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  • Affinity &
  • Alliance Groups
GDS Affinity Groups are groups for staff, students and parents, aimed at bringing together individuals with a common identity while offering guidance and support. They are an integral part of the GDS mission.
 
These affinity groups support the school’s goal of making sure all in the GDS community feel loved, supported, seen and heard. Given that inclusion is a crucial part of the GDS mission, most affinity groups at GDS are open to allies — individuals who may not share the affinity group’s specific identity but who otherwise share an interest in it.
 

What is an Affinity Group?

The term affinity group is used as a bringing together of people who have an identifier in common, e.g. race, gender, religion, family status, etc. Affinity groups are for individuals who identify as members of the group and can speak to the experience of being a member of the group from the “I” perspective. This year we will have the Soul Sistas (African-American), the Asian Pacific Islanders, the Multi-Racial, the White, and the Latino/Latina Affinity Group meetings. (Borrowed from NAIS People of Color Conference)

Affinity groups can and do act as a support system for members of the group.

  • Affinity groups can help identify, interpret, interrupt and dismantle sources of oppression or discrimination.
  • Affinity groups are safe spaces.

What is an Alliance Group?

The term alliance group is used as a bringing together of people who have a common commitment to an identifier group, e.g. race, gender, religion, family status, etc. Alliance groups are for individuals who identify as members of the group and/or as people who support and stand in solidarity with that group. (Borrowed from NAIS People of Color Conference)