Tag Archives: teaching

September 12, 2023 · 2:52 pm

Welcoming TechWomen Team Palestine

Shagufta Ahmed, Nancy Hendrickson, Katy Dickinson - TechWomen Team Palestine Impact Coaches, 11 Sep 2023
Shagufta Ahmed, Nancy Hendrickson, Katy Dickinson – TechWomen Team Palestine Impact Coaches

Yesterday, my sister TechWomen Impact Coaches for 2023 Team Palestine and I had a lovely conversation starting to plan for the arrival of our new mentees. Looking forward to learning from Shagufta Ahmed and Nancy Hendrickson! The 104 TechWomen mentees from 21 countries arrive in San Francisco soon and we are very excited to meet them.

I am thinking of my dear friends and colleagues among the Palestine TechWomen Fellows of cohorts-past, and asking them to support the incoming team. I am also thinking of my journeys in Palestine and hoping that I will learn as much during the next six weeks. My first trip to Palestine was in 1979 after I was graduated from U.C. Berkeley, my second was in 2006 to create a Sun Microsystems mentoring program between technical groups in St. Petersburg (Russia) and Hertzliya (Israel), and the third was an (unofficial) delegation of five TechWomen mentors to Gaza City in 2016, as guests of Mercy Corps and Gaza Sky Geeks. I very much look forward to traveling there again.

I was honored to be the 2010-2011 Process Architect for the U.S. State Department – Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ TechWomen mentoring program and am very proud to continue my service as a citizen diplomat. In 2022, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken expanded TechWomen (based in the San Francisco Bay Area 2010-2022) to include a cohort in Chicago. My daughter, Jessica Dickinson Goodman, is a mentor for 2023’s Team Nigeria, based in Chicago. Jessica was one of the mentors who went with me to Palestine in 2016 and she has been an Impact Coach for Team Palestine in prior TechWomen years.

About TechWomen: “TechWomen empowers, connects and supports the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East by providing them the access and opportunity needed to advance their careers, pursue their dreams, and inspire women and girls in their communities. Through mentorship and exchange, TechWomen strengthens participants’ professional capacity, increases mutual understanding between key networks of professionals, and expands girls’ interest in STEM careers by exposing them to female role models.” There are 1,153 TechWomen Emerging Leaders and Fellows in 22 Countries. More than 150 companies have hosted TechWomen Emerging Leaders.

2006 John Dead Sea Israel
Katy standing in the Dead Sea 2006
Gaza City Vase 2016
TechWomen arrive in Gaza, Feb 2016
TechWomen arrive in Gaza, Feb 2016
Gaza Sky Geeks with TechWomen, Feb 2016
Gaza Sky Geeks with TechWomen 2016
Katy Dickinson and TechWomen presenting in Gaza City, Feb 2016
Katy Dickinson and TechWomen presenting, Gaza City 2016
Eileen Brewer at Gaza City harbor, Feb 2016
Selfies with Eileen Brewer at Gaza City harbor, Feb 2016

Images Copyright (c) 2006-2023 Katy Dickinson. If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home).

Leave a comment

Filed under Home & Family, Mentoring & Other Business, Mentoring Standard, News & Reviews, Politics

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

September 7, 2023 · 11:52 am

Interreligious Panel – Chaplains for Prisoners

I was honored to present and moderate “The Same and Different: Supporting Muslim and Jewish Inmates,” an interreligious panel, on, 3 September 2023, hosted by St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (Saratoga, California – San Francisco Bay Area). This was an in-person event that was also live-streamed and recorded. Here is the link for the recording, https://vimeo.com/event/3655244 (2 hours), plus the one page handout about the panel. This event was generously supported by a grant from the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, through the GTU Madrasa-Midrasha Program. Here is the GTU announcement.

I was touched and thankful for the positive feedback about this event, notably this comment by the Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy‘s Chaplain Ra Amen, “The absolute best interreligious training on the topic. The synergism between the panelists and moderator was seamless. The questions and answers allow for a broad range of insights and experiences to be covered. Whether a novice or as one with years of experience, there was much to be gained from the discussion that will serve me well in future interreligious situation in jail or the general society. It was a model that could be use national in jail and prison ministry. I commend everyone involved in putting on this training.” Another comment from volunteer Chaplain Barbara Harriman was heartwarming, “The seminar today was amazing! Your panel was filled with compassionate scholars, including you! It was very impressive and informative. Thank you so much. I’m so glad you made the video accessible. I will share it with others.” I am grateful for the support.

