WVCS Expands Our Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access
Updated: May 16, 2022
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the increased hate directed toward Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, WVCS wanted to expand our definition and commitment to diversity. As an organization that serves a diverse community, we have a track record of ensuring WVCS is open, accessible, and welcoming to all.
But we felt that we were still at the beginning of our journey, and that there was more work to be done. To that end, we established two “IDEA” Committees - one led by our staff and one led by our board - to focus on Inclusion, Diversity Equity, and Access (IDEA) at all levels of our organization. While both committees are centered around IDEA, each group’s charter is different:
The staff committee is tasked with analyzing WVCS policies that create barriers, educating and practicing a commitment to IDEA on a day-to-day basis, and celebrating the diversity of clients, staff and volunteers.
The board committee is entrusted with deepening each board member’s understanding of, commitment to, and continuous learning around IDEA, and exploring how IDEA aligns with board governance, recruitment, and overall agency strategy.
Since 2021, our committees have engaged in a range of work, including trainings around implicit bias, reviews of our job descriptions and hiring practice, reviewing our purchasing policies and vendors, and expanding opportunities for learning about IDEA for our board, volunteers, and staff. This month we are excited to announce the launch of our new IDEA webpage, which shares our hopes and dreams around IDEA at WVCS, and updates about both the work our committees are currently engaged in, and our plans for the future. We hope you will check it out, and send thoughts, recommendations, and feedback to our team at idea@wvcommunityservices.org.
At WVCS, we imagine a world free from hunger and homelessness, free from racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, ageism, and bias. We recognize that the work is continuous and life-long. But working together with our staff, board, clients, volunteers, and the greater community, we hope to play a role in making that vision a reality.