and empowered.
SEAL OF CIVIC READINESS
Empower your students to become active and engaged citizens through meaningful civic learning experiences facilitated. We offer expert consulting support for administrators and educators looking to guide student-led civic research projects, impactful civic engagement initiatives, and enriching service-learning opportunities required for the Seal of Civic Readiness. Our services include facilitating connections with community leaders, activist organizations, and local government representatives as well as helping teachers create dynamic learning environments where students can drive community change and develop a deep sense of civic responsibility. Includes unpacking the four domains of civic readiness, introducing what’s needed for earning the seal, and supporting teachers in grades 6-12 in consistently bringing the four domains into their social studies content and inviting students to participate in earning critical points for the seal through student-led research and civic action projects. OLH has created simple roadmaps for students based on recent student led civic action projects focused on building equity.
COACHING, CONSULTANCY, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
To complement any of the professional learning OLH delivers, we offer tailored coaching and consultancy services designed to support your district in building capacity and sustaining growth long after the training ends. This service provides ongoing, personalized guidance for leaders and educators, ensuring that the strategies and skills learned are embedded into daily practice and aligned with your district’s long-term goals. Our coaching and consultancy model offers a sustainable, hands-on approach to help refine practices, build capacity, and drive meaningful, lasting change. Our Local History regularly runs community workshops for parents and faith groups.
Community, Non for Profit, and Corporate Offerings
COACHING, CONSULTING, TRAIN-THE-TRAINER, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
We offer tailored services designed to support your organization in building capacity and sustaining growth long after training ends. This provides ongoing, personalized guidance, ensuring the strategies and skills learned are embedded and aligned with long-term goals.
CONNECTING LOCAL HISTORY TO OUR WORK:
With this learning, participants will build a connective understanding of the civil rights movement’s impacts on our current workforce and policies by building awareness and understanding, then offer current-day examples of how to make spaces where all employees can thrive.
GET TO KNOW ME PROJECT:
Who am I? Who are we? What do we aspire to become? Designed to align with your goals, this project supports the development of a collective voice through a deeper understanding of the individuals at the table and how they aim to work toward a common goal, laying the foundation where every person is seen, valued and included.
PRACTICE RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE WITH TEAMS:
Across four sessions, we build skills through real-world examples to recognize, respond, and address harmful comments with the goal of building respectful work environments through courageous conversations.
SAFE ZONE TRAINING:
This full-day training session empowers participants with the knowledge and tools to foster safe, welcoming, and affirming environments for all people, with a specific focus on LGBTQ+ inclusion. Participants will develop critical allyship skills, learn to use respectful and inclusive language, and create physically inclusive spaces.