Grateful thanks to the inspiring and excellent panel speakers:

Thank you as well to the friends, family, and colleagues who helped me put on this event. Especially Karen LeBlanc, Jessica Dickinson Goodman, and John Plocher.

Images Copyright (c) 2023 Katy Dickinson. Thanks to photographers, Karen LeBlanc, Joel Martinez, John Plocher, and Barbara Merrill. If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home).

Leave a comment

Filed under Chaplain, Church, Home & Family, Mentoring & Other Business, Mentoring Standard, News & Reviews

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

July 30, 2023 · 1:55 pm

Panel: The Same and Different, Supporting Muslim and Jewish Inmates

Interreligious chaplaincy books, July 2023
Interreligious chaplaincy books, July 2023

Please join us for “The Same and Different: Supporting Muslim and Jewish Inmates,” an Interreligious Panel, 1:30 to 3:30 pm on Sunday, 3 September 2023, hosted by St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (13601 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga, California – San Francisco Bay Area). This is an in-person event that will also be live-streamed. Here is the live streaming link, https://vimeo.com/event/3655244. Here us the one page handout about the panel.

Thanks to the panel speakers:

This is a two hour training event (with a panel of experts) for jail chaplains – and those interested in learning about jail chaplaincy – on best practices in supporting inmates, especially those who are Muslim or Jewish.

There are about three thousand inmates in Santa Clara County jail. Eight staff CIC Chaplains and hundreds of volunteers interact routinely with prisoners of all faiths, including discussions about non-medical special diets (Kosher, Halal, or Vegetarian), leading educational and spiritual programs, offering individual pastoral care visits, and distributing religious items (such as scriptures and religious prayer or study materials, hijab, or kippah or kufi head coverings, prayer rugs, and rosaries). For the last several years, many jail prisoners have had access to county-provided electronic tablets offering educational programs, entertainment, and religious and spiritual scriptures and other documents from a wide range of religious and spiritual contexts. Discussions with inmates who are interested in exploring or converting to Islam or Judaism seem to have increased since the tablets became available.

“The Same and Different: Supporting Muslim and Jewish Inmates” attendees can gain a greater understanding of Islam and Judaism and learn best practices for supporting inmates from those religions. There will be small group discussions after the panel. Some attendees will also be able to take home an excellent book to support their ministry with Muslim or Jewish inmates:

  • Dayle A. Friedman, ed., Jewish Pastoral Care: A Practical Handbook from Traditional & Contemporary Sources (Nashville, TN: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2015).
  • Muhammad A. Ali, Omer Bajwa, Sondos Kholaki, and Jaye Starr, eds., Mantle of Mercy: Islamic Chaplaincy in North America (West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press, 2022).

Book quantities are very limited: first come, first served. Rabbi Amy Eilberg, Sheikh Rami Nsour, and Katy Dickinson are all speakers for the Islamic Networks Group (ING), a peace-building organization providing face-to-face education and engagement opportunities that foster understanding of Muslims and other misunderstood groups to promote harmony among all people.

This event is generously supported by a grant from the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, through the GTU Madrasa-Midrasha Program. Here is the GTU announcement.

Interreligious Panel name buttons, 25 Aug 2023
Interreligious Panel name buttons, 25 Aug 2023

Image Copyright (c) 2023 Katy Dickinson. If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home).

3 Comments

Filed under Chaplain, Church, Mentoring Standard, News & Reviews

Tagged as , , , , ,

May 9, 2023 · 10:44 am

Women of Faith in Jail

GTU Women and Religion Conference, 28 April 2023
Katy Dickinson, Zeinab Vessel, Dr. Mahjabeen Dhala, Lisa Calvez at the GTU Women and Religion Conference, 28 April 2023

I was honored to present on “Women of Faith in Jail” at the GTU Graduate Student Conference: Women and Religion conference held on 28 April 2023 at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Here are the slides I presented. More about my submission is on my 3 April 2023 blog post. About seventy people attended this inspiring all-day event hosted by Women’s Studies in Religion.

GTU Women and Religion Conference, 28 April 2023
GTU Women and Religion Conference, 28 April 2023
Dr. Valerie Miles-Tribble, GTU Women and Religion Conference, 28 April 2023
Dr. Valerie Miles-Tribble, GTU Women and Religion Conference, 28 April 2023
Katy Dickinson, Dr. Valerie Miles-Tribble, GTU Women and Religion Conference, 28 April 2023
Katy Dickinson, GTU Women and Religion Conference, 28 April 2023
Dr. Mahjabeen Dhala, GTU Women and Religion Conference, 28 April 2023
Dr. Mahjabeen Dhala, GTU Women and Religion Conference, 28 April 2023

Images Copyright (c) 2023 Katy Dickinson. If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home).

