Equity & Inclusion Committee

A Board committee to identify and resource ways to promote equity and inclusion and break down barriers to participation at The Mountaineers.

At The Mountaineers, we believe a diverse and inclusive outdoors inspires unity, respect, and passion for the places we love (as reflected in our core values). We aspire to offer outdoor opportunities for ALL, and in order to realize this aspiration, we must will take a critical look at our internal systems and processes to discuss inequities that keep The Mountaineers from being a place where all people from various backgrounds and life experiences can experience the outdoors.

The main focus of our E&I work is to increase transparency of our programs and processes, and remove barriers within The Mountaineers to create a community where all people feel a sense of belonging.

Read our most recent blog about Fighting Racism in the Outdoors.

OUR COMMITMENT

As we embark on this work, we have been cautioned that our approach will need to be broad, multi-level, and org-wide with a focus on long-term, systematic, and cultural changes (while also making immediate, short-terms improvements). We also have been advised that being persistent yet patient is important - we need to move forward boldly yet with intention. We are not here to simply check a box and pat ourselves on the back, and we acknowledge that an uncomfortable road lies ahead.

We acknowledge that these conversations may make some people feel uncomfortable and the work may seem unproductive or slow moving at times. However, as we’ve engaged in this work, we have learned that progress cannot always be measured on a linear scale, and it’s important for us to hold space for community conversations.

We are committed to owning the past failures and current realities of The Mountaineers with humility and honesty. We commit to ask questions as opportunities to learn, not to defend our actions, and to assume best intentions from each member of our community. This won’t always be easy and by committing to this work we know we’ll make mistakes. We appreciate your engagement in this process, and want to acknowledge and thank our community and the members of the committee for their work to benefit The Mountaineers community.

About The E&I committee

The Board of Directors has chartered a E&I Committee to oversee this work. Our committee members are working to create mechanisms by which we can make good DEI related decisions org-wide. We accomplished many things in 2019, and are currently working to define our focus areas for 2020, which will include an E&I Toolkit for Mountaineers volunteers.

Want to get involved or get updates about this work? We can add you to our E&I Working Group Basecamp, where the committee shares regular (2-3 times a month) updates and calls for feedback. Email Kristina Ciari at kristinac@mountaineers.org to be added to the group.

Resources

The most important first step you can take is to spend time with available resource to become knowledgeable about the different factors influencing our life experiences to gain understanding of how you show up in your own life. Then, share these resources with friends and work to change the systems and dominant narrative.

If this list feels like too much, please start with our 3 Simple Steps to Get Started on Your Equity & Inclusion Journey.

Indigenous

Stop Saying We're A Nation of Immigrants (5 min read)
Native-land.ca: explore to learn about the ancestral lands of your birth and where you spend time today (updating resource, 3 mins to get acquainted)

Language

The Problem with 'Hey Guys' (6 min read)
Stop Using the Slang Word for Carabiner (4 min read)

Mountaineers Specific

View the homework sent to the participants in advance of our two "Equity & Inclusion Working Sessions" in July 2019
View the resources sent to participants before and after the two "Understanding Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion" workshops in spring 2019

Through the Crux: Mastering Difficult Conversations
Moving Beyond Tolerance" guidance sheet

Privilege

Life of Privilege Explained in $100 race” (4 min video)
What is white privilege, really? (4 min read)

Problem Behavior

We have established specific expectations and a transparent process for what to do in the event of problem behavior. Below are links to directly access the forms. To learn more about all of the resources available, visit our #SafeOutside blog.

Racism

Black Women and the Wilderness (8 min read)
Seeing White Episode 13 (48 mins) and Episode 14 (44 mins), podcasts
Anti-Racism Resources for White People
75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice

Sexism

Never Ending List of How Women Protect Themselves (2 min read)

Unconsious Bias

eLesson in Unconcious Bias (26 mins interactive eLearning course)
What Implicit bias Means and How It Affects Behavior (4 min read)

Why JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion)

Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (JEDI): Part 1 (The What and Why of JEDI), Webinar (1 hour)
JEDI: Part 2 (Strategies For Your Organization), Webinar (1 hour)

ADDITIONAL mOUNTAINEERS INFORMATION

We've published a number of pieces over the years on the topic of creating a welcoming and inclusive environment. We encourage you to peruse our historical blogs below (listed in reverse chronological order), and dive into the additional resources identified within each post.

FAQ

What is a land acknowledgement?

A land acknowledgement statement is usually made at the beginning of a gathering or special event as a sign of gratitude and respect toward the Indian Nation(s) on whose ancestral lands we recreate. It’s a simple, powerful way to show respect and affirmation, recognize the history of colonialism, acknowledge and address barriers to participation, and further our commitment to creating a more inclusive community. We hope to grow this practice within The Mountaineers, and encourage our leaders to incorporate land acknowledgement statements into courses, activities, and events. We want to do so in a way which is meaningful and respectful, and are working to create tools for our volunteer leaders to achieve these objectives. Learn more about the land you are on using the Native Land app and more about land acknowledgements here: https://usdac.us/nativeland/.

What are pronouns?

Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns; in this case, a word or words that substitute for your name and reflect how you’d like others to refer to you. A few examples of common pronouns are she/her, he/him, and they/them. Sharing pronouns helps create space for individuals who are trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer to share how they would like to be addressed. Learn more about pronouns.

What is privilege?

"Privilege doesn't mean you're rich, you've had it easy, or have never had to struggle or work hard. All it means is that there are some things in life you'll never have to think about or experience because of who you are. Before you can be an ally and fight for the rights of others, you have to understand the rights you have and others don't - that's privilege."
-Franchesa Ramsey