In June of 2003, the CCE Directors Council established
three broad strategic outcomes to guide diversity and inclusion initiatives:
- Create
welcoming and inclusive environments for staff and clientele.
- Recruit
and retain diverse individuals for senior level positions.
- Accomplish and sustain diverse
audience participation.
Professional
development activities have been initiated and are ongoing for all
three strategic outcomes. A multi-county
pilot program is being used to develop comprehensive approaches for the
first outcome. The CCE Diversity Plan, a revised version of which will
be released in 2005, is a key tool for outcomes two and three and will
guide additional pilot efforts.
For
the past several years, CCE diversity initiatives have been based on three
simultaneous, ongoing strategies
to create an inclusive organization. This framework, developed by the
former CCE Diversity Catalyst Team, still informs the work of the
current CCE Diversity and Inclusion Professional Development Team and
the broader strategic initiatives.
Profile
Improvement involves counting for
inclusion within all areas of the organization and making the systemic
changes necessary to create environments that are inclusive of community
or marketplace diversity. It includes recruitment, hiring,
promotion; audiences served, volunteers involved, stakeholders invested;
scanning processes and outreach methods; program development, resources
available; policies and procedures; and office decorations, pictures,
magazines, brochures graphics and language.
Understanding
Differences is
a staff development initiative that
includes understanding the dynamics of power in our society and
organizations; exploring differences as assets; and increasing self-awareness
including personal values, norms, expectations, and biases.
Diversity
Management Skills include high level communication
skills, new skill sets for supervision and management, expanded teaching
strategies, the ability to capitalize on multiple perspectives, organizational
change and leadership skills, and the understanding and application
of diversity knowledge to meet organizational requirements.