Leave a comment

Filed under Chaplain, Church, News & Reviews, Politics

Tagged as , , , , ,

April 3, 2023 · 8:19 pm

GTU Conference: Women and Religion

I am honored that my submission on “Women of Faith in Jail” was accepted by the GTU Graduate Student Conference: Women and Religion! The conference will be held at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, on 28 April 2023. To attend the one day conference, Register Here. This is the abstract for my talk:

Katy Dickinson
Women of Faith in Jail
This presents a jail chaplain’s view on how women prisoners’s experience, especially their faith experience, is different from that of men in the American justice system. In many ways, the lives of American women and men prisoners are similarly marginalized; however, the systemic social and economic disadvantages of women in our society are reflected in the lives of female inmates. For example, women are usually the primary caretakers for children from whom incarceration separates them, women often enter the carceral system having had more traumatic experiences, and all-too-often women undergo more trauma in jail and prison. As a result, working with women inmates as a chaplain or officer can be more complex and emotionally intense compared to working with male prisoners. While some avoid working with women, others find special satisfaction in supporting female prisoners. A groundbreaking report has just been published about women prisoners and their unique challenges and patterns.

Here is a link to the whole submission, if you want more text (and references). The event will be recorded but not available online in real time.

Images Copyright (c) 2023 Katy Dickinson. If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home).

2 Comments

Filed under Chaplain, Church, News & Reviews

Tagged as , , ,

March 7, 2023 · 5:02 pm

Joseph – Yusuf Presentation

Yusuf in Zuleikha's party. Painting in Takyeh Moaven-ol-Molk, Kermanshah, Iran
Yusuf in Zuleikha’s party. Painting in Takyeh Moaven-ol-Molk, Kermanshah, Iran, By Coffeetalkh at Persian Wikipedia – Transferred from fa.wikipedia to Commons., GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31803000

This semester at the Graduate Theological Union‘s Berkeley School of Theology, I am taking three classes as part of my Doctor of Ministry studies. They are: “The Qur’an: Origin, Application, Interpretations” (Dr. Majabeen Dhala, Center for Islamic Studies), “Introduction to Prison Ministry” (Father George Williams, Jesuit School of Theology), and “Examining the Case for Reparations for African Americans” (Dr. Ronald Burris & Dr. Aidsand Wright-Riggins, BST).

I just gave my first presentation in Dr. Dhala’s class, called “Joseph – Yusuf.” In this presentation, I considered the story of the patriarch / prophet Joseph – Yusuf as presented in the Torah / Hebrew Bible and in the Qur’an, in the context of my ministry as a jail chaplain. The class and I had a good discussion!

You can see the whole presentation here. See the last pages of my presentation for where I found the images and other sources.

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home).

Leave a comment

Filed under Chaplain, News & Reviews

Tagged as , , , ,

March 1, 2023 · 5:11 pm

DMin Project & Dissertation Proposal

3 Books, by Ivone Gebara, Gustavo Gutierrez, Howard Thurman

I revised my Doctor of Ministry “Project and Dissertation Proposal” in a Berkeley School of Theology (BST) class led by Dr. Valerie Miles-Tribble in January 2023. BST is in the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. I have since discussed the proposal with my doctoral committee, Dr. Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins, III and Dr. Ronald D. Burris of Berkeley School of Theology, and the Rev. Liz Milner (Executive Director, Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy). My DMin proposal starts:

“The Problem: As part of changing a life path that repeatedly ends in Santa Clara County jail, many inmates want to learn about and develop their faith and theology but lack resource access and the reading capability or education to move forward. Inmates who are Spanish language speakers, have reading difficulties, and those with mental health challenges are at a particular disadvantage and are often isolated and disempowered. America’s punishment-based, racist and classist carceral system, and the constant population churn inside jails, militate against empowering inmates’s spiritual well-being, success, and change of life. Tailoring educational and faith programs to particularly disadvantaged inmates may help to reduce long-term recidivism.

The Purpose: To support the most invisible of the largely-unseen and severely marginalized population of jail prisoners in Santa Clara County, this project revises existing Bible study and theological reflection program materials to support inmates in three particularly-underserved and vulnerable groups: those whose primary language is Spanish, and/or have mental health challenges, and/or have reading comprehension difficulties. Making materials more accessible may help to encourage their faith walk, sustain their difficult journey, and discourage recidivism after release.”

Read the whole proposal here.

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home). Image Copyright 2023 by Katy Dickinson.

2 Comments

Filed under Chaplain, News & Reviews, Politics

Tagged as , , , , ,