Mission Met’s Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion, and Justice Journey
Our DEIJ journey is A process that will never end
Mission Met has always been committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. We have served numerous nonprofits who are leading social justice efforts and we provide inclusive and equitable strategic planning processes.
That said, prior to 2023 we hadn’t formally captured our approaches and beliefs in a documented DEIJ statement. Below we share our statement is, how we came up with our statement, what what actions we are taking, what we are learning, and related resources.
Thank you for being on the journey with us. This page will continually change as we learn, grow, and evolve.
DEIJ Statement
Recognizing the need for social change, Mission Met is a team united in our commitment to making a difference and co-creating a work-world where every person feels seen, heard, and valued. Our journey towards diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice is a shared movement that we undertake together – as individuals and as team members, with our communities and customers. We prioritize empathy and understanding, learning from one another's unique experiences and cultures. We are committed to lifting up marginalized communities and promoting justice, including, but not limited to persons with diverse abilities, gender identities, gender expressions, socioeconomic status, national origins, races or ethnicities, sexual orientations, neurodivergences, and veteran statuses. By embedding these principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice into our work, we forge a more dynamic, inclusive, and robust organization which will have a more far-reaching impact upon the mission-driven leaders and organizations we serve.
Our Personal Commitments to DEIJ
The Mission Met team shares a strong personal commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), and each member brings unique experiences and insights into their work.
Erin Sykes’ journey in service-learning through City Year, alongside her efforts to promote LGBTQIA+ understanding in her church, underscores her passion for inclusivity and education. Eric's background, deeply rooted in a family legacy of service and shaped by personal experiences with family mental health challenges, teaching in rural minority communities, and academic pursuits related to environmental justice, highlights a life dedicated to uplifting the underserved through education and direct service. Similarly, Ricky Chilcott’s transformative experiences while spending time in Guyana opened his eyes to the complexities of injustice and diversity, fueling his commitment to change within Mission Met and in his community.
Megan Drapcho and Nick Smith bring their experiences from working in rural and underrepresented communities in Ohio and Appalachia, including focusing on empowering first-generation college students, supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, and actively addressing homelessness and poverty. Their work emphasized the importance of education, advocacy, and policy change in fostering equity and inclusion. Myk Reyes’ personal journey with bipolar disorder and advocacy for those with mental and developmental disabilities showcases his depth of understanding and compassion needed to support neurodivergent individuals effectively.
Paul Lamb’s narrative ties these themes together, drawing from a rich family tradition of social justice activism and professional dedication to serving underserved communities, including gang-active youth and incarcerated adults. His efforts to understand and combat systemic injustices, alongside a commitment to learning and action, reflect a collective aspiration within our team to enact meaningful change.
Together, their stories illustrate a shared dedication to creating a more inclusive, equitable, and just society through various paths of advocacy, education, and direct support. All aim to transform their understanding and experiences into impactful action within their communities and beyond. Our individual DEIJ journeys run deep. Our collective journey has just begun. We will continue to learn.
Resources
Definitions
In order to do this work successfully, we need to all be saying the same thing. To that end, we’ve written basic definitions with more expansive explanations so the team is saying and meaning the same thing.
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice – is a catch-all phrase for four distinct but related ideas. In summary… Justice represents the desire for equal opportunities and fair treatment for all individuals, regardless of their background or characteristics. Diversity is about the presence of difference. Equity is about the process of fairness. Inclusion is about ensuring people with diverse backgrounds feel and are welcome in the organization.
We intentionally chose to order them as DEIJ because we don’t believe that acronyms HAVE to spell out a word. The JEDI connotation isn’t something we believe is useful in this context. We also see DEIJ as a cycle of concepts where Justice is both the ‘why’ and the ‘result’ of this work.
It is valuable to break down each of the four concepts individually to see how they fit together.
Justice
The concept of Justice goes beyond addressing inequity; it's about challenging the systems of privilege, power, and oppression. It means creating a fair and equitable system for all individuals.
Considering justice in our efforts means to address systemic inequalities and ensure that everyone has access to the same opportunities and resources.
Justice has had a historical focus on punishment, but we seek to focus on accountability and restoration.
It is important to recognize that justice is not an isolated concept but rather it is interconnected with diversity, equity, and inclusion. Together, these four pillars provide a framework for creating a more just and equitable society where everyone has an equal chance to succeed.
Diversity
A diverse team brings together people with different identities and qualities like:
Race
Gender
Sexual orientation
Religion
Ethnic background
Ability/disability
Language
Class
Diversity initiatives also look for people who have been (and currently are) underrepresented or marginalized in the field and in the community as a whole.
Equity
Equity helps tear down roadblocks. This requires more than simple changes and gets at the very policies, procedures, and processes of an organization.
Equity differs from equality in a few important ways. Equality focuses on the same treatment of every individual. In a perfect world, that’d be fine, but people operate within broken and unfair systems, especially those who have any sort of minority status.
Equity is more about helping all people reach the same level of success, even if that means disenfranchised people are given opportunities that help get them to the same places that majority groups have historically operated within.
Inclusion
While diversity and equity are proactive steps, inclusion is an outcome of those efforts. Inclusion gets accomplished when diverse people actually feel welcomed and experience a sense of belonging.
This includes not just the presence of diverse individuals but their voices being heard in important aspects of the business. Diverse groups of people should participate in decision-making conversations and have professional development opportunities or ongoing training available to them.
Inclusion only works when the people in our business get behind it. Policies and procedure changes, while good first steps, will not change the hearts of staff and leaders.
We do this by…
We never want to be a company that just says something is important, but doesn’t take action. To that end, in 2024, we are committed to the two following iniativies:
DEIJ Monthly Training and learning
Learn each month on a different aspect of DEIJ and how it relates to this work. These sessions are lead by our own team members and are heavily informed by outside voices. Each month we will summarize the key findings and share with the world. Below are the past or planned sessions
January 2024 - Exploring Diversity and Project Management with Myk Reyes
February 2024 - Unconscious Bias: Raising Awareness and Taking Action with Ricky Chilcott
March 2024 - How White People Can Be Allies In The Struggle Against Racism with Paul Lamb
Supporting Organizations
We are going to be supporting three not-for-profit organizations that primarily serve marginalized communities by providing them with lifetime access to Causey and some individual consulting support.
Learn more about the program and apply at https://www.causey.app/causey-supports-marginalized-communities