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.
January 2015 -- The Intertwine Alliance is launching an equity program to help our partners start or advance their inclusion and diversity work. We're forming a cohort of 8 to 10 partner organizations to meet once a month for 8 months, starting in February, to apply an equity lens to organizational policies/practices and create a supportive learning community.
The program will be facilitated by PSU Professor Ann Curry-Stevens and the Coalition of Communities of Color, who will guide the cohort through an organizational assessment and provide development in the following areas:
September 2014 -- The Equity Initiative group is hoping a few more organizations will step up to participate in a pilot project of organization-wide equity assessments. This will be announced at the upcoming Fall Summit on Nov. 14, and a subsequent informational meeting will help groups better understand what this will entail.
September 2014 -- The Equity Inclusion Committee met on Sept. 25 to finish drafting a proposed Intertwine Alliance Equity Plan. The next step is to forward it to the Board for approval. The plan identifies a number of programs and activities for Intertwine Alliance staff, board members and partners, with the goal of developing a more inclusive sector.