DEIB Initiatives

OUR COMMITMENT TO ALL

At Frost Valley YMCA, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) are not just guiding principles but ongoing commitments woven into the fabric of our daily work.

Every department leader is empowered to integrate DEIB into their operations, ensuring a culture where everyone feels they belong.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DEIB:

Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Statement:

“Frost Valley YMCA strives to be a place where all people belong, where our ongoing work increases inclusion and diversity, where equity is evident in our decisions and actions, and where all are respected. We do this to ensure that all people have the opportunity to reach their full potential with dignity.”

WE ARE FOR ALL

As part of the YMCA Movement’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Global (DIG) Innovation Network, Frost Valley is committed to creating opportunities for all.

The network consists of over 70 YMCAs across the country, including Frost Valley, all of which have made an organizational commitment to integrate DEIB policies, practices and behaviors into their organization. By integrating DEIB practices into every program and operation, we aim to serve diverse and underserved populations, foster community cohesion, and address systemic equity issues.

The DIG Innovation Network is leading the Y’s commitment to diverse and underserved communities and driving program innovation so that everyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from, has an opportunity to reach their full potential with dignity.

Frost Valley is also part of the YMCAs Leaderships Role in Access & Inclusion at Camp – a cohort of YMCA overnight camps working together on deepening their DEIB practices in their overnight camp programs, as well as the YMCAs Inclusive Site Audit Cohort.

PRINCIPLES – OUR PERSONAL COMMITMENT

Our DEIB principles guide us as we create a more inclusive and equitable environment:

• Leadership Responsibility: We believe DEIB work is everyone’s work, with leaders paving the way and engaging their teams.
• Action-Oriented Change: We recognize that our dominant culture is an inherent obstacle to inclusion. We embrace proactive solutions and prioritize meaningful change and improvements in policies, practices, behaviors, over complacency; over time, this promotes a more inclusive environment for our staff and guests.
• Designing for Inclusivity: We design programs with the needs of marginalized communities at the forefront, ensuring accessibility benefits all. (Read more here and here)
• Inclusion Lens: We aspire to apply an inclusion lens to all our work, and empower our teams to apply this lens consistently. (read more here)
• Continuous Learning: We commit to learning and guiding our teams through difficult conversations, fostering growth, and making space for mistakes.
• People First: We prioritize people and mindfully avoid tokenism and proactively create an environment where all team members and guests can thrive.

GOALS and OBJECTIVES

Frost Valley’s DEIB work focuses on these key areas:

• Integration: We empower department leaders to identify opportunities for DEIB work and drive change.
• Accountability: We establish collective and individual accountability for progress through short-term initiatives.
• Leadership: We foster respectful, inclusive, and equitable communication across departments.
• Celebration: We highlight DEIB initiatives through workshops, discussions, social gatherings and cultural events – just to name a few.
• Resources: We provide tools, training, and educational resources to deepen DEIB understanding, including continuous training, guest presentations, and other educational and inspirational resources.
• Communication: We communicate DEIB work with our respective teams, the organization and large; implement an external communication.
• Engagement: We facilitate conversations and collaborations to share ideas and achieve consensus on DEIB initiatives and progress at Frost Valley.
• Resources: We provide tools, training, and educational resources to deepen DEIB understanding, including continuous training, guest presentations, and other educational and inspirational resources.

METRICS FOR SUCCESS

We aim for our actions to be motivated and directed by data on the perceptions of guests and staff on our DEIB work. We focus on the collection of three overarching data points:

The Diversity index of our staff and our guests, by program

Coming soon!

The Meyers score on internal progress, from our staff, by department

Coming soon!

An inclusion NPS score, by program, drawn from continuous guest surveys

Coming soon!

CURRENT WORK

• Marketing Department: 
  • Creating inclusive storytelling in promotional materials.
  • Adding accessibility features to our website
• Program Quality Department: 
  • Developing programs designed for underserved populations.
• Human Resources: 
  • Prioritizing diverse hiring and retention practices.
• Facilities: 
  • Enhancing accessibility across Frost Valley’s grounds and programs including ADA compliant cabins and facilities

RESULTS FROM OUR ANTI-RACISM SURVEY

In the Spring of 2023, Frost Valley conducted an anti-racism survey with input from alumni, staff, and community members. The results highlighted opportunities for growth and successes in fostering inclusion. Key insights are displayed in these infographics:

Join Us on This Journey

Frost Valley’s commitment to DEIB is ongoing and evolving. Together, we can create a community where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. Whether you’re a guest, staff member, or supporter, we invite you to join us in this vital work. Here are some educational resources for your DEIB journey:

• Equity Lens Applications from Marta Esquilin Diversity & Equity Consulting on applying and Equity Lens to Frost Valley
• How, If You Design for the Most Marginalized, Everyone Wins by Kai Stowers for Medium
• Designing Spaces with Marginalized People in Mind Makes Them Better for Everyone by Eleanor Cummins for Popular Science
• What is Racism? The Seven I’s by David E. Kirkland, Executive Director of The NYU Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and The Transformation of Schools
• How to Promote Racial Equity in the Workplace by author and Harvard Kennedy School faculty member, Robert Livingston for Harvard Business Review
• Fear Interrupted: Reframing Cross-Cultural Narratives at Camp by Niami Jaha-Echols for the American Camp Association