LearnServe’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice
At LearnServe, we aim to build and nurture a culture that promotes and values diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ). We are committed to providing a safe space for youth of all races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, genders, sexual orientations and socio economic backgrounds as they tackle social challenges in their communities. In order to do this work we must understand and create an inclusive culture while we actively engage with the complexities that come with pursuing justice.
For centuries, many marginalized communities have endured trauma in the form of oppression, systemic racism, and police brutality. We are holding in our hearts and minds: Emmett Till (1955) – Birmingham Church Bombing Victims (1963) – Latasha Harlins (1991) – Rodney King, LA Riots (1992) – Malcolm Ferguson (2000) – Angie Zapata (2008) – Eric Garner (2014) – Freddie Gray (2015) – Pulse Nightclub Mass Shooting, Orlando, FL (2016) – William Green (2020) – Breonna Taylor (2020) – George Floyd (2020). We recognize that this list includes only a few of those individuals killed, injured or persecuted in the United States because of their race or identity. The heightened racial unrest in 2020 ignited a reckoning that the United States has grappled with since its founding. The public discourse surrounding the racial unrest has sparked LearnServe to look within, and deepen our awareness and responsibility, to build an equitable and inclusive community.
As a predominantly white and US-based organization, LearnService recognizes that we have more work to do to move our mission forward. While our work is anchored in ‘Striving for Justice’ – one of our core values – the unrest in 2020 sparked our need to clearly identify what this means for LearnServe, in what ways we are actively striving for justice, and in what ways we are falling short. Ultimately, our goal is to strive for justice while ensuring that everyone in our LearnServe community – youth, staff, board, volunteers, families, partners, and supporters – feels welcome, valued, has a sense of belonging, and can bring their most authentic self to our LearnServe safe space.
The intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, class, religion, nationality, and sexual orientation, to name a few, predominate the experiences of many in our communities. Since LearnServe’s founding in 2003, diversity has been a core value, aiming to provide opportunities for collaboration, dialogue, and understanding. Now we must further embrace this intersectionality as we strive for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
Our Commitment
Since 2020, LearnServe has taken the following actions to further ensure diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice:
Programs and Student Supports
- Introduced ‘Student Success Advocate’ as a new full-time staff position committed to identifying and supporting the individualized needs of all studentsthrough one-on-one coaching, specialized professional development workshops, and connecting students to external services and resources as needed
- Contracted a curriculum consultant to assess the Fellows Program curriculum with a racial and social justice lens, and with the plan to include recommendations across LearnServe curricula in the coming year
- Piloted a sliding scale payment model to ensure program accessibilityregardless of socioeconomic background. This new model replaced a scholarship payment model which required families to apply and disclose personal financial information
- Developed a program model to ensure that all participants can access the same social entrepreneurship training whether they are based in the United States, Zambia, South Africa or Paraguay or any other partnering country
- Employed a Safe Space Coordinator at all public events, equipped to respond to incidents of discrimination and harassment as needed
Understanding DEI and Stakeholder Training
Contracted with The Wells Collective, a team of anti-racism consultants, to:
- Research U.S.-based students’ experiences in LearnServe programming, with regard to diversity, equity and inclusion, through a participant-focused audit
- Train LearnServe Board members and organizational leadership in DEIJ concepts and work
- Train organizational leadership, core staff, and program staff on DEIJ concepts and how to facilitate DEIJ conversations to build an inclusive culture within our programs (ongoing)
Workplace Culture
- Conducted a compensation and benefit review to ensure that compensation packages are competitive and equitable to attract and retain diverse talent
- Reorganized the staffing structure to ensure balanced workloads across all programs, allowing for a healthier relationship with work and an improved work-life balance, while positioning the organization for growth
- Monitored and reported on the recent hiring process in terms of race, ethnicity and gender. Actively recruited a core staff diverse in background, age, and race.
- Recognized Juneteenth as a Federal holiday observed by LearnServe
LearnServe is committed to growing a community grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. We are invested in the ongoing process of clarifying and understanding our definition of “justice.” Our next step is to develop an action plan on how to move DEIJ work forward at each level of the organization: programs, staff, and governance. We will share that action plan with the community and periodically report on our progress.
We understand that LearnServe will only be successful in empowering young changemakers when everyone, regardless of differences, feels welcome and can thrive as members in our community.