DEIJ: A Timeline
Our commitment to DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice) is a constant work in progress. Below is a timeline of the central efforts via staff, the Board, our DEIJ Committee, and the larger FFS community. Check back for updates.
June 2021: The DEIJ Committee held its spring meeting – click here to access the recording and transcript. The Committee shared an update on the launch of the Advisory Council, which consists of 5 community-based organizations whose leadership will be reviewing Our Outdoors and providing feedback. FFS is also planning to contract a DEIJ consultant to assess organizational policies and support Board growth.
April 2021: An open call for Board member nominations went live and was open until May 28, 2021. FFS is looking to welcome 6-8 new Board members to join the existing group, and we’d like to bring in as many new perspectives as possible. A review team of Board members and DEIJ committee members will identify qualified candidates, who will then be contacted for an interview. Prospective Board members will be interviewed in July, and new members will attend their first meeting in September.
April 2021: Members of the DEIJ Committee worked collaboratively with staff to update our social media engagement policies and procedures to address concerns about comment moderation and silencing, and to create a new Feedback & Transparency webpage.
March 30, 2021: Staff finalized new job posting and Affirmative Action hiring policies and practices designed to expand the diversity of our applicant pool, and implemented these practices in the hiring process for our Community Engagement Manager position.
March 24, 2021: The DEIJ Committee held a meeting to orient folks to our new Committee Group on the Our Outdoors platform, and kick off tasks and working groups related to the upcoming relaunch. The Committee also discussed concerns about comment moderation and deletion on the FFS Facebook page, and other community-generated concerns related to relaunch plans. The meeting was recorded for any who weren’t able to attend — click here to access the recording and transcript.
February 19, 2021: At our February Board meeting, the Board of Directors finalized a set of “DEIJ Touchstones” to use in assessing the input, approach, timeframe, and impact of all major FFS projects and initiatives in order to ensure that our work continues to align with and support our DEIJ commitments and goals.
We also finalized plans for our upcoming recruitment process to significantly expand our Board membership with the goal of ensuring that our Board and leadership represents the rich diversity of young kids and caregivers throughout the United States. This will involve an Open Call for Board Members — stay tuned for further details!
January 2021: The DEIJ Committee had its winter meeting — click here to access the recording and transcript. The Committee gave an overview of Free Forest School’s relaunch plans, shared an update on the development of moderation guidelines for the DEIJ Facebook group, and discussed how the DEIJ Committee can dive into the work of ensuring that the new platform content and relaunch process aligns with Free Forest School’s diversity, equity, inclusion and justice goals and values.
That work includes:
reviewing and contributing content to orientation, training, and resource tracks on the new Our Outdoors platform
providing input on the grievance policy and reporting procedures
developing goals and systems for general DEIJ engagement among the wider community within Our Outdoors
January 2021: The DEIJ Committee launched the reworking of volunteer training materials to increase accessibility and provide explicit DEIJ and anti-racism training, including required training for all volunteers. FFS started reworking any training modules that exclude, marginalize, or discriminate, removing terminology like “non-negotiable”, which sets rules that exponentially harm and discriminate against marginalized members.
December 2020: The Board and Executive Director began developing a set of DEIJ Touchstones based on the Whiteness at Work training to use in evaluating the input, outcomes, timeline, and approach of all future FFS programs, initiatives, and major organizational decisions.
FFS prepared a report on our recent efforts to promote inclusion and representation for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color as part of our participation in the Outdoor Industry CEO Diversity Pledge.
September 2020: The Board and Executive Director participated in the Whiteness at Work training series with The Adaway Group, working together to de-center whiteness, uproot anti-Black racism, and build anti-racist skills and accountability practices that place racial equity at the core of FFS.
August 2020: The DEIJ Committee explored the use of Restorative Practices to reach community members who have been harmed by actions or inaction by FFS staff, volunteers, or other participants. FFS made a plan to expand Board membership to model the inclusion and makeup of the diverse community we seek to serve — making Board membership majority BIPOC and other members of marginalized identities.
July 2020: The DEIJ Committee, Board, and staff began the process of building a Board and organizational level grievance policy and process grounded in DEIJ that includes methods for reporting problems and incidents of discrimination, bias, harassment, or racism to a community [inclusive] group [or committee] to review. Staff launched a schedule for regular monthly community meetings to increase communication and training opportunities.
June 2020: FFS reinvigorated the DEIJ Committee, opened it to all community members and volunteers, and offered numerous clear avenues for folks to be part of the process and share input. Committee work will be ongoing with quarterly meetings.