Commitment To Equity

Wild Whatcom staff and board of directors are united in a commitment to prioritize building equity in our community and the outdoor education industry, ensuring equal access to the outdoors, and creating thoughtful learning environments for kids and adults.

This entails embedding considerations around equity in all that we do; it’s not a stand alone committee, it is something we consider across all of our work. See below for just some of the ways in which we do this.

This is, and will be, a continuing conversation we have with each other, our participants and families, our funders, our partners, and you as we continue to learn, grow and act together.

land acknowledgements

Wild Whatcom begins meetings, outings, and events with a group acknowledgement that we are residing on stolen lands. Learn more about land acknowledgements at the U.S. Department of Art and Culture. We also recognize that acknowledgement is not enough; rather these acknowledgements are a regular reminder of the continued action required to rebuild our communities with compassion, being cognizant of our history and continued oppression of individuals in our society.

Participant Skills Development

Wild Whatcom is working to make outdoor education accessible to all as well as combat traditional gender norms. One way we do this is by ensuring that all participants learn and practice socio-emotional skills and wilderness skills (from positive communication and self reflection to fire-making and carving). We are in the process of bringing consistency in our curriculum across programs so that all participants have the opportunity to practice a wide variety of skills based on a curriculum that builds as they age through programs.

Gender-inclusive programs and pronoun circles

When Wild Whatcom began, we offered Explorers Club groups as a gender-specific program—programs specifically just for boys or just for girls (e.g. Girls Explorers Club). In an effort to continue trying to make outdoor education accessible to all, we have since moved to offering this same program with multiple options, including gender-neutral groups, so that participants and parents can opt into the program that feels right for them. Our aim is to create safe spaces for all young people to be outdoors with other youth they feel comfortable with. In other words, we want young people to feel comfortable being who they are, expressing themselves how they’d like to, and participating in activities they enjoy. As a part of this process, we have also incorporated pronoun circles into the beginning of each outing—an opportunity for youth to give their name and their pronoun. 

Free and by-donation programming, loaner gear, scholarships, free transportation, and nearby nature

Wild Whatcom is always working to make our programs accessible to all families. One way we do this is by offering programming that is free or by-donation (pay as you can). We provide free loaner gear (e.g. rain jackets, backpacks, shoes, boots, etc.) to all participants as requested and our fee-based programs can be accessed with need-based scholarships.

We offer programs with free transportation in low-income communities and free programming in Title 1 schools and in Life Skills and BRIDGES classrooms. We also offer programs to the community that are drop-in, located on public transit lines, and by suggested donation to ensure all interested participants can join. Most of our programs are offered in nearby nature so that kids and families feel comfortable in parks and green spaces close to their homes and schools. 

Collaborate and compromise circles

Wild Whatcom programs practice participatory decision-making, working to ensure all voices are heard. Decisions come through learning how to collaborate (work together) and compromise (giving up a bit of what you want so others can get their needs met too). We think about "We, not just Me". This allows for divergent views and for youth to practice positive ways to discuss and move forward even when there may be disagreements. We do this in an effort to create a space where youth can feel comfortable expressing their opinions and working through challenges together. Learn more about our other mottos that guide our organizational culture. 

Commitment to risk management and safety for all participants

At Wild Whatcom, we take great pride in the quality and training of our mentors. We believe it to be one of the things that sets our organization apart. In addition to mentors coming to Wild Whatcom with a wealth of varied experience, such as multiple years in other outdoor programs, counseling, social work, and teaching in public schools, to name a few, mentors are also provided continuous opportunities for training and expanding their skill sets as outdoor and environmental educators.

In addition to environmental education and youth development training, we provide annual behavior management and mandated reporter trainings with outside experts in their fields, and wilderness medicine certifications including mental health components.

In addition to staff training, Wild Whatcom has an extensive Risk Management Plan containing the guidelines and policies upon which staff rely to facilitate safe outdoor experiences. Wild Whatcom’s Risk Management Team meets twice monthly to discuss any recent risk-related scenarios (physical, behavioral, socio-emotional, environmental, etc.) to discuss what policies are in place to mitigate risk, as well as how we can continue to improve our risk management through policy creation, research, preparedness, and mentor training. We continue to invest in our staff and risk management to avoid and/or mitigate risk in scenarios in the field.

ongoing development of our staffing model

The outdoor education industry has been and continues to be a non-inclusive space for many reasons. One reason is due to the nature of the work that is temporary, short term, sporadic (e.g. may include unpaid breaks during winter season for months). We recognize this is not a sustainable profession to anyone who does not have additional access to wealth or resources. Because of this, we have continued to overhaul our staffing model to move nearly all of our staff to salaried positions with consistent pay, paid time off, and consistent working schedules. This is an ongoing experiment as we learn how to develop this industry’s work practices with considerations to the fluctuations in outdoor work. If you are also engaged in this type of work and have ideas, thoughts, or questions please reach out. We love to share ideas and create relationships with others to lift others up in the process.

Hiring practices and safe working environment

Wild Whatcom is committed to equitable hiring practices and strives to develop a staff that is representative of our community. To do this, we utilize a variety of hiring practices based on research and best practices.

• Hiring teams utilize screening rubrics that consider disproportionate access to systems that perpetuate disparities (e.g. recognizing financial barriers to higher education, disproportionate access to social networks, etc.).

• Interviews are conducted consistently for all candidates, and the first round is done via phone to mitigate bias towards local candidates.

• Priority is given to candidates representing marginalized communities and we provide on-the-job training to staff who need additional certification and training that can be financially prohibitive.

We are also continually exploring ways to provide a flexible and supportive work environment while still maintaining a sustainable business model (e.g. options to work remotely, flexible work schedules, generous paid time off, etc.). 

Transparency, open communication, and welcoming space for divergent views

Similarly to our programming, our staff and board continually try to provide an organizational culture where divergent views are welcomed, acknowledged, and appreciated. We practice honest disclosure about what's happening for us, saying what we need to say with respectful communication, rather than letting things stew and simmer.

ongoing development of our board of directors and leadership model

There are many ways in which traditional Boards of Directors models are not accessible to all individuals; they often require that you: donate money, are connected to people with money, can give loads of your time for free, and that you have specific skills like fundraising. We are working towards offering many ways in which people can get involved with our leadership and decision-making including low-barrier entry to our board committees as a volunteer. We also offer stipends for our Board and Committee volunteers thanks to the Mount Baker Foundation. See our Volunteer page for more info.

Continued learning and growing

We recognize that we are still learning and that we, our society and communities, will always be learning and growing together around issues of equity and inclusion. We are committed to this work and will continue to invest with our time, money, energy, planning, and programs.

We welcome feedback and have many opportunities to join us in decision-making and discussion. Contact us if you have thoughts to share or want to participate!