Fiver’s DEIB Journey Continues: Progress and Milestones
The work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is ever-evolving, and Fiver’s journey continues to progress as we reaffirm our commitment to the communities we serve. As we embark on a new fiscal year, we are excited to share what we have accomplished, as well as our next steps.
Where we’ve been:
In 2022, we shared our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) with the Fiver community. We created DEIB principles that align with Fiver values and our plans for sustaining an equitable and inclusive environment for all youth, staff, and community members.
Our board-led DEIB Task Force ensures that there is a continuous focus on equity, and we recently implemented metrics around four pillars: Representation, Inclusive Culture, Accessible and Inclusive Services, and Staff and Board Development, to measure ongoing progress towards goals
Progress towards our goals include:
Representation:
Two (2) Fiver alumni currently serve on Fiver’s board of directors
48% of board members identify as people of color
44% of board members identify as women
Inclusive Culture
In 2022, Fiver’s full-time staff participated in an employee engagement survey that addressed topics such as employee well-being, DEIB, work environment, career development, team and manager effectiveness, and organizational leadership. The feedback has been invaluable to the leadership team, enabling them to further amplify the voices of the team to move our mission forward.
Accessible and Inclusive Services:
At our camp property and NYC office, we have incorporated gender-neutral bathrooms and privacy tents to enhance the comfort of our community.
Fiver continues to provide all staff with equitable HR policies, including paid maternity/paternity leave, healthcare benefits, cultural and voting time off, as well as stipends for work-from-home office equipment
Staff and Board Development:
Fiver works with Simone Gamble, founder of OAAARS (Organizer, Activist, Artist, Advocate Referral System), to provide ongoing training to Fiver staff and board members. Board training focused on how to apply an equity lens to their board service as well as taking a deep dive into how to operationalize our DEIB metrics across the organization. Staff training focused on racial equity, LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, and gender norms, as well as their own deep dive into our DEIB metrics to better understand their role in its implementation.
Our organization is looking forward to our continued growth and embedding of our DEIB principles in every facet of our work to ensure that our community remains a youth-centered, inclusive, and fun environment for all!
