Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access at ACNC

In 2020, Audubon formed a committee which consists of staff, board members, and volunteers who are committed to looking at how Audubon can address issues related to inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA) both internally and externally as an organization. The committee led the organization in a 21-week challenge that encouraged staff, board members, and volunteers to participate in weekly readings and discussions that addressed the issue of racial bias. The goal of the challenge was to broaden the internal organizational awareness of issues related to inclusion, diversity, equity and access so that we can begin to set realistic IDEA goals for the organization moving forward.

The following IDEA Commitment was adopted by ACNC’s staff and board in August 2021.

Audubon Community Nature Center recognizes that a healthy ecosystem is defined by its level of biodiversity. Similarly, ACNC believes that the level of diversity within an organization’s leadership, staff, and constituency defines its health and overall relevance to the community that it serves. ACNC also recognizes that there is a lack of diversity within the backgrounds, experiences, identities, and abilities of people within the environmental field as well as within the existing governance, leadership, staff, and constituency of Audubon Community Nature Center. To uphold the IDEA commitments listed below, ACNC recognizes that it requires the acceptance, active participation, and an ongoing evaluation of these efforts by staff, board of directors, and the broader ACNC community.

Specific goals that address the organization’s ongoing IDEA efforts will be included in ACNC’s Strategic Plan which is updated every three years.

Click here to review ACNC’s IDEA Committee’s Purpose Statement, ACNC’s list of definitions, and the full list of IDEA Commitments.