Parent Affinity Groups at Gilman

Gilman School is a community of people from different socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, family structures, religions, and races. In this community, we acknowledge, celebrate, and promote each other's differences while remaining "One Gilman." Parent affinity groups support the very notion of an inclusive community by boldly stating that diversity is a value welcomed and promoted at Gilman. By providing the space for diverse groups to self-identify, unite openly, and engage intelligently, Gilman demonstrates a full and genuine commitment to diversity.

Affinity Group Objectives

• Engage Gilman School's parents in meaningful conversations and activities related to their families' cultural identifiers (e.g., gender, religion, race, age, ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and/or ethnicity).
• Increase awareness and appreciation of the cultural identifiers that distinguish us one from another and identify the common ground that binds us.
• Establish regularly scheduled forums for interested parents to discuss ideas, issues, and initiatives related to community, inclusion, and equity at Gilman and the greater community.

Affinity Groups Expand Gilman's Capacity to Build an Inclusive Community

Parent affinity groups facilitate the school's ability to go deeper on issues of race, family structure, sexual orientation and identity, disability, or other concerns and engage the full community in a thoughtful, representative, and inclusive manner. They provide a resource and sense of community to those who might feel alienated or marginalized by what might be an underrepresented status within the broader Gilman culture.

Gilman's Students Have Set the Example

The example our young men have set is one we should follow proudly. Our young men in the Upper School have participated in student affinity groups for several years on campus. There are emerging clubs in the Middle School. These groups have provided critical support to our young men in their personal pursuit of their own identities and offered a space for them to identify issues, propose solutions, and organize community dialogues. We envision parent affinity groups providing the same types of forums and yielding the same results for Gilman's parents.