Equity
Our vision for the Intertwine Alliance is that it include, represent and serve the full cultural and demographic diversity of the region—and that it harness the power of our coalition as a force for change. We support Alliance partners in becoming more diverse and culturally conscious, and in addressing inequalities in the distribution of parks, trails and natural areas. Our vision is that people of all ages and ethnicities be connected to nature in their own unique ways, and that they work together to create and sustain communities in which they can be safe, healthy and unafraid.
As most of you know, The Intertwine Alliance made an organizational assessment cohort, antiracism training, and other organizational equity and deconstructing bias programming available to our partners last year, mostly through funding provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Our intention has been to bring our partners together on these issues so they can learn from each other and gain some economies of scale in accessing training and support. Participants reported to us that these programs were effective, and encouraged us to continue this type of work.
October 2015 - About 35 representatives of Intertwine Alliance partner organizations, along with a few other wonderful friends from Seattle and beyond, gathered for a 2.5-day workshop led by Crossroads Antiracism Organizing & Training from Oct. 21-23 at the beautiful Menucha Retreat and Conference Center in the Columbia River Gorge.
July 2015 - About 90 representatives of Intertwine Allliance partner organizations, along with the entire Intertwine Alliance staff and an assortment of non-partner friends, participated in a daylong antiracism training on Thursday, July 16. Led by Crossroads Antiracism Organizing & Training, the workshop was a deep and thought-provoking look at the definition of culture, the dominant white culture in the U.S., the history and development of racism, and the cause and effects of institutionalized racism.