Commitment to Justice

 
 

We prioritize justice and accessibility in all facets of our organization; they inform every decision we make in our internal and external work. Our intention in sharing information here is to hold ourselves accountable to our values and commitments, to share resources, and to lay out our ongoing goals to continue this work. 

We actively combat racism, anti-Blackness, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, classism, anti-semitism, and fatphobia. We prioritize students who have been historically excluded from nature and outdoor education, including Black and Brown students, low-income students and those with disabilities. We fight against systems of oppression and the delusion of white supremacy in every aspect of our work. 

Guiding Principles 

  • Relationships are at the heart of what we do; they require time and lots of attention.

  • Working to decolonize education requires us to slow down, listen, learn, reflect, rethink, and prioritize caring for ourselves and each other.

  • We recognize that schools are often sites of power, privilege, hierarchy, and exclusion.

  • We actively resist the tenets of white supremacy culture such as perfectionism, urgency, productivity, and a scarcity mindset, as laid out by Tema Okun in “White Supremacy Culture”

  • Unlearning systems of oppression and exclusion takes time and lots of intentionality. It requires transparency, accountability, and willingness to acknowledge and learn from mistakes. 

Internal Initiatives

We are committed to professionalizing outdoor education careers and providing sustainable, livable jobs in this field. Our goal is to retain a strong, diverse team that love their jobs and …. We do this in the following ways: 

  • Implement equitable hiring practices, training, and ongoing support in order to retain a strong team, long-term.

  • Offer competitive, equitable pay for all staff and full benefits & generous PTO for all permanent staff over 20 hours.

  • Maintain a sustainable workload with regular check-ins to balance schedule preferences, mental health, family needs, etc.

  • Create an intentionally supportive, welcoming work culture with lots of snacks, teambuilding, story-telling, and lots of space for reflection and growth.

  • Recruit people who reflect school communities including Black and Brown folks and those who speak multiple languages

  • Maintain transparency with all staff as we work toward justice goals with our current white leadership

  • Provide many opportunities for professional development including paid training, leadership development, teaching and gardening PD as well as monthly staff and board professional development on justice topics that align with student curriculum. Click here to see what resources our team is working with currently!