As we approach the end of the year, I want to provide our Princeton-Blairstown Center (PBC) community with an update on our continued efforts and accomplishments around Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). While DEI has long been important to PBC’s Board and staff, as evidenced by our past history and the selection of “Social Justice” as one of our core values, we have consciously devoted increased human and financial resources to DEI work over the past two and a half years.

Throughout 2022 PBC staff and Board members have engaged in high-quality DEI training from expert external and internal practitioners. They also completed the Meyer DEI Spectrum Tool to get a snapshot of where our Board and staff believe the organization is on our DEI journey. This tool assessed all aspects of the Center’s operations including – Vision, Commitment, Leadership, Policies, Infrastructure, Training, Diversity, Data, Community, Decisions, Accountability, and Inclusion. It included choices of “Not Yet Started,” “Ready to Start,” “Launched,” “Well Underway,” “Exemplary.”

Survey outcomes indicate that 84% or more of Board and staff rated the Center as either “Launched” or “Well Underway” for all the DEI components assessed. Nearly 25% or more of all Board and staff rated the Center as “Exemplary” around Data, Community, Decisions, and Accountability.

Ongoing DEI staff training focuses on topics that include inclusion, generational equity, ableism, clarifying PBC’s definition of diversity, and metrics for improvement. We also created an extensive and wide-ranging DEI Resource List and have encouraged all staff to take an additional paid hour each month to explore their interests in the DEI space. Ongoing Board training included a DEI overview, a hands-on “How Diverse is Your Universe” session, and a Stepping Stones exercise.  

One of the biggest organizational changes that I witnessed from our work in this area over the past two years is that all staff members are more willing to actively engage in our ongoing DEI work because we have shared language and knowledge. No one is afraid of being “cancelled” and everyone has the tools and vocabulary to be able to share their views in a respectful manner.

Another significant organizational change worth noting is that PBC is using a DEI lens as it reviews all areas of our operations – policies, procedures, hiring, pay equity, transportation, accessibility, institutional advancement, facilities, and more. As a result, we have developed more equitable employee handbooks, hiring policies, interview tools and processes, advancement opportunities for seasonal staff, vehicle and transportation processes, as well as greater organizational transparency.

Most importantly, we have looked at additional ways to live our values and provide equitable access to high-quality outdoor experiences to more young people from historically marginalized communities. We have created a new Venture Out Program (see below) to provide Trenton middle school students with a residential environmental education program free of charge.

Two and a half years ago we pledged to “model the reflection, learning, and dialogue that we believe needs to happen to work against systemic racism within our organization and beyond to ensure a more equitable future for historically marginalized young people.” As our Meyer DEI Spectrum Assessment indicates, we are well on our way. 

Despite our progress, there is still much to be done internally and externally to advocate for and ensure an equitable future for the young people we serve. Thank you for supporting our work and helping us to better reflect, learn, and grow our work around in this critically important area. If you haven’t made a year-end gift to support PBC’s work, please consider joining me in creating a more equitable world for our students and staff. 

With gratitude,

Pam